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C-Hill coloring page

Kindergarten: Theron Rattler

C-Hill coloring page

First Grade: Kaicyn Yellow Hawk

C-Hill coloring page

Second Grade: Mia Morrison

C-Hill coloring page

Third Grade: Blakesley Forsberg

C-Hill coloring page

Fourth Grade: Freyja Brodrick

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Sample of the C-Hill coloring page

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C-Hill Historical Photos

Chadron State Has Special Landmark

By Con Marshall

For nearly 100 years, Chadron State College has had a special landmark. The C that is located on the hillside to the south of the campus and overlooks Chadron’s Main Street, was placed there in 1924.

The huge concrete letter was the brainchild of T.A.F. Williams, a college mathematics professor at the time and later the registrar.

The story is told that to make sure the letter would be attractive and properly proportioned, Williams and his wife strung muslin along the outlines of the C and walked downtown to take a look before the concrete was poured.

The C is big. It is approximately 80 feet long and four feet wide. The top and bottom of the C extend more than 20 feet to the west. Altogether, the C has 334 linear feet of concrete.

For many years, it was a tradition that freshmen would repaint the C shortly after they arrived on campus. Observers noted that often more paint wound up on the students than was applied to the concrete.

Early this century, students in the Project Strive/TRiO program at CSC spent several hours on a Saturday cleaning and repainting the C so it will sparkle for spring commencement. The students applied 35 gallons of paint in the spring of 2007.

C Hill is featured in a book, “Hillside Letters, A to Z—A Guide to Hometown Landmarks,” written by Evelyn Corning of Arizona and published by Mountain Press Publishing of Missoula, Montana, in early 2007.

While Corning found that about 400 similar letters have been planted to overlook schools and towns in the United States, she wrote that the C is the only one of its type in Nebraska.

The C withstood a stern test in the summer of 2006 when the devastating wildfire roared over the hill from the south and burned to the edge of the campus a few 100 yards below. The next morning, the trees and grass on the hill had been blackened, but the C was still a bright white.

The outcome gave new meaning to a verse written about the landmark years ago:

Men will come and men will pass.
Class will follow class.
But the C will remain in any event.
Because it’s made of Portland Cement.

C-Hill Memories: Nicholas Fisher

My favorite memory of C-Hill was my junior year of high school in 1996. It was a cold January night and the moon was full. We had been sitting in my friend's basement, but we had also obtained three plastic sleds. We called a few more friends and after picking them up, we parked in the PAC lot under C-Hill. We sneaked through the fence and climbed. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the stars were bright, and Chadron sparkled below us. The snow reflected the stars and moon and city lights. We did not know how big the world was at that point, and it seemed that it laid out in front of us in its entirety. We dodged trees, and bounced off bumps and caught the spray of snow as we raced down the hill and climbed back up for another round. We knew that we weren’t allowed to be up there, which added to the excitement. I will never forget that night or the sense of freedom it gave me to be surrounded by my friends, but also alone on the descent.

C-Hill Memories: Peyton Johansen

A group of students smiling at the camera at sunrise

C-Hill is a trademark of CSC! I would consider it a rite of passage for all students to climb during their time at CSC. My favorite memories of C-Hill were during my time as an RA; hiking to the top to catch the sunrise on the mornings of freshman move-in day, each year, as a staff.

C-Hill Memories: Velvet Jessen

A silhouette of two people at sunset

I have lots of memories of C-Hill I have hiked it with my best friend and with my sister and mom while we talked about the possibility of her transferring to Chadron (which she did) and took pictures for my digital photography class. Hiking C-hill was also one of my first dates with my boyfriend and now it's been two years of dating and we still like to hike C-hill when he's here.

C-Hill Memories: Austen Stephens

Somehow, when I arrived to Chadron for the second time (first time being a campus visit in January) to report for football camp I got turned around. I was cocky and kept driving around thinking I knew where I needed to go. Looking back, I believe I ended up on North Main Street. I know this, because I looked all the way down main street to see the unmistakable C-Hill above campus where I was supposed to be checking in for football camp. It truly served as a navigational beacon for an overconfident youngster who would go on truly have a life-changing college experience at CSC.

C-Hill Memories: Keith Crofutt

In the fall of 1999 Brooks Hall hosted a game for Homecoming week that required students to solve riddles about locations around Chadron. Once they found the correct location, they would get another clue. One of the locations was C-Hill. Unfortunately, the weather went from nice to frosty cold and windy the day of the hunt. I had to sit on the top of the C and wait as groups of students would discover the location, then hand out the next clue. It was so cold but a lot of fun and got a lot of students out of the dorms to participate despite the weather.

