Editing Chadron, Nebraska (section)

==History==
Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years.  In historic times, tribes such as the [[Oglala Lakota]] (Oglala Sioux Tribe), [[Cheyenne]] and others lived in the area. The [[Sioux]] used this territory as a hunting ground after pushing other tribes to the west.

Chadron is named for Louis Chartran, a French-Indian ([[Métis]]) fur trapper who ran a [[trading post]] on 
Chadron Creek in 1841.  He was married to a Native American woman.<ref name="COC"/>

In 1884 the town was formally established when the [[Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad]] was constructed through the area from [[Omaha, Nebraska]], en route to Wyoming.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/dawes/chadron/ | title=Chadron, Dawes County | publisher=University of Nebraska | work=Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies | access-date=4 August 2014}}</ref> Chadron was first named O'Linn for its founder Fannie O'Linn, who built a community at the confluence of the [[White River (Missouri River)|White River]] and Chadron Creek.  This is where the railroad was expected to branch.  When it was built six miles away on Bordeaux Creek, the townspeople packed up the entire town—buildings included—and moved it to the new location.<ref name="COC">[http://208.106.208.95/history/chadronhistory.php "Chadron history"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405075003/http://208.106.208.95/history/chadronhistory.php |date=April 5, 2008 }}, Chadron Chamber of Commerce, retrieved December 24, 2007</ref>

Among the founders of the town were the businessman [[Charles Henry King]] and his wife Martha.  King established retail and freight businesses and banks in towns along the railroad's route; he capitalized on the flow of settlers and pioneers to the region.  Four of the five King children were born in Chadron, including their second son [[Leslie Lynch King, Sr.|Leslie Lynch King]].  In 1908 the family moved to [[Omaha]], the business center of the state.  In 1912 Leslie married, and in July 1913 became the father of the future president, [[Gerald Ford]]. King and his wife divorced soon after that.

During the [[1893 Chicago World's Fair]], Chadron was the starting point of the 1,000-mile "Chadron-Chicago Cowboy Horse Race."  Nine riders competed for the $1,000 prize to be the first to reach the entrance of [[Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show]].  Among the riders was the former outlaw [[Doc Middleton]].  John Berry won the race in 13 days and 16 hours.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=tCrgpwHv7wEC&dq=chadron+to+chicago+horse+race&pg=PA320 ''Nebraska: A Guide to the Cornhusker State'', by Federal Writers' Project], 1939, Works Progress Administration; reprinted 1979 - University of Nebraska Press, {{ISBN|0-8032-6851-3}}</ref>

In the [[Lakota language]], Chadron is known as ''čhápa wakpá otȟúŋwahe'', meaning "beaver river city".<ref>{{cite book |last=Ullrich |first=Jan F. |title=New Lakota Dictionary |url=http://www.lakotadictionary.org/nldo.php |edition=2nd |year=2014 |publisher=Lakota Language Consortium |location=Bloomington, IN |isbn=978-0-9761082-9-0 |access-date=2014-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018034145/http://www.lakotadictionary.org/nldo.php |archive-date=2016-10-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref>