Fort Robinson and Northwest Nebraska

 

On Sunday, we drove about 200 miles to Fort Robinson State Park. Google took us through the wilds of eastern Wyoming, including quite a bit of gravel road.

We arrived in Fort Robinson without reservations, but were able to get a full hookup site. Fort Robinson was built in the late 1800s, and used by the military until after World War II. It became a state park in the 1950s. Normally they would offer trail rides and a swimming pool, but all activities were canceled due to Covid. We walked around the grounds, which contain numerous old buildings now converted to lodging. We were told that it is very popular for family reunions, and we can see why.

Richard had printed road trips from DiscoverNebraska.com. On Monday, we decided to take the longest of the road trips, largely on gravel or dirt roads. Our first stop was at the Cheyenne Outbreak monument, commemorating when the Indians at Fort Robinson broke out and tried to go back to their homeland. The fighting killed 70 Indians and 11 soldiers, but ultimately the survivors were taken back to Fort Robinson. We then went north to Sowbelly Canyon. The name came from an Indian ambush that left the soldiers trapped with nothing to eat but sow bellies; they escaped after several days. This was very picturesque, with a small stream running down it, and cliffs on both sides. We stopped at Coffey Park for a picnic, a very pleasant spot. 

 We turned north near Harrison, and headed into the Oglala National Grassland. This is ranch country, and ranch homes are very far apart. We turned east, and stopped at the church and cemetery in Montrose. The only house in Montrose was falling down, but the church of the Immaculate Conception was in very good condition. The church was open, and we went in. We also walked around the cemetery. Across from the church was the Warbonnet Battlefield, where the 5^th Cavalry stopped a large group of Cheyenne who were attempting to link up with Sitting Bull. The only casualty of the battle was the Cheyenne Yellow Hair, killed and scalped by Buffalo Bill Cody, who was a scout for the military.

Our next stop was Toadstool Geological Park. We took a one mile hike through the badlands area. The toadstools are not as impressive as those of Goblin State Park in Utah. We continued on Toadstool road until we reached the paved road north of Crawford. We got back to our camper around 5 PM, after stopping at the gas station liquor store for beer.

It was a lot of driving on dirt and gravel roads, and tiring. We resolved not to go as far on the next day. Sandy cooked pork chops for dinner.

Death of Crazy Horse

Tuesday was laid back; it was too hot to hike. In the morning we went to the museum, which covered the long history of the fort. Crazy Horse was killed here. The fort was repurposed multiple times, including as remount facility for training Army horses, and a German POW camp in WWII. The black Buffalo Soldiers were here. In the afternoon we followed the White River Road along the White River, which paralleled the old Chicago and Northwestern railroad grade. We stopped at the Glenhaven cemetery, with many graves from the early 1900s. We saw antelope and turkeys, in a pretty valley. Sandi cooked shrimp kabobs for dinner.

On Wednesday, the weather was cool, so we went for a hike. We drove up the Smiley Canyon road, and saw the herd of bison. The road was blocked by a herd of horses, who may have been hoping for a handout. We pulled forward slowly until the horses moved out of the way; some of them may have gotten bumped by the truck. The Turtle Rock trail goes from the Smiley Canyon road to the top of the cliffs overlooking the valley, and back again. It was a steady climb, with some nice views.

We decided to drive to the town of Harrison to have lunch, as there were no picnic areas off the Smiley Canyon road. After lunch, we noticed that the historical museum was open, and decided to take a look. The cattle brand display in the window drew our attention; the barb wire collection was excellent. Our guide was a retired school teacher, who had taught at one room school houses. We learned that Sioux county still had two one room schools. The Harrison Hotel, built in 1886 as a railroad hotel, is still open. We took a little tour. Sandi cooked bison burgers for dinner. ;-)

On Thursday, we had hoped to do some hiking, but the smoke was bad. In the morning, we visited the sites of the Red Cloud Indian Agency, and the German POW Camp. We also stopped at the museum bookstore to pick up some gifts. After a lengthy nap by Richard, we drove to the Council Tree, the site of a large council in 1875, during which the US government attempted to buy the Black Hills from the Indians. We also drove up Soldier Creek, to the end of the road, and found the small primitive campground there.

On Friday, we decided to visit the Crawford Livestock Market. We pulled our rig next to the stock trailers and chatted with a cowboy named Ferguson, who went to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, “East Campus.” Richard took some photos of the cattle being moved. Sandi did her best “Hi y'all”, and mentioned that she had grown up on a farm. We did get some heckling, and people asking us why we were there. They sell thousands of cattle per week.

We drove east to Smith Falls State Park, stopped in Valentine for provisions, and managed to make a wrong turn. We got there about 6 PM, after losing an hour for the time change. Our group started to show up, and we met some folks. The campsites were huge, but no utilities. The park has bathrooms and pay showers.