Crawford in Dawes County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Crawford
Photographed by Linda Sue Heist, July 5, 2010
1. Crawford Marker
Crawford sprang up as a tent city on land owned by homesteader/newspaper correspondent William E. Annin in 1886 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad pushed through the Nebraska Panhandle. To Incorporate the town, editor William Edgar supplemented civilian signatures with those of obliging soldiers stationed at nearby Fort Robinson. After the Burlington Railroad passed northward in 1887, Crawford became a supply depot and entertainment center for the Fort. Troops no longer man the "Outpost on the Plains," but the Fort, 3 miles to the west, remains as an important historic site and tourist attraction.
Named for Army Captain Emmet Crawford, a Fort Robinson soldier, the city lies in the White River Valley in Pine Ridge country and serves an extensive cattle ranching and farming area. The Fort Laramie-Fort Pierre Fur Trail of the 1840s and the Sidney-Black Hills Trail active during the Black Hills gold rush of the 1870s both passed through this site. Crawford has been host or home to such personages as Sioux Chief Red Clouds; former desperado David (Doc) Middleton' poet-scout John Wallace Crawford; frontierswoman
this page online
Erected by Crawford Historical Society and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 227.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt, and the Nebraska State Historical Society series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.
Location. 42° 40.672′ N, 103° 24.217′ W. Marker is in Crawford, Nebraska, in Dawes County. It is at the intersection of McPhearson Street (U.S. 20) and State Highway 2, on the right when traveling east on McPhearson Street. The site is a T intersection and the marker is on a side road connecting the two highways and where the Tourist Information booth is located. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Crawford NE 69339, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Nebraska Panhandle. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, on the Northern Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Crawford 1891 School Bell (approx. 0.3 miles away); Crossing of the Trails (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Death of Baptiste Garnier (approx. Ύ mile away); Moses P. Kinkaid (approx. 0.9 miles away); Site of Red Cloud Indian Agency (approx. 1.7 miles away); Red Cloud Agency (approx. 1.8 miles away); German P.O.W. Camp (approx. 1.8 miles away); Fort Robinson and the Railroad (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Crawford.
Additional keywords. Indian Wars
Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2010, by Linda Sue Heist of Lincoln, Nebraska. This page has been viewed 1,817 times since then and 56 times this year. Last updated on July 6, 2011, by Charles T. Harrell of Woodford, Virginia. Photo 1. submitted on July 12, 2010, by Linda Sue Heist of Lincoln, Nebraska. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
