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“Looking at these wonderful photographs felt to me as if I were walking through an exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair, displaying the blue ribbon winner from each of our counties. What I think is most charming is that it not only offers us masterful images from one end of the beautiful state to the other, but that each image reveals the eye

and enthusiasm of a neighbor of ours. I was especially delighted by the Butler County entry because I drive past that old house at least once a week. It’s great fun that someone else has noticed it, and has stopped to capture it for us, and it’s that generous sharing of experience that this is all about.”

— Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate 2004-2006

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ABOUT THE EXHIBITIONNebraska’s historic places and architectural treasures were the focus of a statewide photography initiative sponsored by Hildegard Center for the Arts in preparation for the state’s 150th birthday. The call for entries, “Bridges: Sharing Our Past to Enrich the Future,” collected images from all 93 counties and named a winner for each county.

The decision to feature architectural and historic treasures instead of landscapes was intentional, said Cathy Harrington of Lincoln, a board member of the sponsoring Hildegard Center for the Arts and the project chair. “We know Nebraska has many beautiful natural features,” she said. “However, we wanted to highlight historic places and often-overlooked historical treasures in all counties.”

The Hildegard Center called for amateur and professional photographers from across Nebraska to highlight locations that are on the National Register of Historic Places or are of personal or community significance. Nebraska has nearly 1,100 listings in the register, the nation’s inventory of properties deemed worthy of preservation. The register is maintained by the National Park Service and administered in the state by the Nebraska State Historical Society.

The Bridges photography effort, in partnership with the Nebraska Tourism Commission and Nebraska State Historical Society, drew more than 800 entries. “Each Nebraska community is unique, and historic places often identify a community’s character,” said Bob Puschendorf, the Nebraska State Historical Society’s associate director and deputy state historic preservation officer.

The jurors were photographer Joel Sartore of Lincoln, a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine; George Tuck, a photo journalism professor emeritus from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and photographers Bobbi and Steve Olson of Palmyra, who have traveled more than 250,000 miles in the last decade capturing images of Nebraska’s landscapes, people, communities, celebrations and history.

“Bridges: Sharing Our Past to Enrich the Future” is endorsed by the Nebraska 150 Commission as a “signature event.” Besides being featured in this digital catalog, the 93 winning photos are highlighted in a 2017 statewide traveling exhibit that includes stops in Omaha, Lincoln, Alliance, Norfolk, North Platte and Seward.

Venues & Tour Schedule: Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln: January 6 – March 25, 2017

Seward Civic Center: June 1 – July 28, 2017

North Platte Prairie Arts Center: August 1 – September 22, 2017

Norfolk Art Center: September 7 – October 26, 2017

Carnegie Arts Center in Alliance: September 26 – November 10, 2017

Durham Museum in Omaha: November 24, 2017 – January 7, 2018

‘BRIDGES’ JUDGES“The Bridges project has been a wonderful opportunity to personalize Nebraska on a county-by county basis. Shown together, the photographs weave a fascinating story showcasing the history and beauty of the state as a whole. We have thoroughly enjoyed the pictorial journey around the state!”

—Bobbi & Steve Olson longtime contributing photographers to Nebraska Life magazine

Goeke Variety Store – Atkinson, NE, Steve &

Bobbi Olson

Only a few generations ago, “five and dime” or “variety” stores were a common sight on the Main Street of many cities and small towns. Familiar stores, like Woolworths and Hesteds, had long aisles of display cases crammed with a mind-boggling myriad of items in roughly organized fashion – everything from hardware and housewares to fabric and gifts. Who could resist the glass display counter with its compartments of yummy-looking sweets? The choices of rich chocolate concoctions, brightly colored candy, gumdrops, licorice, and candy bars were almost overwhelming to kids – almost.

Today, stepping through the heavy wooden double doors of the R. F. Goeke Variety Store in Atkinson is like stepping back into their childhood for many Nebraskans. From the bright red-and-white tiled floor and tall tin ceilings, to the display fixtures that owner Randy Goeke completely transplanted from the former Woolworth Store in Kimball, the look and feel is the same. The long aisles, laden with merchandise, ultimately lead to the pristine soda fountain located at the back of the store. The soda fountain is also a transplant, this time from a former business in Wahoo. Soda jerks, complete with familiar paper hats, invite you to take a seat on swivel stools at the long counter or at clusters of tables and vinyl-covered chairs. The menu never goes out of style, from banana splits to ice cream sundaes to old-time phosphates. The look is straight out of the 1950s, but the Green Rivers they serve are – timeless!

‘BRIDGES’ JUDGESThere are lots of photos around about Nebraska, but only by viewing the Bridges Sesquicentennial Traveling Photo Exhibit will you get a panoply of scenes in differ-ent parts of the state shot by different photographers, each with her or his own perspective. As a judge I was constantly impressed with the loving care shooters took in seeking the best angle or time of day to show a favor-ite scene or something more

recently discovered. From a visual perspective, Nebraska is indeed blessed.

—George Tuck, Professor Emeritus of the University of Nebraska

Commanding Cypress, George Tuck

“Commanding Cypress” is found on the north side of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s East Campus arboretum. The arboretum is very

peaceful and calming and it seems like a different universe. Many times I’ve walked around the grounds chilling after whatever was stressing me.

The oval branches of the cypress are very interesting and produce quite different textures, lights, and shadows. I often recommend the arboretum

to residents and visitors and urge them to see the cypress in particular. —George Tuck

As someone who has devoted a lot of time and effort to historic preservation, I found this contest to be both interesting and eye-opening. The fact that it covers every county in the state makes it even

better. What a terrific way to celebrate our state’s rich heritage.

—Joel Sartore Photographer and Fellow, National Geographic Society Founder,

The Photo Ark

‘BRIDGES’ JUDGES

Restoration architect Mike Rindone on The Sower, a sculpture atop the Nebraska State Capitol Building in

Lincoln. The sculpture and building were restored in 2001.

