NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/846037
32 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2017 enticed anglers. Numerous small ponds complement the coldwater streams of the park, providing ample fishing. Multispecies anglers target Carter P. Johnson Lake, Grabel Ponds, Ice House Ponds and Cherry Creek Pond for crappies, bluegills, catfish, rock bass and trophy largemouth bass. "Carter P.," as the locals call it, is nearly the perfect size for small watercraft, such as a kayak. Others are small enough to be thoroughly fished from the bank. Both Soldier Creek and the White River have populations of trout, primarily in areas upstream from the fort in the Soldier Creek Wilderness Area or sites along the White accessible through the Open Fields and Waters program. From these waters anglers can harvest a Nebraska "grand slam" of trout. All of the state's trout species – rainbows, brooks, browns, tigers and cutthroats – swim in the park or near it. Fort Robinson also has long been a popular base camp for hunters. Its lodging units open for hunters pursuing turkeys in the spring and stay open through firearm deer season in the fall. A sizable portion of the fort is open to hunting, and a wealth of public lands located nearby are open to pursuing game. Within a short drive are Petersen, Ponderosa, Gilbert-Baker, and Bighorn wildlife management areas, in addition to thousands of acres managed by the U.S. National Forests and Grasslands. Back to History To realize the importance of Fort Robinson's history, one only needs to count historical markers throughout the park. There are 16 of them, the most of any single Nebraska attraction. Thanks to help from partner organizations, Fort Robinson State Park features numerous resources for history buffs. Although many of its buildings have been removed through the years, dozens remain standing to make the attraction unique among most other abandoned cavalry forts. At most other such forts, buildings have long since been demolished. Since 1956, during the fort's days as a beef research center, the Nebraska State Historical Society has operated the Fort Robinson Museum and History Center. It is housed in one of the fort's former post headquarters, constructed in 1905. Centrally located and packed with exhibits, the museum is the recommended first stop for visitors wanting to step back in time while touring the historical grounds. The historical society also operates a reconstruction of the 1874 cavalry barracks at the location of the Cheyenne Outbreak's beginning. One of the 1887 adobe barracks also has been furnished with historical items and serves as an interpretive site. In all, the historical society operates about a dozen restored or reconstructed buildings that are often open to help visitors relive the past, complementing about 65 buildings operated by Game and Parks. Another facility on site, the Trailside Museum of Natural History, takes visitors even further back in time. Operated in the old post gymnasium by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, it tells of the region's rich resources in paleontology and geology. It features the Clash of the Mammoths, Aaron Schrotberger of Sidney casts a fly rod during an early morning fishing trip to Grabel Ponds.