Fort Crook (Sarpy County, Nebraska)

Sarpy County · Nebraska · Indian Wars, Spanish-American War

Quick BriefAlthough plans were drawn in 1888, construction of Fort Crook did not commence meaningfully until 1894. The fort was named for Major General George Crook, a Civil War veteran and Indian Fighter. The first infantry troops arrived on June 28, 1896, and Fort Crook troops fought during the Spanish-American War when the 22nd Regiment was dispatched to Cuba. Originally named Fort Crook, it was renamed in honor of World War I pilot Jarvis Offutt in 1924.

Active base today

History & Significance

Fort Crook was authorized by a bill signed by President Grover Cleveland in July 1888 and constructed between 1894 and 1896 in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It was first used as a dispatch point for Indian conflicts on the Great Plains.

Troops from Fort Crook fought during the Spanish-American War when the 22nd Regiment, under Charles A. Wikoff, was dispatched to Cuba and suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of El Caney, with only 165 of 513 regiment members surviving. In 1918, the arrival of the 61st Balloon Company elevated the post to an airfield.

In the spring of 1921, 260 acres were prepared as a grass airfield, and the first permanent aircraft hangars were completed in 1921. During World War II, Fort Crook was the site of a bomber plant which produced B-26 and B-29 bombers.

Both B-29s used in the atomic bomb missions that ended World War II, the Enola Gay and the Bockscar, were Offutt-Martin planes. The oldest surviving portion of Fort Crook is the parade grounds and surrounding red brick buildings constructed between 1894 and 1896, which are still in active use as squadron headquarters, living quarters for generals, and Nebraska's oldest operational jail.