C-Hill Memories: Minh Le

Three students in winter gear climbing a hill

All of the students had many positive recollections of C-Hill. One of the symbols of Chadron State College. I remember the first time I visited our campus, I went up up to C-Hill and looked at the sign from above; it was a memorable experience. When I stood there, the entire small town filled my view. Chadron is incredibly gorgeous. On the first day of this month, Chadron Newman House friends wanted to go to C-Hill and slide; unfortunately, the slide wasn't working due to not much of snow, so we used a Poncho instead. That was unforgettable for me and my Newman housemates. C-Hill is a part of the college experience. Would you agree with that?

C-Hill Memories: Lydia Peters

View over Chadron from C-Hill

My favorite memories of C-Hill are going up and spending time in nature with God, just overlooking the city and all of His creation.

C-Hill Memories: Mallory McClenahan

I’ve climbed up C-Hill about 4 times since I became a student here. Every time I went up, the view was different but still amazing. One of my favorite memories would have to be the lighting of C-Hill after the homecoming coronation. It was such a surreal moment being that high up and looking around to see lights, people, and stars all in the same place.

C-Hill Memories: Con Marshall

As Chadron State’s primary photographer for quite a few years, I often trudged up C-Hill to take a photo of the campus from that vantage point, particularly when classes were about to start again. Others had already done that or have since done that. Both the college’s 75th and 100th anniversary books contain at least a half dozen photos of C-Hill or were taken from there. It is definitely a significant landmark. No other college or university in Nebraska has one like it.

C-Hill Memories: Carolyn Drake

Landscape showing a sunset and a small pond

When I was a freshman I walked up C-Hill almost every day in the fall to look at the sunset.

C-Hill Memories: Damien Zuniga

Composite showing several sunsets, a city at night, and a group of people on C-Hill

Some of my favorite memories on C-Hill include: the Lighting of C-Hill after homecoming coronation (Spring 2021) and walking up there with friends watching either the sunrise or sunset throughout my years at Chadron State College. It's an amazing and fun hike with breathtaking views. It's one of my favorite locations in Chadron and I still enjoy walking up there. C-Hill holds a lot of special memories that will last a lifetime.

C-Hill Memories: Becca M

Sunrise landscape

Celebrating the end of our last school year together by climbing C-Hill and watching the sunrise the day before classes started with my best friend Carissa!

C-Hill Memories: Kinsey Smith

Large group of female wrestlers on C-Hill

C-Hill is one of my favorite places on campus! I’ve hiked it countless times with friends and alone. My friends and I hiked it at sunrise on the first day of school for a few years, and we also loved doing the Lighting of C-Hill for Homecoming every year. But my favorite memories from C-Hill come from my hill sprint workouts. What started as team conditioning for wrestling turned into one of my favorite workouts to do individually. The sprints were tough, but the amazing view of Chadron from the top of C-Hill was always worth it. I’m definitely going to miss C-Hill when I graduate and leave Chadron this year, but I’ll have to go run it when I come back to visit! I’ve included a picture of our summer women’s wrestling camp group in 2022 after our C-Hill workout.

C-Hill Memories: Starla Eleson

My memories are from junior high. In middle school, if we made honor roll, we received a half day off to use as we wished. Several of us took our half days on the same day, first filling the dining room at Pizza Hut and then making the trek to C-Hill. One of the more memorable trips involved using trash bags to ride the mud slides down the hill where the snow had melted. An instance of someone getting her rear stuck in a hole in the ice after pretending to “skate” with our shoes on Briggs combined both screaming and laughter. All while the trees were still there — 1985-1987 timeframe. Beautiful views. Good times!

C-Hill Memories: Tena Cook

The view from the top of C-Hill is inspiring. The nooks seem to invite the tired hiker or weary biker to sit down and rest. A photo used in the viewbook during the 1990s has Heath Tuttle and other students laughing, talking, and resting on their mountain bikes. The vintage photos in Old Admin show students from 1911, giving it a sense of timelessness. Last year, a friend and I were walking by Briggs Ponds and I was sure I saw Steve and Cheryl Welch atop C-Hill with their dog, Lilo. Later we ran into them and they said they were hiking to celebrate their 30th anniversary. It was such a small-town moment, and made a lasting connection in my memory of time spent in nature tied to lasting relationships.

C-Hill Memories: Brittany Helmbrecht

A woman standing on C-Hill

Nine months pregnant… Hiking C-Hill did not induce labor, unfortunately. 🙂