By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
Work is beginning to upgrade Freedom Park overlooking I-70 across from the Marshall Army Airfield at Fort Riley. That park, now closed to the public, is the site for Atomic Annie the large cannon that has existed there for many years.
Geary County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Director Michelle Stimatze said the CVB and a group of business leaders have been meeting for about one year on this project. “We have finally been able to get it approved. The National Guard is doing some training on the hill, where Atomic Annie is. They’re going to be doing some atomic work and some other things.”
Stimatze stated the plan is to get the hill cleaned up for tourists traveling on I-70 to visit the site. The goal is to return the park to normal. “A couple of years ago when they were burning fields some of the fields burned and so did the trail up to the cannon. And so we’re working on that project to get it completed and get things back to where they used to be.”
Stimatze noted the long-term goal is to restore site for visitors to park in the parking lot at the bottom of the hill and then travel up to the top to Atomic Annie. “That’s the whole goal of this. Starting with the National Guard, and them there’ll be some other groups that will be going up there. And we’re going to clean it up and make it like it used to be a few years ago.” Right now the trail leading from the parking lot up to the top of the hill is closed due to liability concerns.
The National Guard is expected to work and train on site for about two weeks. Stimatze confirmed during that time concrete will be poured, and they’re hoping to get the cannons repainted. Other former military items including World War II era howitzers and an obsolete command track vehicle are located on the side of the hill at Freedom Park.
She noted the overall project, which also would include new signage and repainting of picnic tables, has been approved by the county commission. The cost must be kept under $50,000, but Stimatze said she expects the actual cost to be about $10,000. The money will come from the CVB budget via a one percent transient guest tax collected by the county. That tax is paid by those who use motel and hotel lodging facilities in Geary County. The funds are gathered for use on special projects like the Freedom Park improvements, or the recent effort to upgrade the playing field at Rathert Field.
The cannon was initially on loan from the Smithsonian Institute. According to the CVB there were 20 of the cannons manufactured. They were deployed overseas to Europe and Korea and often shifted around to avoid detection and targeting by opposing forces. Due their size, limited range, the development of nuclear shells compatible with existing artillery pieces and the development of rocket and missile based nuclear artillery, the M65 was effectively obsolete soon after it was deployed. However it remained a prestige weapon and was not retired until 1963.
Only eight of those cannons remain on display today through throughout the United States.
