Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park - Burwell, Nebraska - State Park

Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park is situated at Fort Avenue in Burwell a town in Garfield County, Nebraska and the host of the annual state Big Rodeo. Visitors can find it between Ord and Burwell on Highway 11 by turning northeast off Highway 11 and driving four miles northeast of Elyria via a paved county road. The grounds open from 8am to 8pm, although after Labor Day they shut at 5pm.

The park comprises of 1,280 acres of land under the management of the state park group. It was acquired as a historical park in 1961 and in many ways restored to its former 18th century glory, when soldiers patrolled the Loup and Cedar River valleys creating a new trail to the Black Hills gold fields in the 1870s. The park has plenty of restrooms and visitors are welcome to picnic here, but camping is not permitted.

The main attraction of the park is Fort Hartsuff, which was built in 1874 to offer protection to settlers during the Plains Indian Wars, and it remained active until 1881. People of the plains area also used the fort as a place to gather socially and sell their goods. However, the advent of the train in the area meant there was no longer a need for the fort and it was closed.

Visitors will also see nine original permanent buildings in the grounds here, which are constructed of grout, a mixture of gravel, lime, and cement similar to concrete. This building material has helped to ensure the buildings' survival over the years. Other former temporary buildings, as well as features such as the original fort cemetery are located on private property and cannot be viewed by the public.

The fort's Visitor Center is located in a historical building that originally contained the commanding officer's office and was also built in 1874. Open between Memorial Day and Labor Day on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm visitors will be able to see various displays and brochures with information about the history of the fort. There is also a gift shop here, which opens during the same hours as the Visitor Center and sells various history books and a wide range of souvenirs for people of all ages.

There are many other attractions relatively close to Fort Hartsuff Historical Park including Kamp Kaleo, which is two miles east of Burwell and has more than 200 acres of woods and grasslands stretching over a mile of riverfront and does allow camping. In Burwell City Park is a swimming pool with 2 diving boards and a baby pool, or golfers can seek out Calamus Golf Course seven miles northwest of Burwell and directly east of the Calamus Reservoir. Fishing is a pastime permitted at the Calamus Reservoir where visitors may be lucky enough to catch white bass, wipers, channel catfish, carp, drum, crappie amongst other fish, whilst canoeing and tubing on Burwell's rivers is also very popular.