Few places provided a more storied backdrop for key events related to the high plains Indian wars than had Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Established in 1874 just south of the Black Hills, Fort Robinson witnessed many of the most dramatic, most tragic encounters between whites and American Indians, including the Cheyenne Outbreak, the death of Crazy Horse, the Ghost Dance, the desperation and diplomacy of such famed Plains Indian leaders as Dull Knife and Red Cloud, and the tragic sequence of events surrounding Wounded Knee.

In "Fort Robinson and the American West, 1874-1899," Thomas R. Buecker explores both the larger story of the Nebraska fort and the particulars of daily life and work at the fort. Buecker draws on historic reminiscences, government records, reports, correspondence, and other official accounts to render a thorough yet lively depiction.

Most fort histories end when the military lowers the flag for the last time and the soldiers march out. In contrast, Fort Robinson--occupied and used for more than fifty years since its abandonment by the U.S. army--has taken on new roles. This book recounts the story of this famous northwestern Nebraska army post as it underwent remarkable transformation in the first half of the twentieth century.

In the early 1900s, Fort Robinson hosted the last of the African American buffalo soldiers to serve in Nebraska. In the 1920s and 1930s the fort procured and issued thousands of horses for the U.S. army's largest remount depot. During World War II, Fort Robinson housed the army's primary war dog training center and served as a major internment camp for German prisoners of war. After 1948, Fort Robinson became a beef research center and is now the state's premier park.

"Fort Robinson and the American Century, 1900-1948," is based on more than twenty years of archival research as well as the personal recollections of the men and women who served at the fort. More than ninety photographs and five maps supplement the narrative.