8

ADAMS COUNTYDuncan Field Darren Fowler/Laura Beahm (Hastings Tribune)

A big-time ball park dedicated to baseball...The red brick walls of Duncan Field have seen a lot of great players come and go. Yogi Berra stole home there. Dave McNally took the mound there. Rusty Staub came up to bat there. It’s definitely a big-time ball park dedicated to baseball. From the new upper-level deck, baseball fans watch an American Legion game at Duncan Field in Hast-ings. The ball park, built as a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project, was dedicated on Labor Day 1940 and lat-er named in honor of World War I hero Gen. John J. Persh-ing. In 1948 the city council changed the name to honor Don Duncan, Sr., also known as Hastings’ “Mr. Baseball,” who died in April of that year. Duncan was credited with being primarily responsible for organizing boys’ baseball in Hastings.

9

ANTELOPE COUNTYNeligh Mill Bridge Paul Hosford

In 1874 the Neligh Mill was built to provide services for local farmers to convert their grain into flour and trade for other mill products. This 140-foot truss has carried traffic since 1910 and is a setting for the restored Neligh Mill, a state historic site. When the bridge was washed out by a flood in 2010, the citizens of Neligh raised over $650,000 to restore it. Not only does this bridge span the Elkhorn connecting north and south, it also united the Neligh community in its restoration efforts.

This bridge will continue to link the past to the present for many years to come.

10

ARTHUR COUNTYPilgrim Holiness Church Angela Carroll

A church of straw...

When settling the Nebraska Sandhills, pioneers found few construction materials available for building. The sandy soil was not suitable for sod houses and lumber was scarce. There was, however, an abundance of grasslands and straw. Pilgrim Holiness Church was built in 1928 in Arthur of baled rye straw. Except for the thick walls, it’s difficult to visualize the straw bales constituting this church since the exterior walls are protected by stucco and the interior walls are plastered. Other straw bale structures were erected in the Sandhills. A local tale is told that a school was once constructed with straw but was later eaten by cattle!

11

BANNER COUNTYSunflower Fields Kimberly Sharples

The golden faces of the sunflowers look to the sun!Used by Native Americans as a food crop, sunflowers were first introduced to Europe in the mid-sixteenth century. Oilseed sunflowers have been a viable U.S. crop since 1986. Today sunflower production in Nebraska encompasses around 30,000 acres with the crop being used for oil and a favorite snack. In the almost 20,000 square miles of Nebraska prairie, sunflowers are valuable for wildlife and a healthy grassland community. Nine species of native sunflowers, seven of which are perennials, continue to blanket the countryside with their raucous color.

12

BLAINE COUNTYSandhills Bob Rooney

The rancher and land mirror each other until it’s hard to separate one from the other.

For those living in the Sandhills, ranching is still as important today as it was in years past. It’s a way of life that is still cherished. The Nebraska cattle rancher recognizes that good horses are as important as water and grass to succeed in the cattle industry. Early ranchers selected and bred horses with the desirable traits of intelligence and bold responsiveness to serve as their partners and companions for the long days and hard work their ranches required. No amount of automation or mechanical devices can equal or replace a good, working ranch horse.

13

BOONE COUNTYSt. Anthony’s Catholic Church Michael Hast

A testimony to prosperity, pride, and gratitude…

Named because of the abundance of cedar trees growing along the river valley, Cedar Rapids was organized in 1884. Today, the community is home to a Lutheran church, a United Methodist church, and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Anthony’s Church and School was designed by Jacob Nachtigal in a Romanesque Revival architecture style, featuring round arches and solid brick construction. It was constructed from April 1918 to May 1919 by Anton Kettler of Dubuque, Iowa.

14

BOX BUTTE COUNTYEssence Stephen Sullivan

The Newberry Building is a cornerstone of this historic downtown area.

Built in 1914, the Newberry Building anchors Alliance’s downtown historic district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a valued treasure that has been part of the lifeblood of the community for more than a century. Hardware businessman Chenia A. Newberry built the fire-proof, brick building to accommodate his rapidly expanding business. In Newberry’s biography, it was said that “from basement to roof, the building was filled with the finest goods of the hardware trade” and was so prosperous it employed fifty men. The Newberry Building has served as a hardware store, a harness and saddle shop, and a family-owned drug store and variety shop.

15

BOYD COUNTYJohn Weeder’s Mailbox Patricia James

Taking objects from the past and bringing them into the present…

Artists draw their inspiration from the most unlikely places. Ask the neighbors of John Weeder of rural Lynch. He appropriated abandoned objects found on his farm and around the countryside and repurposed them to create art in the form of this assemblage. For example, this constantly evolving mailbox is actually a complex sculpture featuring boots, weather vanes, wheel rims, and old farm implements. Thanks to Weeder, painted red boots and shoes cover the tops of the white fence posts along the country road. Everything has artistic potential in John Weeder’s eyes.

16

BROWN COUNTYMain Street Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

Johnstown’s main street is the spirit of the town.

The village of Johnstown was platted in 1883 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It was incorporated as a village in 1913 when its population was close to 500. As a railroad shipping town, the community boomed as was evidenced with four blocks of businesses. This drug store would have been an important part of the community, providing stationery, paints, oils, elixirs, and cure-alls for everything from chills, fevers, and heart palpitations to stomach ailments. In more modern times, Johnstown’s boardwalks and historical atmosphere, including its drugstore, made a perfect setting for the filming of the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, O Pioneers! in 1991. With the support of the rural community, the spirit of “Johnstown togetherness” still prevails.

17

BUFFALO COUNTYKearney Traffic Motion Daniel Luedert (Nebraska Department of Roads)

Traffic passes beneath the Nebraska sky.The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument welcomes visitors to Nebraska to pause and learn of the other travelers that have passed through this colorful state. Interstate 80 has changed the way people cross the state and the nation. Spanning 308 feet over Interstate 80 near Kearney, the Archway offers visitors a glimpse into 170 years of America’s westward movement through museum-quality displays and commentary. The Archway opened in 2000 with an exterior designed to resemble a Nebraska sunset.

