In 1921 the Nebraska State Legislature created a State Park Board
within the Department of Public Works. In 1923, the law was amended
by attaching the Board to the Department of Horticulture of the
University of Nebraska. The Legislature of 1929 replaced the State
Park Board and the Bureau of Game and Fish with a new agency,
the Game, Forestation and Parks Commission. In 1967, it was designated
by the Legislature as the State Game and Parks Commission.
Chadron State Park was established by a legislative act approved April 25, 1921 and introduced by Senator James Good and Representative George Snow, both of Chadron. This act set aside a section of school land as the first Nebraska State Park. Fifty years later, in 1971, the Parks System had expanded to 93 areas. The Chadron area was once the scene of bitter warfare between the fierce migratory plains Indians and the whites. Later the region was the center of disputes between ranchers and homesteaders who competed for the land from which the Indians had been dispossessed. Today, Chadron, along with other State Parks, provides excellent scenic and recreational areas for the visitor.
State Game and Parks Commission
Nebraska State Historical Society
US 385, west of Chadron
Dawes County
Marker 131