Discover Killdeer Battlefield State Historic Site, camping, hiking, and horseback riding in the badlands, and spectacular 178-mile-long Lake Sakakawea.
Killdeer to New Town on Route 22 is about 95 miles and takes 2 hours, that is, if you don’t stop. Starting in Killdeer, head north on Route 22 to the Killdeer Battlefield State Historic Site. In 1864 (July 28) , it was at this location that a battle was fought between troops commanded by General Alfred Sully and the Sioux Indians. General Sully’s 2,200 troops, with the help of artillery batteries, destroyed the Sioux Indian village with a reported 6,000 warriors. Sully lost 5 soldiers with Sioux losses totaling between 100-150 Native Americans; there is a symbol on the location. Read more . . .
U.S. 20 from Gordon to Crawford puts you through Nebraska’s Pine Ridge Country. The 67-mile trip takes about 1-1/2 hours non-stop. The scenery of the Great Plains on a Nebraska drive is some of the best anywhere in the entire United States.
It seems everything in Nebraska is along straight lines, and you only have very few curves in this tour. It is scenic, though, as you follow The Oregon Trail and the North Platte River much of the way. Begin your drive in Ogallala and head northwest on U.S. 26 for 129 miles to Scottsbluff. Ogallala used to be the terminus for the famous Texas cattle drives, so its history is full of rowdiness. There is a scenic Boot Hill Cemetery on 10th Street. Ash Hollow State Park, 3 miles before Lewellen, has some fascinating rock formations and is the sight of the first battle of the Indian Wars in 1854 (Bluewater Battlefield). Chimney Rock National Historic Site marked the end of the grasslands for the Oregonians on their trek west. It is now brightly illuminated at night (What progress!).