Offutt AFB

Offutt has played a major role in American military history for more than a century. This great heritage began with the construction of Fort Crook between 1894 and 1896, 10 miles south of Omaha and two miles west of the Missouri River.

The fort’s namesake was Maj. Gen. George Crook, a renowned Indian fighter and Civil War hero. He was the Commander of the Department of the Platte from 1875 to 1882, with headquarters at Fort Omaha in North Omaha, Nebraska. During this period, in 1879, he spoke on behalf of the Ponca tribe and Native American rights during the trial of Standing Bear v. Crook.