Chadron, rich in fur trade history, is named after Louis Chartran, a fur trapper who ran a trading post on Bordeaux creek. Over time, the spelling eventually became "Chadron." However, Chadron wasn't always the same name, or in the same place as it is today.

In 1884, the Fremont, Elkhorn, & Missouri Valley Railroad began to move west from Valentine, Nebraska. The railroad's plan was to branch its line into Wyoming and South Dakota. A few people had prior knowledge of what the railroad planned and set up a community where the White River and the present-day Chadron Creek joined. This new community, named O'Linn after its founder Fannie O'Linn, seemed a likely spot for the railroad line to branch, virtually assuring a successful comity.

The railroad decided instead to set up a town just a few miles away named Bordeaux (after another fur trader). Knowing that the survival of the town was dependent on the railroad, the townspeople quickly moved the town to Bordeaux - even many of the buildings! It was then that Chadron gained the name that it has today.