18

BURT COUNTYFrosty Morning in February Chuck Leypoldt

A spiritual gathering place full of tradition…

Located in Burt County about three miles southeast of Lyons, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in 1873. It provided a spiritual, social, and cultural base for a small group of German immigrants. Being a somewhat autonomous community due to the nature of the settlement consisting mostly of Germans, assimilation came slowly to St John’s church. Services were conducted in the German language until 1918, 34 years after the formation of the congregation. The church was built in 1902 and called “Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische St. Johannes” in the German language. It was built to the design of Omaha Architect J. P. Guth. Its Gothic Revival style includes a 90-foot tower and the church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

19

BUTLER COUNTYLove Long Ago Caryl Bohn

Ponder the journey, not the destination.

If the land could speak, it would tell tales of rumbling wagons and the many settlers, freighters, and soldiers who passed by on their way to places such as California, Colorado, or Salt Lake City. This long-abandoned farmhouse overlooks a leg of the Ox Bow trail, representing the early settlers that would later settle the area. The trail connected Nebraska City to the Platte River near Columbus and eventually to the Oregon Trail. One can only imagine the lives beginning and ending in this humble house that now stares vacantly out at the countryside.

20

CASS COUNTYLittle Barn in the Big Woods Donna Whitman-Eklund

Imagine all the people and animals that might have used this barn in the past.Looking at this abandoned barn situated in a grove of trees along the Missouri River, one has to ponder the sights, smells, and sounds that were a part of its history and use. With a sturdy stone foundation supporting its wood frame structure, it doesn’t take much imagination to hear the sounds of bleating calves, the soft mews of newborn barn cats, or the chirp of swallows who inhabited the rafters. Smells of aged wood, cows, grain, and sweet alfalfa hay would linger long after the barn was retired.

21

CEDAR COUNTYSchützenfest, Bow Valley NE Nathan Kathol

The lucky person to knock the bird off a pole becomes Schützenfest royalty!

When German immigrants founded Bow Valley in the late 1800s, the tradition of Schützenfest made its way to Cedar County as well. Originating as a town militia in Germany, the Schützenverein, or shooting club, held marksmanship competitions—Schützenfests—that also featured other forms of social interaction. Once a year a competition would be held to identify the best shooter in the community and name him king of the festival. Bow Valley began their form of the celebration in 1896 and has continued the tradition by inviting locals to dress in uniforms and attempt to knock a wooden bird off a 30-foot pole with a well-aimed rifle shot. The best sharpshooter is crowned king and then names his queen to help him preside over the festivities.

22

CHASE COUNTYChampion Mill Julie Pflum

Harnessing the Frenchman River…

Located on the Frenchman River, the water-powered Champion Mill is a small industrial complex that served the southwest Nebraska area as a flour and feed mill in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. In the 1880s, an influx of settlers to Chase County created a need for support industries such as milling for the grain that was raised. A three-foot natural rock falls on the Frenchman River provided prime water power for the mill, which was built in 1889 and rebuilt in 1892 after a fire destroyed the original structure. The mill site and mill pond were used to promote settlement and land sales in the town and surrounding area. In its earlier years, the mill pond was a local gathering place for picnics, swimming, boating, camping, and ice skating and boasted of the best fishing in the state.

23

CHERRY COUNTYRock School Patricia Schemmer

The Rock School stands strong against an approaching storm.

Covering an area of more than 6,000 square miles, Cherry County is the largest county in Nebraska. It is large enough to include two time zones and could easily fit the state of Rhode Island within its borders. Despite its vast size, residents still provided for their children’s education by sprinkling schools throughout the county. Located three miles from Crookston, District 48’s Rock School was built in 1896 with native limestone from local quarries. By 1918 it would be one of the more than 7,000 one-room country schools operating in Nebraska. Students attended this one-room school until 1965, when it consolidated with another district.

24

CHEYENNE COUNTYBlacksmith Shop Kimberly Sharples

The village smithy…

Almost every prairie community had a blacksmith shop with very large doors to allow access for horses, wagons, and farm implements. Using the three basic ingredients of metal, fire, and muscle, the blacksmith used his ingenuity to create and repair tools, hardware, utensils, and decorative ironwork to meet the needs of his neighbors. The blacksmith would load a forge with coal and then heat black iron by pumping bellows to force air through the forge. Once the metal was red-hot, he would use tongs to hold the metal on his anvil and hammer it into the desired shape. The metal was then cooled in a tub of water. The shop would get very warm so we can be certain the blacksmith who used this shop would open wide these red doors to allow the hot air to escape and sunlight to filter in.

25

CLAY COUNTYLooking for Thomas Angela Carroll

Modern-day ghost hunters frequently visit this cemetery.

The village of Spring Ranch, established in 1870 and located on the Little Blue River, once boasted a population of 100 although few traces, other than this lonely cemetery, remain today. The story of Tom Jones and his widowed sister Elizabeth Taylor is well known in the area. In the 1885 account, Tom and Elizabeth were accused of barn burning and murder when a neighbor was shot to death in a heated dispute. The townspeople were outraged and meted out their own brand of justice by hanging Tom and Elizabeth from a bridge on the Little Blue River without the benefit of a trial. Legend has it that to this day, Tom and Elizabeth still seek a fair trial and haunt the Spring Ranch Cemetery where they are buried.

26

COLFAX COUNTYMonastery on the Hill: Christ the King Priory Chapel Jodi Gehr

Continuing missionary work throughout the world…

When the Nazi government became a threat to monasteries in Germany, the abbot of Muensterschwarzach sent two monks, Brothers Felix and Egbert, to the United States to establish sites to continue the monastic and missionary work of the abbey. After unsuccessful attempts to gain acceptance in several locations, including New York, the brothers were welcomed by the Omaha Archdiocese to continue their work in Nebraska. In 1935 they were given permission to take over the former Notre Dame Sisters Convent in Schuyler and a Benedictine mission was founded. In 1979 the community built a new monastery on Mission Hill (formerly Fuller Hill) north of Schuyler. The mission house was raised to the rank of a simple priory in 1985.

