USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Day 27, 30 August: Lusk, WY to Crawford, NE

We departed Lusk at about 6:20 AM for a 55 mile ride to Fort Robinson State Park in Crawford, Nebraska. Windy day, mostly crosswinds at 15 to 20 mph detracting from an otherwise beautiful riding day through open prairie and grazing land. Traffic was light and shoulders more than adequate. The high point, however, was crossing the state line… any state line really, but today it was good-bye to Wyoming and the beginning of our trek across the northern tier of Nebraska.

Recently I wrote that on long bike rides it’s not uncommon to miss a number of attractions. Though I did ride by some historical landmarks that may have been most interesting, it was impossible to miss the biggest landmark of all – Fort Robinson State Park, since that’s where we’re spending the evening.

Fort Robinson was established in 1876 to implement and oversee US Governments efforts to subdue the tribes in the surrounding areas. The Indian Wars as they were called continued until 1890 and the fort remained active until 1916. Of historical interest, Fort Robinson is where Chief Crazy Horse surrendered on May 6, 1877. While in captivity he had a scuffle with Chief Dull Knife regarding next steps each considered in the best interest of the impacted tribes. Crazy Horse was against continued fighting, especially give the ratio of losses between warriors and soldiers. Chief Dull Knife favored continuation of fighting, angered with the US Government policy of corralling tribes onto a small parcel of land and then starving them in the winter until the tribes submitted to government demands. Apparently Chief Dull Knife’s knife wasn’t too dull as one story has it that he stabbed and killed Crazy Horse.

The fort was also used to train and breed horses and mules for WWI and was used as a POW camp in WWII. The US Agriculture Department found the animal husbandry infrastructure very conducive to their research agenda and used the fort for those purposes for several years beginning in 1947. In the 1960s a civilian-led effort assumed responsibility for the fort in order to preserve the original buildings still standing, which are many to include the officer quarters we are staying in this evening.

Today, Fort Robinson State Park encompasses 22,000 acres and offers year round recreational activities and entertainment. It’s extremely well maintained and the ability to lodge in original quarters is a treat. A family could easily spend a week here and never repeat an activity.

Tomorrow a short hop to Chadron, NE before taking on the open spaces of northern Nebraska in the days to follow.

Doug Leland