Editing Fort Riley (section)

===Cavalry School and Modernization===
General [[Philip Sheridan|P. H. Sheridan]], who was appointed general-in-chief of the United States army in 1883, recommended the enlargement of the post, and in 1886 the Kansas legislature adopted a resolution requesting the senators and representatives in Congress from that state to use their power and influence to secure an appropriation to carry out the ideas of the commanding general. Senators [[Preston B. Plumb]] and [[John J. Ingalls]] and Representative [[John Alexander Anderson|John A. Anderson]], who represented the district in which Fort Riley was located, were especially active in behalf of the appropriation. The result of the combined efforts of the friends of the post was that in 1887 an appropriation of $200,000 was made by Congress for the purpose of establishing "a permanent school of instruction for drill and practice for the cavalry and light artillery service of the army of the United States, and which shall be the depot to which all recruits for such service shall be sent; and for the purpose of construction of such quarters, barracks and stables as may be required to carry into effect the purposes of this act", which would become the [[United States Army Cavalry School]]. That appropriation was the beginning of a series of improvements that amount practically to the rebuilding of the post, including a large cavalry riding hall.<ref name="Blackmar 1912">{{cite book |last1=Blackmar |first1=Frank |title=Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. |date=1912 |pages=668–671 |url=https://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1912/f/fort_riley.html |access-date=September 24, 2024 |archive-date=September 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924222030/https://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1912/f/fort_riley.html |url-status=live }}{{source-attribution}}</ref>

In 1889, Summerall Hall was constructed as the second permanent hospital at Fort Riley and was later converted into the garrison command headquarters following the hospital's relocation. It was renamed in 1956 in honor of General [[Charles P. Summerall]], who commanded the 1st Infantry Division during the late 1910s to early 1920s.<ref name="Sambuco 2019">{{cite web |last=Sambuco |first=Téa |title=Looking Back: Summerall Hall served as a hospital, division, garrison headquarters |website=US Army |date=May 1, 2019 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/221204/looking_back_summerall_hall_served_as_a_hospital_division_garrison_headquarters |access-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914063329/https://www.army.mil/article/221204/looking_back_summerall_hall_served_as_a_hospital_division_garrison_headquarters |url-status=live }}</ref>

Fort Riley was also used by state militia units for encampments and training exercises. The first such maneuver occurred in the fall of 1902, with subsequent ones held in 1903, 1904, 1906–1908, and 1911. These exercises gave added importance to the fort as a training facility and provided reserve units a valuable opportunity for sharpening their tactical skills.<ref name="History" />
Army horsemen and the training they received at the United States Army Cavalry School made them among the finest mounted soldiers in the world, and the school's reputation ranked with the French and Italian Cavalry Schools. Horse shows, hunts, and polo matches&nbsp;– long popular events on Army post&nbsp;– were a natural outgrowth of cavalry training.<ref name="History" />