27

CUMING COUNTYNeihardt’s Study and Sacred Hoop Prayer Garden Randy Lukasiewicz

The world is like a garden…

They were more than friends, these two men—one white and one Lakota. John Neihardt was young and intelligent, a writer and a seeker of truth who savored stories. Old and wise, Nicholas Black Elk had a vision and a story to tell. Though they spoke different languages, these two men would form a bond and friendship that transcended all their differences. Black Elk would refer to his friend as a “word sender” saying, “This world is like a garden and over it go his words like rain and where they go they leave everything green. After his words have passed, the memory of them shall stand long in the West like a flaming rainbow.” This Sacred Hoop Garden is a reminder of the life and legacy of these two remarkable men and their friendship.

28

CUSTER COUNTYDowse Sod House Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

The earth has reclaimed most of Nebraska’s sod houses.

Custer County has been known as the “Sod House Capital of the World.” Most of Nebraska’s sod houses have faded back to the earth. The Dowse sod house near Comstock is one of the few original and well-preserved sod houses, a rare survivor of this type of construction. Sod, known as “Nebraska Marble,” was economical and available and the sod house was used by many pioneers until they had access to lumber and could afford to build wooden homes. The house was built by William and Florence Dowse in 1900 and featured packed-dirt floors, three rooms, and a sleeping loft. In 1930, when the sod began to deteriorate, William covered the north wall with a layer of concrete. The Dowse family, which included five sons, occupied the house until 1959. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

29

DAKOTA COUNTYThe O’Connor House Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

A glimpse of life in the late nineteenth century…

The O’Connor House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and located two miles east of Homer, is a magnificent two-story, fourteen-room, Italianate-style brick house designed and built by Irish immigrant Cornelius O’Connor. Raised in the carpentry trade, O’Connor completed the house about 1875. O’Connor’s attention to detail included harvesting walnut trees from his property and hand-creating all the woodwork for the home, including the staircase. O’Connor and his wife, Catherine, came to Dakota County and prospered. “Captain” O’Connor was called to military service on the frontier. He also served in the Nebraska Territorial Legislature.

30

DAWES COUNTYCrow Butte Ron Jensen

The legend of Crow Butte…

Crow Butte was a Dawes County landmark long before there were established towns or military installations in the area. The landmark takes its name from the 1849 battle between the Sioux and Crow tribes that has been told, retold, and embellished. As the story goes, a group of Crow helped themselves to some horses belonging to the Sioux as well as to horses owned by a local fur trader, James Bordeaux. When a skirmish between the two tribes ensued, the Crow retreated and climbed the butte to hold off the Sioux with bullets, arrows, and rocks. Legend has it the Crow were under siege on the summit for four days, dancing and singing through the night. On the fifth night, when no music was forthcoming, the Sioux climbed the formation and found rawhide ropes dangling from the summit, which the Crow had used to descend the butte and make good their stealthy escape.

31

DAWSON COUNTYWillow Island Road Richard Jones

Nature’s cathedral…

The Willow Island settlement was located between Cozad and Gothenburg. Its first settler, Joseph Huffman, arrived in 1873. Willow Island was named after a large island in the Platte River just south of the community. The island, which was 10 miles long and one-mile wide, was densely populated with willow trees until the wilderness forest was ravaged by prairie fires. Today, the five-mile Willow Island Road runs parallel with the south side of Interstate 80.

32

DEUEL COUNTYPhelps Hotel Kimberly Sharples

Western hospitality…

With construction typical of many hotels during the late nineteenth century in western Nebraska, the Phelps Hotel in Big Springs is Deuel County’s oldest hotel. Edwin Phelps, a Union Pacific bridge engineer, and his wife Sarah were among the first to arrive in Big Springs and call it home. When the couple recognized the need for temporary housing for the influx of settlers and travelers, they built the historic Phelps Hotel in 1885 soon after the town was organized. By the end of the century, Big Springs grew and prospered. The hotel continued to be operated by the Phelps family until 1965. The Phelps Hotel would be remembered and cherished for its hospitality and comfort.

33

DIXON COUNTYTowers in Time Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

Celebrating the origins of life…

Established in 1934, Ponca State Park is located on the Missouri River bluffs in northeast Nebraska, two miles from the town of Ponca. Named after the Ponca Tribe, the park is a celebration of the natural environment unique to this region: heavily-forested bluffs, bottomland, wetlands, and prairies. Three towers rising to 28 feet are the man-made symbol and celebration of the land and its inhabitants. Called Towers in Time, the intricately-carved and symbolic sculptures were created by Nebraska artists Jay and Dean Tschetter and stand at the entrance to the park. They invite all to ponder the mysteries of time and the forces that shape our natural landscape.

34

DODGE COUNTYYankee Peddler Brian Weber

A treasure to be found…

Fremont’s downtown historic district is home to several antique shops, making it a must-stop destination for all who appreciate what is vintage. Since 1994 one of these stores, The Yankee Peddler West, has been providing a diverse and eclectic selection of antiques, art, and used books. Housed in an 1880s building, the Peddler’s owners Vince and Kerstin O’Connor take pride in bringing the past to the present. Those who have a passion for antiquing know that joy certainly comes from making a great find but it also comes from finding the best way to breathe new life into an old piece.

35

DOUGLAS COUNTYDeparted Gary Andrews

On a long-ago journey…

In 1931 Union Station in downtown Omaha was a bustling hub that 64 passenger trains and some 10,000 passengers utilized every day. Eighty-five years later, it is home to the Durham Museum, which is dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of the United States’ western region. Highly detailed bronze statues of long-ago passengers are scattered throughout the hall, as if waiting for the arrival or departure of a train. In our busy world today, the statuary and exhibits are a remembrance of another era—an era when trains ruled the Nebraska landscape and were a necessity for all travelers.

