Crawford, NE

Crawford is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States, in the Great Plains region. The 2020 census counted 840 residents. Crawford was incorporated in 1886 and was named for the late Captain Emmet Crawford, who had been stationed at nearby Fort Robinson. The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad reached Fort Robinson in 1886 on its way to Wyoming. Crawford and its surrounding area include several cultural institutions. The Crawford Historical Museum contains artifacts and materials relevant to the city's history. Crawford's city park is located in Northwest Crawford, along the White River.

The other park, Peabody Hale Memorial Park, is the location of the city's swimming pool and baseball diamonds. Crawford's local map joins its older history to the places and landscapes that still shape the town today, all within the wider Nebraska setting. The local scoop is how Crawford's history still shows up in the places people visit, work, learn, and meet. Several miles east of the Fort, the railroad passed through a tree claim belonging to William Annin, who sold his claim for a new townsite. Crawford is situated on the White River.