Chadron community celebrates Cowboy Trail as part of Great American Rail-Trail

By KALIN KROHE
Panhandle Post

The Cowboy Trail was celebrated in Chadron at Railroad Park on May 8 as one of the gateways of the Great American Rail-Trail.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was at the celebration to reveal the preferred cross-country route with Northwest Nebraska Trails Association at a community cookout at Railroad Park in downtown Chadron. This route is a future trail head for accessing the Cowboy Trail and Great American Rail-Trail.

Jimmy O’Connor from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy said, “We had a great crowd assembled.”

“We want people to know that Chadron, Nebraska is a great place to be and it’s a great place for a bicycle trail. We have beautiful recreational opportunities here that we think will be enhanced by having the Cowboy Trail reach our community. We have beautiful pine forests, we have ridges and valleys, and all kinds of things that are nice to see along our trail. We have great mountain bike riding along our trail too,” said George Ledbetter of Northwest Nebraska Trails Association.

There are bike trails at Chadron State Park and Fort Robinson State Park.

“We have a beautiful Cowboy Trail planned that’s going to be the terminus all the way across the state of Nebraska, and right here to Chadron,” Ledbetter added.

The Cowboy Trail spans 321 miles across the State of Nebraska.

Chadron chamber members cut the official ribbon for the Cowboy Trail.

Ledbetter explained that there is a lot history of trails in the Northwest region of Nebraska.

“The Fort Laramie to Fort Pierre trail was used to haul buffalo hides and beaver pellets way back in the 1830’s. This town was founded by fur-traders. The trail from Fort Robinson to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation went right through Chadron. That’s the trail that the Lakota leader Crazy Horse rode when he went to Fort Robinson to surrender. His body was carried back along that trail back in 1877.”

Ten years later the railroad came. “We’re right along what was the Fremont, Missouri Valley and Elkhorn Railroad. It later became the Chicago, Northwestern Railroad and now is Northwest Nebraska Railroad. That’s going to be a trail that leads into Chadron with the courtesy of the railroad folks here.”

“We also have a new pedestrian trail coming that will go North, South from Texas all the way to Canada. The Great American Plains Trail is going to go through this area,” Ledbetter said.

Ledbetter thinks having the Cowboy Trail go through the Chadron area is going to be a big boom for the community. The trail will be developed over the next few years.

“The Northwest Nebraska Trails Association is excited to be part of the Great American Rail-Trail. We are working hard to bring the Cowboy Trail connection to downtown Chadron so that our community can have a safe place to run, walk, and ride that is away from vehicle traffic. We also anticipate the trail to draw in tourism opportunities and look forward to sharing the beautiful Pine Ridge area with others,” said Brittany Helmbrecht, President of Northwest Nebraska Trails Association and Chadron State College Instructor for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.