36

DUNDY COUNTYDundy County Courthouse Alan J. Bartels (Nebraska Life Magazine)

A determined community…

Dundy County is located in cattle-raising country with borders touching Kansas and Colorado. In its early days, the construction of the railroad brought settlers to the county. In 1884 the county was organized and Benkelman was designated as the temporary county seat. But in 1888 five rival communities each sought the coveted county seat and tried to use Benkelman’s location, which was far from the center of the county, as a weapon against the town. However, citizens of Benkelman were determined and with the help of the railroad and using their own funds, they built their own courthouse. Because of their boldness, the county seat was awarded to Benkelman and in the early 1920s a new courthouse in the hilly community was approved with the cornerstone laid on June 1, 1921. The courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

37

FILLMORE COUNTYStockholm Church Zach Hanson

Shadows of the past…With headstones casting long shadows, some dating back to 1878, the Stockholm Lutheran Church stands watch over the graves of those who helped settle the area near Shickley. The history of the church dates from 1875 when Swedish immigrants formed a congregation and met in homes and the local school until they could build their first church in 1881. In 1900 when the congregation outgrew this original space, the current church was built in the Gothic Revival style at a cost of $3,549. Committed to preserving their Swedish heritage, the congregation sometimes held services in the Swedish language until as late as 1937. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

38

FRANKLIN COUNTYOld Planter Shane Booth

Unhitched for the last time…

In the 1800s men like Jerome Case, Cyrus McCormick, and John Deere made names for themselves in farm equipment invention and manufacturing. By 1900 sophisticated horse-drawn farm machines were available for tillage, cultivation, and harvesting. Although steam traction engines were being used for threshing and plowing, they were often too heavy or too expensive for most farmers to utilize. Animal-powered farm machinery was the best alternative for farmers to increase productivity and efficiency as their farms expanded. By the 1920s farm mechanization started to replace animals, as represented by this long abandoned planter in a Franklin County pasture owned by the Blank family.

39

FRONTIER COUNTYHWY 23 Maintenance Erosion Construction Daniel Luedert (Nebraska Department of Roads)

Building roads—Building the future.

Earthmovers shift and shape the rolling hills of Frontier County along Highway 23 as they work at erosion control along the hills of Ne-braska for the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR). The earth will then be reclaimed to its native state. NDOR works at protecting the environment while serving the people of Nebraska that move along the hills and plains that comprise the state. Nebraska has 96,751 miles of roads carrying travelers on its state highways, county roads, and municipal streets. It was the first state in the nation to complete its mainline Interstate System at a cost of $435 million. The NDOR strives to maintain the infrastructure of the state’s roadway system, doing its part to act as a responsible steward of the state’s most valuable resources: its people and land.

40

FURNAS COUNTYNorwegian Church Deborah Schaben

Standing watch along the Deer Creek…

Four miles north of the village of Holbrook, Deer Creek Norwegian Lutheran Evangelical Church and Cemetery sits beside a gravel road as proud today as it was on its dedication day in 1904. For most Norwegians, religion was an important part of their culture and way of life. Since the Norwegian state church was Lutheran, those pioneers settling in the Great Plains remained Lutheran as well. An area along Deer Creek attracted Norwegian settlers in 1873 and a church was founded in 1877. After a smaller church was outgrown, this church was dedicated in 1904.

41

GAGE COUNTYPalmer-Epard Cabin, Winter Bernadette Korslund

An icon of the American dream…

Built in 1867 and home to two pioneer families, the Palmer-Epard Cabin at the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice weathers another winter just as it has done for 150 years. This humble cabin is symbolic of the more than 93 million Americans who are descendants of homesteaders. It all started with the Homestead Act of 1862, considered one of the most significant pieces of legislation in American history. The act granted 160 acres to anyone age 21 or older, American citizen or not, who was willing to settle and start a new life in a wild and untamed land. This simple cabin symbolizes the American spirit of hard work, adventure, courage, and resilience. It represents the beginning of the conquest of the West and the integration of countless immigrants into the fabric of the United States.

42

GARDEN COUNTYSod House and Pioneer Woman Richard Callaway

“Where shines the glory of the pioneer prairie mother?”

Because early pioneer women played such an important role in the settling of the prairie, a tribute was written in 1923. “While we bring our offerings of praise to every mother, we especially pay tribute to the pioneer prairie mother... (H)er toil, her tears, were not in vain. Where once was desert and desolation, schools, churches and happy homes bless the land.” Cherrie Beam-Callaway, the woman posing as an early-day pioneer in front of this sod house, is a fourth-generation Nebraskan whose family homesteaded in Garden County. With 12 sets of grandparents and family homesteading in the area, many of her family members still call Nebraska home.

43

GARFIELD COUNTYReverse Fountain on Calamus Reservoir Roger Rea

Capturing the Calamus River…

Located in Nebraska’s beautiful Sandhills, the Calamus River has been harnessed to create a state recreation area that is a popular destination. Six miles from Burwell and surrounded by 4,958 acres of gently rolling prairie, the Calamus Reservoir’s 5,123-acre lake offers camping, fishing, boating, picnicking, and hiking opportunities to its visitors. This “reverse fountain,” which draws overflow from the Calamus Reservoir, is not often seen but it is a necessary element for the continued flow of the Calamus River beyond the reservoir.

44

GOSPER COUNTYNebraska Windflowers Deborah Schaben

On the prairie like sunflowers…

Finding water was essential for settlers of the Nebraska prairie. Without water, the chance for prosperity, let alone survival, was dismal. Once a well had been dug, water had to be raised to the surface. In 1854 Daniel Halladay invented a windmill that could turn a shaft and draw water from deep wells using wind as the source of energy. By the 1880s thousands of windmills were turning on the Great Plains to harness wind to provide much-needed water for irrigation, livestock, and homes. Driving east from Smithfield on Highway 23, this field of windmills pops up on the prairie like a blanket of sunflowers. The collection of windmills, once owned by Harlan Lilyhorn, is a reminder of one of Nebraska’s energy assets.

