Saturday, September 22, 2018

Fort Robinson, Nebraska - Toadstool Geologic Park

We are now in Northwest Nebraska at Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford, NE.   The Fort played a prominent role in the Indian Wars of 1876-1890 and was also a  prisoner of war camp for German POW's in WWII.
Our Route

Our Site


Post headquarters which houses an interesting museum containing many artifacts from the fort's early days.

Recreations Oon the original site)  of the early barracks, adjutants office and prison buildings

Crazy Horse was killed next to the prison building when he resisted being placed in confinement

The spot where Crazy Horse was killed and the recreation of the prison building 

The original veterinary hospital

Horse stalls in the hospital

Operating room with original horse table

Originally the Army theater building, this building now houses the Trailside Museum of Natural History which has an impressive collection of early fossils from the surrounding area

Mammoth - about 80% original - this mammoth was one of the two that were discovered with their tusks locked - the skull is a recreation as the original skull is in the display with the two mammoths with locked tusks (see next pic)

Duel to the death display - two giant mammoths locked tusks about 10,000 years ago and were not able to separate or rise - this is the only pair of locked tusk mammoths ever found in the world - both skeletons were mostly intact 

Ancient rhinoceros skeleton discovered nearby

Original horse barns

The rest of these pics are from the Toadstool Geological Park, not far from the fort

A reconstructed early settler's "Soddy" sod house 

Inside view - walls are nearly 3 feet thick

Toadstool Geological park was named for the many large chunks of sandstone balanced on volcanic ash pillars - many of these have fallen since the park was named

Typical landsape here




30 million year old rhinoceros tracks in an exposed riverbed - there is about 3/4 of a mile of this riverbed that is exposed

More tracks - mostly rhinoceros and entelodont (giant wild pig) tracks

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