July 2024 • Nebraskaland 37
Cheyennes broke out of the barracks and, using weapons
they had hidden, shot the guards and held off the other
soldiers in a running fi ght known as the Cheyenne Breakout.
Most of the Cheyennes were recaptured or killed.
While some of the buildings from that early era remain,
others — such as the guardhouse and the Cheyenne
Breakout barracks — have been reconstructed on site based
on archeological excavations. Today, it's common to see
bundles of sage left by Lakota visitors on the Crazy Horse
marker in front of the guardhouse. And every January, the
Northern Cheyenne hold a ceremony at the Fort to honor
their ancestors.
These stories and photos provide a glimpse of the Fort's
earliest years, but barely scratch the surface of its long history.
Fort Robinson was home to African American "Buff alo
Soldier" regiments in the 1880s and 1890s, trained cavalry
horses as an Army Remount Depot following World War I,
and became a prisoner of war camp and war dog training
center in World War II. Today, Fort Robinson is a popular
state historical park where visitors enjoy the outdoors while
experiencing many layers of the past.
N
Visit History Nebraska's website at history.nebraska.gov.
Undated photo of the Eighth Infantry in their barracks. HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG1517-119-2
Part of a nearby Arapaho village northwest of Camp
Robinson in 1876 or 1877. A child's "play" tipi stands next to
the main lodge. Little girls often played "house" in the tipis
they made under their mothers' supervision.
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG5899-6-2
