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Fort Robinson State ParkThe Famed Chief Crazy Horse Died At This One Of The Nebraska State Parks
Fort Robinson State Park used to be an important U.S. Army fort, and to this day there are still reminders of what it used to be with restored and reconstructed building built in that recognizable army style. The park is located right on the county line of Dawes and Sioux counties in the north-west corner of the state of Nebraska. It covers over 22,000 acres of land and a visit here is top of the list of "Nebraska things to do." The history of the site goes back to March 1874 when the U.S. government gave orders for a camp to be built to support the nearby Red Cloud Indian Agency. The camp was named in honor of Lt. L.H. Robinson who had recently been slain by the Indians. The fort played an important part in the war against the Sioux between 1876 and 1890. Chief Crazy Horse surrendered at the fort in May 1877 with some of his tribe but in a scuffle while resisting imprisonment later that year he was fatally wounded and died on September 5th. A stone marker at the Fort Shows the exact site where this happened.
Until 1948 Fort Robinson served as a military base in many different forms including a huge horse remount center, a K-9 training center and a prisoner of war camp for Germans. After its military career it was turned over to the Department Of Agriculture who used it as a beef cattle research station. It wasn`t until 1955 that it became a State Park under the control of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Nowadays at the park the facilities are first class. There is an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor wading pool with a sundeck, there is also the museum and a theatre.
A lodge provides top quality accommodation and visitors can rent cabins and adobe buildings. For groups who want to hang out together there are old brick barracks and soldiers quarters, some of them can sleep up to sixty people in one group. You almost feel as if you are in the Army! Camping facilities include a campground with electrical hookups in a beautiful area maongst mature shade trees and there are numerous sites for primitive camping. Showers and restrooms are modern and there are also plenty of picnic tables and shelters all around the park. A dedicated campground for riders and their horses is provided and with many miles of trails to enjoy, horseback riding and hiking are both very popular.
All in all, Fort Robinson is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy your surroundings and, with the added attraction of its long history, a great place to hold a family re-union or spend a vacation. Address and contact details -Fort Robinson State Park,PO Box 392, Crawford, Nebraska 69339-0392 Phone (308) 665-2900 Reservations (402) 471-1414 email - ngpc.Fort.Robinson@nebraska.gov Here is a Nebraska county map with the position of Fort Robinson State Park indicated with a star.
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