45

GRANT COUNTYSandhills Sunrise Jill Weiser

A dance across the sky...

Morning winds energize this lonely windmill as the rising sun starts its dance across the sky in the Sandhills near Hyannis. Spanning almost 20,000 square miles, the Nebraska Sandhills is the largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere. Following the last ice age, wind captured loose sand, blowing it into vast dunes, some reaching nearly 400 feet in height and stretching 20 miles. With precious precipitation, grassland plants were able to take root in the shifting sand and were crucial in stabilizing the dunes to anchor them into place. Today, cattle ranchers carefully manage the Sandhills to prevent overgrazing in order to preserve the stability of the dunes so they do not revert back to a desert-like state.

46

GREELEY COUNTYSpalding Dam William Hosford

The power of water…

In addition to being a necessity of life, water has also been important for generating power. Early on, water was used to power grist mills, which allowed farmers to process the grains they produced. By the beginning of the twentieth century, these mills were being expanded to generate electricity as well as process grain. In time many of these mills were converted to run on electricity, which the dams and their turbines produced as long as the water supply held out. Many of these small hydroelectric plants once dotted rural Nebraska stream sides and this dam and its nearby power plant are still used when electrical demand is high. The Spalding Dam, built in 1923 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, serves not only as a physical bridge across the Cedar River but is also a source of power that homes and farms still depend upon today.

47

HALL COUNTYare to Dream Nia Karmann

A living legend…

Delivered in 1944, the “844” was the last steam locomotive built for the Union Pacific Railroad. It served as a high-speed passenger engine and pulled such widely known trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose, and Challenger. The engine and tender weighs in at over 454 tons and 144 feet in length. The engine sports fourteen wheels and has a water capacity of 23,500 gallons. When diesels took over the job of pulling passenger trains, the 844 was moved into freight service. It is the only steam locomotive that has never been retired and is known as the “Living Legend.” Serving as Union Pacific’s ambassador of goodwill, it is widely known for its excursion runs, which brought it back on a trek that stopped in Grand Island. It draws crowds even today, such as this young boy examining one of its huge wheels.

48

HAMILTON COUNTYBeautiful Winter Day Anna Bowens

A tradition on the Nebraska landscape…

The red barn has come to characterize the rural landscape. Why red? Many myths abound. Some speculate barns were painted red so cows could find their way home. Another is that the rusty hues of red gave the appearance of the barns being built of brick, a sign of wealth and substance. The most logical answer may be that early farmers used a concoction of skimmed milk, lime, linseed oil, and red iron oxide to create a rusty-colored, cheap paint to protect their barns. Although farmers today can pick from any color, many still adhere to the tradition of good old red paint for their barns.

49

HARLAN COUNTYA Living Bridge Rena Conner

Legacy of a bridge…

This truss bridge spans the Sappa Creek in Harlan County but it represents much more than a means to pass over obstacles or haul loads. This bridge is symbolic of farm life as it was in the past and continues today. The Horwart family has farmed and lived on the land serviced by this bridge since the early 1940s. They have crossed it daily to transport harvested crops and livestock to market, to attend school and family functions, to play, to work, and to keep generations connected. Although the structure is made of steel and plank, it serves as a “living bridge,” connecting farmers and their families to the land.

50

HAYES COUNTYGrandma McKillip’s House Monte McKillip

On a frosty Nebraska morning…

Moved to its current location in 1943, this house was originally situated in the community of Hamlet, and served as a single-family dwelling. In later years it became an annex for a high school as well as classrooms for the Hamlet Union Church Sunday School. Eventually it would be restored to its original function as a family home and greet several more generations. The trees tipped in frost serve to frame the house.

51

HITCHCOCK COUNTYTrenton Harvest Festival Bill Coe

The annual parade down Main Street…

When Nebraskans celebrate their fairs and festivals, “main street” seems to be the focus. They showcase the best the state has to offer: 4-H and FFA; food to satisfy all tastes; agricultural, industrial, and home life exhibits; carnival rides and midways; entertainment and parades. Visitors have many venues from which to choose ranging from the Nebraska State Fair to county fairs to local history, traditions, and culture. The more than 1 million people who attend Nebraska’s fairs and festivals can attest that no matter the age, there is something for everyone.

52

HOLT COUNTYThe Good Shepherd in O’Neill Chuck Leypoldt

Inspired by the past, inspiring the future.

As early as 1878, Presbyterians in the O’Neill area held services with the assistance of circuit-riding ministers. The congregation for First Presbyterian was officially organized in 1882 and the first church building was dedicated in 1884. In 1962 a new sanctuary was dedicated and is dominated by a stained glass window. It measures eight by 30 feet and was designed and installed by Reinarts Stained Glass Studio of Merrill, Wisconsin.

53

HOOKER COUNTYThe Eclipse Church Angela Carroll

Nestled in a grove of trees in the heart of ranching country near the south fork of the Dismal River, the Eclipse Church stands today as a testament to a time gone by. For more than 100 years, church services have been held in this Sandhills sanctuary. The cemetery is the final resting place for some one hundred pioneers and congregants. Families that have attended services at Eclipse for generations still gather today to worship when clergy are available. Without the benefit of running water, electricity, or indoor plumbing, candles illuminate this historic church when residents from area ranches gather for Christmas and other services.

A testament to a time gone by…

54

HOWARD COUNTYThe Persevering Polish Community from Poznan, Poland Randy Lukasiewicz

During the settlement of the Plains, the parish church was the most important institution and often the first one to be established.

The church dominated the life of the Polish settlement near Farwell as it met the spiritual and cultural needs of the community. The parish of St. Anthony of Padua was founded in 1877 by Polish settlers relocating from Illinois. The first church was a simple, two-room dugout in a community known as New Posen, named in honor of the city of Poznan in Poland. In 1884 improvements were made by the parish including the construction of a new church, rectory, and school but all were destroyed by fire. A subsequent larger church was also consumed by flames during the construction phase. Undaunted, the congregation pooled their resources to use the same foundation to erect St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and on August 7, 1887, the first mass was celebrated in the new church. In 1925 the congregation moved the church building into the town of Farwell.

