Fort Robinson State Park is at 3200 Highway 20 west of Crawford. Fort Robinson is a particularly popular destination for family reunions and has been named one of the nation’s top family reunion spots by USA Today, among other publications.
As its name implies, 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 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.
During World War II the fort held a German prisoner-of-war camp built for 3,000 men. The first prisoners, many from Rommel's Afrika Korps, arrived in 1943; they worked on area farms and ranches and helped care for the horses and mules of the remount depot. A state historical marker tells the camp's story.