Valentine in Cherry County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Fort Niobrara

Photographed by Joan Shurtliff, October 5, 2014

1. Fort Niobrara Marker

Inscription. When a Sioux Indian reservation was established north of here in Dakota Territory in 1878, early settlers in the region grew fearful of attack. They requested military protection, and in 1880 Fort Niobrara was built a few miles east of present-day Valentine. There was no later Indian trouble in the immediate area, and the Ghost Dance religion in the early 1890's brought the last major Indian scare. Among the officers once stationed at Fort Niobrara were John J. Pershing, later commander of U.S. forces in World War I, and Frederick W. Benteen, a survivor of General Custer's ill-fated staff. Fort Niobrara was an active post until 1906. In 1912 part of the original military reservation was set aside as a national game preserve. It has since become Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, with ranges maintaining sizable herds of buffalo, elk and Texas longhorn cattle.

Cherry County, a center of cattle production, was organized in 1883 and named for Lieutenant Samuel A. Cherry, a Fort Niobrara office killed in the line of duty. Valentine, founded in 1882, was named for early-day congressman E. K. Valentine.

Erected by Cherry

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

County Historical Society; Historical Land Mark Council. (Marker Number 87.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Forts and Castles • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 42° 50.984′ N, 100° 32.082′ W. Marker is in Valentine, Nebraska, in Cherry County. It is on U.S. 20 at milepost 198, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Valentine NE 69201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Sand Hills

and in the Niobrara Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bryan Bridge

Paid Advertisement

(approx. 1.3 miles away); David Y. Mears Cabin (approx. 1½ miles away); DeWitty (approx. 1½ miles away); Colburn Park (approx. 1.9 miles away); Centennial Hall (approx. 1.9 miles away); Korean War Memorial (approx. 2 miles away); World War Roll of Honor (approx. 2 miles away); War Memorial Honored Dead (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Valentine.

More about this marker. Travelers can drive through the nearby Ft. Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2014, by Joan Shurtliff of Seward, Nebraska. This page has been viewed 1,291 times since then and 87 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on October 7, 2014, by Joan Shurtliff of Seward, Nebraska. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.