55

JEFFERSON COUNTYA Pioneer’s Final Resting Place Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

George Winslow’s marker commemorates the ultimate price many pioneers paid in their sojourn through Nebraska.

From about 1841 to 1866, the 2,200-mile Oregon Trail was heavily traveled by an estimated 350,000 to 500,000 settlers wanting to establish new homes west of the Rockies. The travelers endured many hardships and many died along the way. Such was the fate of George Winslow whose life and death is commemorated by this granite monument. George Winslow was one of the founders of the Boston-Newton Joint Stock Association, who left Boston for the goldfields of California. When he succumbed to cholera, the company remained encamped between the forks of the Whiskey Run Creek for three days in hopes of his recovery. His death on June 8, 1849 was noted as “painlessly as though going to sleep, Winslow died. He was borne to the grave by eight bearers. The last chapter of Ecclesiastes was read.” The original headstone was incorporated into the granite monument, erected and dedicated on October 29, 1912.

56

JOHNSON COUNTYYesterday Bob Brammeier

It was the bridge—not the waterway—that was important in developing a transportation network.

Because Nebraska is said to have more miles of waterways than any other state, bridges are required to span mere streams as well as expansive rivers. In past times, passage over the many rivers and streams throughout Johnson County impacted transportation routes. Most Nebraska waterways, including those in Johnson County, were too shallow and irregular for river-borne commerce. Some of the earliest bridges were crudely built with easily-obtained materials by overland travelers heading west. Such bridges were intended to serve only as long as it took their builders to cross. After 1854, when Nebraska became a territory and settlement came, bridges were constructed either from simple timber stringers at small, little-traveled streams or wood and iron truss bridges at larger rivers.

57

KEARNEY COUNTYSalem Swedish Methodist Episcopal Kelly Rush

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Scandinavian immigrants composed 75 to 80 percent of the foreign-born population of Kearney County. Near Axtell, a small church began in 1878 when Swedish pioneers built what was called by Rev. Carl Charnquist “En Torv Katedral”—A Sod Cathedral. A cemetery adjacent to the church began its role as a final resting place for the community in 1882. In 1884 a small frame church was erected, which was replaced in 1898 with the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church that stands today. The church actively served the community for more than 100 years. Today the church is no longer used for worship services, but it does have a group of dedicated volunteers who continue to oversee the preservation of the building and cemetery, which are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

With its restored steeple, the Salem M.E. Church can be seen from miles around. It’s a beautiful site.

58

KEITH COUNTYI-80 Bicentennial Sculpture: Up & Over Elizabeth Nelson

This sculpture reaffirms the importance of Nebraska’s land and sky, with lines that evoke a rainbow, a plow, or water spraying from a center pivot.

In 1976 the nation commemorated its bicentennial. Nebraska, ever innovative, established the Nebraska Bicentennial Sculpture Project and commissioned 10 monumental sculptures to be installed at rest stops along Interstate 80. Eight were completed and seven remain in place today. These sculptures not only commemorate our country’s bicentennial, but also Nebraska’s establishment, growth, and optimistic outlook for our future. Among the commissioned sculptures is Up & Over by Linda Howard. Measuring 20 feet high, the aluminum sculpture near Ogallala is composed of rigidly straight lines that were painstakingly constructed, weld by weld, to give a spontaneous, lively appearance.

59

KEYA PAHA COUNTYGhost Town Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

Places like Meadville are now lonely ghost towns, relics of a time gone by and hidden in tall prairie grasses and cedar groves.

Keya Paha County whose name is derived from the Lakota words ke’-ya pa-ha’ wa-kpi’ (Turtle Hill River) had an exciting past. Today Springview, the county seat, and the town of Mills are all that remain of a dozen communities that optimistically sprang up. Located on the Niobrara River, the abandoned community of Meadville is one of those ghost towns that faded away. In 1882 Merritt Mead, a veteran of the Civil War, settled in a small log cabin on the south side of the river in Brown County. Several rooms were added to accommodate travelers. “Mead’s Tavern” soon became very popular and served as a post office in 1883. Meadville was later relocated to the north side of the Niobrara River. A post office was established there in 1904. This 1910 building served as the post office and a general store.

60

KIMBALL COUNTYOliver Reservoir Kimberly Sharples

The reservoir provided much-needed irrigation to the Lodgepole Valley for sixty-five years.

The Oliver Reservoir Dam was built in 1911 on Lodgepole Creek. The first irrigation waters flowed out of the Oliver Reservoir in 1912 over flumes constructed by the Patrick Maginnis Factory of Kimball. In 1976 the impoundment was deemed unsafe and the lake was drained. In 1979-80, private contributions were added to capital from the South Platte Natural Resources District to match state and federal funding to rebuild the Oliver Reservoir Dam, now used as a recreational, wildlife conservation, and flood control facility. More than 100,000 cubic yards of dirt had to be moved to build the new spillway and a complete recreation facility was designed around the lake.

61

KNOX COUNTYVerdel Jail Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

What a contrast to Nebraska’s current penal institutions!

Verdel, derived from the Spanish word Verde (meaning “green”), is a small town in northeast Nebraska with a current population of 59. Verdel “boomed” in 1902 when the Chicago and North Western Railroad reached this location near the junction of the Niobrara and Missouri Rivers. To help provide law and order in the community, in 1900 the town erected the Verdel jail. The building was constructed from bricks and mortar covered with stucco and measures a mere 12 by 10 feet. The interior consists of two adjoining cells with a narrow corridor along the west wall and featured a pot-belly stove to provide heat. The jail was used until 1960 when it was closed due to a lack of “conveniences” such as running water, toilet, and air conditioning.

