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Dawes County, NE

Dawes County

Dawes County is part of the Pine Ridge which extends in a ragged arc across 100 miles of Northwest Nebraska and marks the northern boundary of the High Plains. Rising 1000 feet above the White River Valley, the spectacular scenery includes high, white cliffs and rugged buttes. The 25-mile Pine Ridge Trail provides spectacular sightseeing trails among the pine-clad hills and buttes. Containing over 145,000 acres of public land, this area is popular for hunting, hiking, and biking.


This area was a favorite Indian hunting and camping area for hundreds of years and the Sioux Indians occupied it permanently about 1810. Spaniards from New Mexico were the first fur traders, followed in the 1830s by Americans from St. Louis, who established a regular trail from Fort Laramie to Fort Pierre on the Missouri River.


In the 1840s there were two competing fur posts, one on Chadron Creek, about 8 miles south of Chadron, the other on Bordeaux Creek, about 3 1/2 miles east of Chadron.


In 1872-1873, two Indian agencies were established on the White River in what is now Dawes County. Fort Robinson was built to protect the Red Cloud Agency, and played an important role in the Indian Wars of the 1870s. Sioux War Chief Crazy Horse was killed there in 1877.


Camp Sheridan was established in what is now Sheridan County in 1874 to protect the Spotted Tail Agency. It was abandoned and dismantled in 1881, but the site is easily accessible.


With the removal of the Sioux Indians to South Dakota in 1877, several very large cattle outfits came into the area. Large roundups were conducted annually until the railroads arrived in 1885 and an influx of homesteaders took up most of the available land. Dawes is still cattle country and very much reflects its heritage of Indians, fur traders, cowboys, and frontier soldiers. The buffalo herd at Fort Robinson State Park is a reminder of Northwest Nebraska's vivid history.


Pine Ridge beckons to those who love a dramatic, mystical landscape with a past to match. The terrain will test the skills of backpackers and hikers of every level. Developed horse trails, lakes, streams and rivers, and camping areas help you to meet Mother Nature up close and personal. Study the most fascinating sagas of the Old West, carefully preserved in museums and other attractions. Get in touch with historic figures of the past like General Crook, Walter Reed, Crazy Horse, and Chief Red Cloud. Or delve further back into history by exploring the fossil beds, geological strata, and other archeological finds of the area's prehistoric past. Rock collectors visit the area seeking Fairburn and Nebraska Blue Agate. Fort Robinson State Park is a favorite with visitors for its unique summer activities.


Explore Dawes County

Trailside Museum

Located at Fort Robinson State Park at the University of Nebraska State Museum at Trailside, you can view paleontology and geology exhibits on Nebraska's rich fossil history. A 14-foot mammoth skeleton unearthed nearby

Crawford, NE Museums

Chadron State Park

Nebraska's oldest state park (1921), Chadron might well be the best kept secret of the state park system. With the majestic beauty of the Pine Ridge as its backdrop, Chadron covers 974 acres of natural beauty to awe any visitor. Located off U.S. 385

Crawford, NE Recreation

Fort Robinson Museum

Welcome to Fort Robinson, an active U.S. Military post from 1874 - 1948, now a Nebraska State Park. From Crazy Horse to Olympic horsemen, Fort Robinson's history spans seven decades. Crazy Horse, the great Oglala warrior, met his death here in 1877. Thirteen years later, black "buffalo soldiers"

Crawford, NE Museums

Legend Buttes Golf Course

Legend Buttes Golf Course has been designated by the World Herald as one of the best 18 golf courses in Nebraska. The 3,178 yard, 36

Crawford, NE Golf Courses

Hudson-Meng Bison Kill

When Albert Meng was preparing to build a pond in the early 1950

Crawford, NE Archaeology

Fort Robinson State Historic Park

Nebraska's largest and most historic state park, Fort Robinson was an active military post from 1874 to 1948

Crawford, NE Forts

Dawes County Historical Museum

The Dawes County Historical Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the northwest portion of Nebraska it calls home. The Museum grounds include the log house and barn, 1890s school house, pioneer church and C and NW caboose. The 9,000

Crawford, NE Museums



The Museum of the Fur Trade

The museum is dedicated to preserving the rich history of the North American fur trade and is located three miles east of Chadron, Nebraska, on U. S. Highway 20.

Combining an outstanding collection and scholarship

Crawford, NE Museums

Bordeaux Trading Post

From about 1857 to 1876, an Indian "trading post" occupied a site near here. Built by James Bordeaux, the trading station was often attacked and set afire by hostile Crow warriors. Fortunately some friendly Sioux Indians came to the rescue and drove off the attacking Crow.

Crawford, NE Pioneer Life

Railroad History

The Belmont Tunnel south of Crawford is the only railroad tunnel in the state of Nebraska. It is a 750

Crawford, NE Railroad History

Explore Dawes County