Fort Robinson

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Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army outpost and a present-day state park in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska.

[edit] History

In March 1874, the U.S. Government authorized the establishment of a military camp at the Red Cloud Agency on the White River, near what is now Crawford, Nebraska. 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 2.4 km (1.5 miles) 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 Indian 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 while resisting imprisonment. 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 armed conflict in Nebraska.

In 1885, the U.S. 9th Cavalry Regiment (Buffalo Soldiers) arrived at Fort Robinson; from 1887 to 1898, the fort served as regimental headquarters. 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. In 1948, after 74 years of service, Fort Robinson was transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture 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 for use as a state park. The following year, the Nebraska State Historical Society opened a museum at the fort. In 1971, the USDA closed its research station, and today, Fort Robinson State Park is Nebraska's premier state park, showcasing the region's scenic beauty and historical and cultural significance.

[edit] Trivia

The surrender and death of Crazy Horse at Fort Robinson in 1877 are mentioned in the closing captions of the movie Dances with Wolves as marking the end of the "great horse culture of the plain."