Northwest Nebraska is predominantly an agricultural landscape but is highly influenced by its rich cultural history, scenic views, and abundant recreational opportunities. It is a rural area but highlighted with the major amenities of commercial air service just minutes away, along with Fort Robinson State Park and Crawford. Crawford offers basic amenities, including a golf course, grocery store, bank, gas stations, and schools. Thirty minutes away is the town of Chadron, which offers all major amenities along with a state college. The ranch also borders the Nebraska National Forest, which offers endless opportunities for hiking, biking, riding, hunting, or scenic drives. It is truly a Western scenic ranch feeling with major amenities just a fingertip away.
Fort Robinson State Park
At 22,000 acres, this is the largest state park in Nebraska. Formerly an active military post, Fort Robinson State Park is now a popular destination for outdoor, recreational enthusiasts and history buffs. The park offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the West, and visitors can enjoy learning about Old West history, hiking and biking, camping, great lodging, and sights of buffalo and Longhorn cattle herds. Fort Robinson was the site of the 1879 Cheyenne Outbreak and the death of the famed Sioux Chief Crazy Horse. Over the years, the fort served the Red Cloud Indian Agency as a cavalry remount station, K-9 dog training center, POW camp, and beef research station. It was established as a state park in 1962.
Get acquainted with the park by taking a ride in a horse-drawn wagon or enjoying the open air on horseback. If you’re feeling more adventurous, tour the buttes in an open-top Jeep. On the popular Fort Robinson Express, visitors can experience the way pioneers and settlers traveled a century ago—by stagecoach. In the afternoon, guests can enjoy a cool swim indoors in the Lindeken Pool, which also has an outdoor wading pool and sundeck. Fishing is available at Soldier Creek or in any of the open ponds. Nebraska history is well-preserved in the many historic or reconstructed buildings at the Fort—the 1887 Adobe Officers’ Quarters, 1906 Blacksmith Shop, POW Camp, and Cheyenne Outbreak Barracks. Evening activities include rodeo games, special shows at the Post Playhouse, and the Chuckwagon Buffalo Stew Cookout with campfire sing-alongs. The Fort Robinson Inn serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily during the summer season.
https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/fort-robinson/
Legend Buttes Golf Course
Legend Buttes Golf Course is a 9-hole course located on the west side of the City on Highway 20 between Fort Robinson and Crawford at the base of the picturesque "Red Cloud Buttes." Designed by Mr. Weiss, it was opened in 1992. The course features 3,178 yards of golf for a par of 36, with the White River meandering through the course. The course is open from April 1st to October 1st, with additional play as the weather permits.
https://crawfordnebraska.net/residents/recreation/legend_buttes_golf_course.php
The ranch and surrounding area have a deep connection to the Wild West history of the plains, including many Native American conflicts. Nearby Fort Robinson was operated as a fort from the early days of the Old West until after World War II. Many original buildings survive and remain in use at the park today, and others have been reconstructed. Fort Robinson was the site of the 1879 Cheyenne Outbreak and the death of the famed Sioux Chief Crazy Horse. Over the years, the fort served the Red Cloud Indian Agency as a cavalry remount station, K-9 dog training center, POW camp, and beef research station. It was established as a state park in 1962. The ranch contains several old homesites, from just remnants to standing log cabins. They create a meaningful and unparalleled knowledge of the ranch’s past and homesteaders' struggles.