Just before 10 P.M. on January 9, 1879, the 130 Cheyennes held in the cavalry barracks made their desperate bid for freedom. After disabling the soldier guards, they fled across this ground to the White River beyond. Under heavy fire from pursuing…

In January 20, 1885, Congress granted the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad a right-of-way through the Fort Robinson Military Reservation. Later this line was acquired by the Chicago and North Western. With direct rail access in 1886,…

During the 1887 expansion of Fort Robinson 6 adobe barracks were built on the south side of the parade ground. Later 2 frame barracks were added. Each building had a dormitory area 170 by 30 feet, a kitchen wing 70 by 30 feet, and housed a single…

This camp, constructed to house three thousand men, received the first German prisoners of war in June, 1943. Most of the soldiers were members of the Afrika Korps. The prisoners were allowed to work on farms and ranches in the area and received a…

Of the fifteen enlisted men's barracks of log, adobe, or fired brick, only this structure remains at Fort Robinson. It housed men of the 8th and 12th Cavalry and the Quartermaster Remount Service. A similar structure near the brick…

This flagstaff, 105 feet high, is constructed of metal pipe with a ladder and crow's nest for buglers. It was originally on the other side of the 1905 headquarters near the highway, having replaced an earlier flagstaff blown down by an 1889…

Consisting of four double sets and one single occupancy dwelling for the post commander, these were the last officers' homes constructed at Fort Robinson. They represent the culmination of Victorian military architecture, with fancy fireplaces…

These duplex officers' quarters, of adobe brick construction, were completed in 1887 when Fort Robinson became a cavalry regimental headquarters. This structure has been restored by the Nebraska State Historical Society, and furnishings…

The Post Headquarters was constructed in 1905. The Post Commander's office was located here, along with other administrative offices, post office, and the Fort's telephone exchange. An ornate auditorium on the second floor was often used…

Red Cloud Agency was established here in 1873 for Chief Red Cloud and his Ogalala band, as well as for other northern plains Indians, totaling nearly 13,000. Their earlier agency had been located on the North Platte near Fort Laramie. The agencies…

In September 1875 a lone cottonwood provided a landmark where the Allison Commission met with thousands of Lakota Sioux in a futile effort to buy the Black Hills. Based on the recollections of elderly Lakotas, Captain Christopher Robinson Chapter,…

Crawford's first high school building was erected with locally fired brick in 1890 at an approximate cost of $25,000. This bell was installed in the belfry the following year. During the structure's demolition in 1956, citizens stealthily…

The Chief of Fort Robinson Scouts, Baptiste "Little Bat" Garnier was shot by James Haguewood, bartender, in this building known as Dietrich's Saloon, December 16, 1900. "Little Bat" died near the center of the street…

Crawford sprang up as a tent city on land owned by homesteader-newspaper correspondent William E. Annin in 1886 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad pushed through the Nebraska Panhandle. To incorporate the town, editor William…

Perhaps no spot in Nebraska is so surrounded by historical and geographical landmarks as this one. Numerous landmarks of the period of the Indian Wars are visible from here. The site of a legendary battle between the Sioux and Crow Indians, Crow…

America's longest horse race began here June 13, 1893. The 1,000 mile race ended June 27 in Chicago at Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The race apparently was the idea of Chadron jokester John G. Maher. Seven of nine riders finished, some…

From about 1837 until 1850, more than a quarter million buffalo robes bought from Indians and 27 tons of fur company trade goods were hauled over the 300 mile long Fort Pierre-Fort Laramie Trail that followed the White River through this area. First…

Shortly after the townsite of Chadron was selected on August 1, 1885, the Reverend Harmon Bross, a Congregational missionary, conducted the first worship service in the fledgling community. For a time services were held in the open air or in tents.…

Employees of Lancaster P. Lupton built a trading post on the creek near here in 1841 to trade with the Sioux Indians. From 1842 until at least 1845 this post was managed by Louis B. Chartran, first for Sibille and Adams and later for Pratte &…

Following the 1874 establishment of military posts near the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies for the Oglala and Brule Sioux, the army laid out a forty-two-mile road to transport military and Indian supplies between the agencies and posts. Oglala…

In September 1942 the Fort Robinson War Dog Training Center was established. Barracks, classrooms, administrative offices, and other support buildings were located west and north of here. To the east and north was a sprawling kennel area housing…