Visit The Past.
Chadron, known as the Magic City, blossomed in pioneer days after the railroad arrived. Homesteaders who originally settled about five miles west picked up and moved all their homes, businesses and possessions in one day in 1885 after the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad announced its intentions to build its depot and town to the east. In 2007, the city’s downtown district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A self-guided walking tour takes visitors to the downtown to more than 40 sites that display the architectural features that earned the district its spot on the National Register.
Located on the campus of Chadron State College, the Mari Sandoz Heritage Center is dedicated to the life and literature of one of Nebraska’s most important female authors and historians. Considered an authority on Native American culture, Mari Sandoz published numerous essays in defense of the persecuted groups of Cheyenne and Oglala Sioux, proclaiming their high-qualities and championing for just laws and government aid for them. Inspired by the wild frontier where she was born and raised, her short-stories also reflect an interest in homesteading, the harsh landscape, conflict and the importance of women in the West. Exhibits at the High Plains Heritage Center include writings and memorabilia from Mari’s lifetime, paleontology and fossil displays, botanical and wildflower collections and more.
Located on the lower level of the Mari Sandoz Heritage Center, the C.F. Coffee Gallery is dedicated to the history of Cattle Ranching on the High Plains. Exhibits in the gallery space begin with the movement of cattle from Texas to the High Plains, the open range era, and the transition to the ranching system we know today. Archival research available by appointment.
The boundaries of Dawes County as they exist today were established in 1887. The region was home to the Oglala and Brule before it was settled by Europeans. Trappers, fur traders and cattle ranchers were among the earliest settlers, and the arrival of the railroad encouraged additional settlement and development.
Chadron and Dawes City (now known as Whitney) competed for the county seat designation, with Chadron earning the title. A courthouse was constructed in 1887 on the same site of the current courthouse. However, in 1935, the county board began discussions on improving county facilities. The county signed a contract in October 1935 with the federal government to construct a new courthouse and jail. The 1887 courthouse was razed, and the current courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The courthouse sits on Mary E. Smith-Hayward Square, named after a prominent businesswoman during Chadron’s earliest days.
The Chadron Public Library was founded in 1913 as a Carnegie Library and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The library hosts yoga classes, virtual reality events, craft sessions, has an in-house makerspace and more. Its signature event, however, is the Trading Stories Native American Film Festival each October. For three days, the library screens documentaries and films, hosts speakers and offers traditional Native American food to pay tribute to the often-forgotten stories of the people who called this region home before European settlement.
The library has nearly 79,000 items in its collection, and provides access to online catalogs. Staff also host frequent events, including preschool story time, a Game/STEM Club, and a Lego Club. The Friends of the Library also opens the annex next door to the library during the second weekend of each month with great bargains on books of every genre.
Library cards are available to residents of Dawes, Sioux and Sheridan counties, as well as residents of Hemingford.
The Eleanor Barbour Cook Museum of Geology, located on the campus of Chadron State College, houses an impressive collection of rocks, minerals, and fossils from Nebraska and around the world. Visitors can see rare agates, jade and petrified wood. Chadron State College’s first museum, the Eleanor Barbour Cook Museum of Geology dates back to 1938 when college president Robert Elliott began discussions with vertebrate paleontologist E.H. Barbour of Lincoln and Barbour’s daughter and CSC’s first geology professor, Eleanor Barbour Cook. With help from her father and others, Eleanor Cook began endowing the museum collections with donated specimens from around the world. While many of the original specimens were lost when the museum was left without much supervision in the 1940s, the collection has since grown. The museum is open when classes at CSC are in session, but a virtual tour is available during the off season, and the museum is surrounded by glass so exhibits can be viewed even when it’s closed.
Chadron State College was established in 1911 as a normal school – the name given to colleges meant to train students to become teachers. The college began in the summer of 1911 with 111 enrolled students. It’s campus grew from one building to seven by 1938. In 1949, the college was officially renamed the Nebraska State Teachers College at Chadron and later, in 1963, gained its current name, Chadron State College. Five of the buildings on campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it not only serves as an institution of learning, but also a great area to walk its many paths and enjoy its history and beauty.
Historical Markers & Monuments
Northwest Nebraska is rich in history, and numerous historical markers and monuments throughout the region commemorate events and locations. Several markers and monuments can be found in the Open Frontier Creative District.
This 1893 race was America’s longest horse race as nine riders competed to be the first to arrive in Chicago after starting at the corner of Second and Bordeaux streets in Chadron.
Chadron State College, at 1000 Main St., was the state’s fourth Normal School. Classes began in 1911.
Built by James Bordeaux, this trading station was a significant part of the fur trade from 1846-1872.
While the Bordeaux Trading Post, located at the Museum of the Fur Trade, is not within the Open Frontier district, the museum is a key partner in the district's efforts and well worth the visit.
