Three miles east of Fort Robinson, Crawford has settled into a sedate life as a ranching and farming center. Pines and cottonwoods line the White River at the foot of the weirdly eroded Legend Buttes, making a pretty scene. Even prettier are the Oglala National Grasslands, which start six miles north of Crawford via Hwy-2 and occupy nearly 100,000 acres along the Nebraska–Wyoming–South Dakota borders. The grasslands are home to hawks, eagles, and antelope, and highlighted by the eerie landscape of Toadstool Geological Park, where ancient fossils can be found amongst weirdly eroded figures. The grasslands also protect an archaeological site known as the Hudson-Meng Bison Bone Bed, a shallow arroyo holding the enigmatic remains of over 600 bison, plus stone tools and arrowheads dating from approximately 10,000 years ago, and a small garden growing native, pre-conquest crops. For details on either place, contact the USFS ranger station (308/432-4475) in Chadron.
