Introduction
The westernmost portion of the State of Nebraska forms a panhandle between the forty-first and forty-third parallels, between the States of Colorado and South Dakota. Located on the western edge of the State of Nebraska are such communities as Scottsbluff, Alliance, and Chadron.
Chadron Area
The community of Chadron is a city in and the county seat of Dawes County, home to Chadron State College, the Museum of the Fur Trade, the Dawes County Historical Museum, and the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center. To the east of the City of Chadron is the Opening of the Sandhills Historical Marker of western Cherry County, notable for representing the historical significance of the region, as well as the Tri-State Oldtime Cowboys Memorial Museum of the City of Gordon in Sheridan County.
West of Chadron
Along Route 20 to the west of the City of Chadron, the communities are identified as firmly Western by nature as every community approaches the modern State of Wyoming. The community of Crawford is located to the west of Chadron within Dawes County and is home to the historic Red Cloud Agency, the Crawford Historical Museum, and the Fort Robinson Museum and History Center.
Within Harrison, the county seat of Sioux County, the community is home to the Sioux County Historical Society as well as the Harrison House Hotel. To the south, the community of Agate is home to the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.
Box Butte County
Located on the north side of Alliance in Box Butte County is the iconic attraction known as Carhenge, identifiable by the series of cars associated with the region. To the south, still along the northern fringes of the community, is Dobby’s Frontier Town, while even further into the community are the Sallows Military Museum and the Alliance Knight Museum.
Scotts Bluff
The Scottsbluff area in the Nebraska Panhandle is perhaps most notable for the Scotts Bluff National Monument, with the Pony Express having largely been associated with traversing the community from relatively east to relatively west. In general, the Scottsbluff area is situated nearly along the north-south axis that was Route 71.
Southern Panhandle
The southern portion of the Nebraska Panhandle, most notable around the community known as Sidney, is the site historically associated with Cabela’s and sporting goods and equipment associated with the stores. The community, located a mere nine (9) miles north of the Colorado state line, serves as the county seat of Cheyenne County and is accessible by way of the Interstate 80, Route 30, and Route 385 corridors. Within the general area, the National Pony Express Monument is located at the crossroads to indicate the specific historical significance most associated with the region.