6321 Highway 20
The Dawes County Courthouse at 451 Main St., Chadron, sits on Mary E. Smith-Hayward Square, named after a prominent businesswoman during Chadron’s earliest days. The Chadron Business and Professional Women’s Club dedicated the square in her honor
and named her an honorary member in 1998. Hayward was born in Pennsylvania but became a prominent figure in Chadron after she struck out on her own in 1885. After arriving in Nebraska she took a claim west of Chadron and also opened a dry goods business in town (her building is located on 2nd Street). She was president of the Nebraska Women’s Suffrage Association in the 1890s, and refused to pay taxes in 1895 to protest women’s
inability to vote. She represented Nebraska in the Women Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C., in 1913, marching with 8,000 other attendees. Hayward was also an animal rights activist and a lifelong member of the Humane Society. She came out against the famed Chadron-Chicago Horse Race in 1893 and once had a man arrested for beating his horse. She also worked to beautify the courthouse square so it’s appropriate that the Chadron Business and Professional Women’s Club honored her with its dedication. Two memorials – a rock memorial on a
concrete slab on the north side and a concrete bench near the courthouse – recognize Smith-Hayward and the organization. Also located on the courthouse square is a bandstand, a veterans memorial, and a pioneer memorial . The veterans memorial recognizes Dawes County citizens who died fighting in World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam. The pioneer memorial is dedicated “to the valor of the pioneers. 1885-1935” and was constructed of local rocks.
An early resident of Chadron, Mary E. Smith-Hayward, and her dedication to women’s voting rights are recognized as part of the national Votes For Women Trail. Sponsored by the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites, the trail recognizes the people and groups who worked for the women’s suffrage movement. Historical markers dedicate about 250 suffrage sites, and a digital database recognizes thousands more.
Smith-Hayward left Pennsylvania on her own and established a dry goods business in downtown Chadron. She was president of the Nebraska Women’s Suffrage Association in the 1890s, and refused to pay taxes in 1895 to protest women’s inability to vote. She represented Nebraska in the Women Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C., in 1913, marching with 8,000 other attendees.
The Votes for Women marker is located at 201 West Second Street, the location of Smith-Hayward’s business.
One of Chadron’s war memorials was installed in Memorial Park as part of the the Boy Scouts of America’s 40th anniversary campaign, “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.” Around 200 replicas of the Statue of Liberty – which are not completely accurate – were distributed across the U.S. as part of the initiative. The eight-and-a-half, 290 pound copper replicas carry a plaque that reads, "With the faith and courage of their forefathers who made possible the freedom of these United States." The memorial was dedicated with a “pledge of everlasting fidelity and loyalty.” The locations of only about half of the original 200 statues are known today. Chadron’s Statue of Liberty replica is located at the entrance to Memorial Park on Shelton Street. It is mounted on a brick pedestal rising out of an 11-point brick star. It was re-dedicated in 1995 by the local WWII Commemorative Committee.
The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was the first line to reach Chadron in 1885. The Chicago Northwestern eventually took over what was called The Cowboy Line in 1903. Passenger service was discontinued in 1958 and the railroad began abandonment of its right-of-way in 1991. Today, the corridor is part of The Cowboy Trail hiking and biking rail-trail that extends from Norfolk to just east of Chadron. The Cowboy Trail is part of the larger Great American Rail-Trail connecting America coast-to-coast. The Northwest Nebraska Trails Association is working with Nebraska Northwestern Railroad, Nebraska Game and Parks and the City of Chadron to connect the The Cowboy Trail into downtown Chadron with the Cowboy Trail Connection. A sign honoring the railroad's importance to Chadron is located in Railroad Park in the Open Frontier Creative District at First and Main streets.
Nearby
This early trading post helped the fur trade in the region become successful. Managed by Louis Chartran from 1842-1845, the nearby creek and the town of Chadron was named after him. 16480 US 385
This 300-mile route was used to transport hundreds of thousands of buffalo robes and 27 tons of fur-company-traded goods between 1837-1850. Highway 385.
The Congregational Church built in 1885 was the first church constructed in the pioneer version of Chadron at 300-398 Chadron Ave.
Located three miles southwest of Chadron, the Dawes County Historical Museum houses an impressive collection of pioneer and early-Nebraska antiques, including blacksmith tools, farm machinery, vintage quilts and more. Among the nostalgic room displays are replicas of a general store, a hospital room and a railroad room. Guests can explore the log house, barn, 1890s schoolhouse, pioneer church, and C&NW caboose on the museum grounds. And don’t miss History in Action Day, an annual event held each September. The entire family can enjoy buggy rides, horse shoe pitching, music, and demonstrations of butter churning, wool spinning, rope making and apple cider making. Phone: 308-432-4999; Hours: Open daily during the season from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 1 – 5 p.m. Saturdays and holidays. Free of charge. More info at https://dawescountyhistoricalmuseum.org/
The Museum of the Fur Trade, located three miles east of Chadron on
Highway 20, houses exhibits and artifacts from the early colonial days
to the present century. The museum and its directors are dedicated to
providing educational, comprehensive, and accurate exhibits that
communicate the truth and relevance of one of America’s first business enterprises—the fur trade. Among some of the incredibly rare artifacts visitors can see are a narwhal tusk, numerous rifles, including a gun that once belonged to Shawnee chief Tecumseh, Native American beadwork, and even a deck of playing cards from 1844. The Bordeaux Trading Post is located on the museum grounds also. The trading post has been reconstructed and was reopened to the public in 1956; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Phone: 308-432-3843 Hours: May 1 through Oct. 31, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has a small entry fee. Open by appointment only the remainder of the year.
*Of Note: Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. Director and renowned filmmaker, Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel), contacted the Museum of the Fur Trade for costume designs in the film. As a “thank you” Alejandro sent the Hugh Glass character costume back to the museum, which is on display in Lindeken Hall. More information at https://www.furtrade.org/
Dedicated Nov. 11, 1962, the simple brick war memorial at the American Legion Post (123 Bordeaux St., Chadron) all men and women, living or dead, who served our country in times of war and peace.
