Chadron State Park

The centennial panel's cabins still in use nearly were not. In August 2012 the West Ash Wildfire, which grew past 58,000 acres in the Pine Ridge, reached the park, and about nine-tenths of its ground burned. Crews set backfires ahead of the flames to take away the fuel, and the controlled burns saved every structure and piece of equipment, the Civilian Conservation Corps cabins among them. The park reopened to visitors that September. On the national forest land of the Pine Ridge Ranger District, the Forest Service later prepared 1,873 acres of the burn for replanting.

What the plaque says

Chadron State Park Chadron State Park was established by a legislative act approved on April 25, 1921, and introduced by State Senator James Good and Representative George Snow, both of Chadron. The act set aside a section (640 acres) of school land to become Nebraska's first state park. That year the legislature also created a State Park Board within the Department of Public Works. Over time, the administration of state parks merged with the management of wildlife and fisheries, culminating in the creation of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 1967. James Good served as the park's first superintendent. He partnered with the local community to acquire land and develop roads, ball fields, picnicking facilities, a swimming pool, and electric lights. By 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built 30 cabins, several of which are still in use. In 2021, Chadron State Park consists of over 970 acres. Campgrounds, a shooting range, horseback riding, and disc golf provide a wide range of recreational experiences. Likewise, the Nebraska State Parks system has developed into a statewide network providing outdoor recreation, historic preservation, and educational opportunities for all. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission History Nebraska, 2021

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Museum of the Fur Trade — 9.0 mi
  A museum of what traders and Native nations exchanged, from the oldest known point blanket to a Lakota leader's silver cross, beside the rebuilt Bordeaux trading post east of Chadron.
• Fort Robinson State Park — 23 mi
  The army post beside the Red Cloud Agency where Crazy Horse was bayoneted in 1877 and Morning Star's Northern Cheyenne broke out into the January cold of 1879.

More markers nearby

• Chadron Creek Trading Post — 2.8 mi
• Fort Robinson-Camp Sheridan-Pine Ridge Indian Agency Road — 7.3 mi
• Chadron State College — 7.8 mi
• The First Church in Chadron — 8.3 mi