Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and a present-day state park. Located in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska, it is 2 mi (3.2 km) west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20[2].
History
In August 1873, the Red Cloud Agency was moved from the North Platte River to the White River, near what is now Crawford, Nebraska. The following March, the U. S. Government authorized the establishment of a military camp at the agency site. Home to some 13,000 Lakotas, the Agency was a source of tension on the Great Plains. The camp was named Camp Robinson in honor of Lt. Levi H. Robinson, who had been killed by Indians while collecting wood in February. In May, the camp was moved 1.5 mi (2.4 km) west of the agency to its present location; the camp was renamed Fort Robinson in January 1878.
Fort Robinson played a major role in the Sioux Wars from 1876 to 1890. The Battle of Warbonnet Creek took place nearby in July 1876. Crazy Horse surrendered here on May 6, 1877, and was fatally wounded on September 5 of that year. In January 1879, Chief Dull Knife led Cheyenne, who had been imprisoned at the fort under harsh winter conditions without food, water or heat, attempted to escape and were massacred. The incident marked the end of the Sioux Wars in Nebraska.
In 1885, the Buffalo Soldiers of the U.S. 9th Cavalry Regiment arrived at Fort Robinson; from 1887 to 1898, the fort served as regimental headquarters. The post gymnasium and theatre, built in 1904, provided entertainment for the soldiers. A quartermaster's stores building is now used as a playhouse by Chadron State College.[1] In 1919, Fort Robinson became the world's largest quartermaster remount depot; during World War II, the fort was the site of a K-9 corps training center and a German prisoner-of-war camp. After 74 years of military use, Fort Robinson was transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture in 1948 for use as a beef research station.
A new chapter of Fort Robinson's history began in 1955, when a portion of the fort was acquired by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to become Fort Robinson State Park. The following year, the Nebraska State Historical Society opened a museum at the fort.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.[2][1] The fort is part of the Fort Robinson and Red Cloud Agency historic district, which includes Fort Robinson and the site of the second Red Cloud Agency (about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to the east). The district also includes the Camp Camby site and the 1886 Percy Homestead. The USDA closed its research station in 1971; today, the fort is managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, with some individual buildings operated by the Nebraska State Historical Society and the University of Nebraska.
Images
References
Further reading
Barnes, Jeff. Forts of the Northern Plains: Guide to Historic Military Posts of the Plains Indian Wars. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2008.
External links
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