62

LANCASTER COUNTYThe Watcher Gary Andrews

A symbol of perseverance and courage to all Nebraskans…

Located on the grounds of the Nebraska State Capitol, this bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln stands on a pedestal with the Gettysburg Address carved into a Massachusetts granite backdrop. Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), one of America’s leading sculptors at the time, received the commission to produce the Lincoln statue, which was dedicated in 1912. French collaborated with architect Henry Bacon to provide the Lincoln statue with its architectural setting. French stated he “purposely tried to represent Lincoln bearing the burdens and perplexities and problems of the Great War.” The statue’s attitude is one of reverence over a grave in keeping with the speech Lincoln delivered at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg. French would go on to create the massive seated figure of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

63

LINCOLN COUNTYFort McPherson National Cemetery Headquarters Larry Headley

Sentinels of long rows of white stone markers stand in tribute to those who served their country.On March 3, 1873, after serving 10 years as a military outpost, Fort McPherson’s post graveyard became a national cemetery. Originally, national cemeteries were located on or near Civil War battlegrounds. As eligible veterans aged and moved west and frontier posts closed in Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, a need arose for more cemeteries in the Midwest. On 20 acres beneath cottonwood trees, sentinels of long rows of white stone markers stand in tribute to those who served their country. These words mark the entrance to Fort McPherson National Cemetery to honor those buried there:

“On Fame’s eternal camping ground,Their silent tents are spread;While Glory guards with solemn roundThe bivouac of the dead.”

64

LOGAN COUNTYGrandad & Kadee Kendra Cutler

A legacy of initiative, pride, endurance, and independence is passed down.This picture depicts Kennard Lovitt and his granddaughter Kadee Anne Cutler. Lovitt is the second generation on his ranch in Logan County, two miles west of Stapleton. As a Sandhills rancher, he represents the work ethic, morals, and compassion for the land known in ranching communities. At the annual family branding on an early April morning, Kadee and her Granddad stand admiring the calves that are the accumulation of many long, cold nights, snowy days, and hours of care it takes to get a calf healthy and thriving. The work is hard, the days are long, the risk is great, and the return is uncertain.

65

LOUP COUNTYThe Grand Ole Pavillion Hotel Darcia Kovarik

A testament that has withstood and adapted to changes in both the community and economy over 100 years…

At the time of the Pavillion Hotel’s construction in 1887, the owner, Herman Carter, anticipated the railroad coming to the settlement of Taylor and envisioned the hotel as a sound business investment. The railroad bypassed the community, but its designation as the county seat in 1883 assured the town’s survival. Considered the best hotel between Grand Island and Rapid City, South Dakota, meals were served on tables graced with linen, silver, and crystal. The wood frame building with its mansard roof is an unusual structure given the environment that surrounds it and has been noted as a regional landmark, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years the building has been remodeled to accommodate a variety of uses, but the current owners have plans to establish a bed and breakfast in the Pavillion Hotel, coming full circle and bringing it back to its original purpose over one hundred years later.

66

MADISON COUNTYDoughboy Alan J. Bartels

This soldier seems to encourage the entire student body and the community to follow him in service of our country.

Standing in front of the junior high school in Norfolk is this statue of a soldier called to battle. It honors the veterans and casualties of World War I when more than 4.3 million American soldiers, sometimes called “doughboys,” went to war. This statue is attributed to Ernest Moore “Dick” Viquesney, a son and grandson of French immigrant sculptors. The Viquesney statues are entitled Spirit of the American Doughboy and are located throughout the nation in front of courthouses, city halls, post offices, and other public buildings. In 2012 students and veterans’ groups raised money to have this doughboy monument restored. Famous Norfolk son Johnny Carson attended school in this very building when it served as the community’s high school.

67

MCPHERSON COUNTYThe Ogallala Aquifer Angela Carroll

This aquifer is noted to spring from the ground, nourishing the animals and residents, adding beauty to the landscape, as well.

The Ogallala Aquifer, or High Plains Aquifer, is the world’s largest known aquifer with an approximate area of 174,000 square miles. It runs from southern South Dakota through parts of Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and northern Texas. Twenty-seven percent of irrigated land in the U.S. overlies the aquifer and yields 30 percent of the groundwater used for irrigation in the country. If spread across the United States, the aquifer would cover all 50 states with 1.5 feet of water. The aquifer system supplies drinking water to 82 percent of the 2.3 million people who live within the boundaries of the High Plains. The challenge of the Ogallala Aquifer is managing human demands on this precious resource.

68

MERRICK COUNTYDark Island Jeanne K. Hain Wiemer

Where spirits live…

Deep meanings are held in the places the Pawnee tribe once lived. The Pawnees spoke to spiritual and supernatural animal dwellings, which were long recalled in the tribe’s sacred traditions. One site was beneath an island on the Platte River near Central City, called La-la-wa-koh-ti-to, or “Dark Island.” Although the exact location is not known or no longer evident because of the changing channels of the Platte River, Dark Island still conjures the spirit of the Pawnee, whose historical homeland was in the vicinity of the Loup and Platte rivers.

69

MORRILL COUNTYChimney Rock Curtis Blum

Located approximately four miles south of Bayard in the North Platte River Valley, Chimney Rock is a natural geologic formation, a remnant of the erosion of the bluffs towering over the valley. Though the origins of the name of the rock are obscure, the title “Chimney Rock” probably originated with the first fur traders in the region. Chimney Rock had become the most commonly used name by the 1840s when immigrants passed nearby on their way to Oregon and California. The feature held center-stage in the minds of the overland travelers and could prove to be an optical illusion. The rock can be seen upwards of 35 miles away and as one traveled toward the spire, Chimney Rock always appeared to be in the distance—unapproachable. Chimney Rock and its surrounding environs today inspire travelers much as they did when the first wagons passed through in the mid-1800s.

A symbol of the great western migration…

70

NANCE COUNTYModel Classroom Nancy Carlson

Exploration of the past…

The Indian Industrial School at Genoa, operated between 1884 and 1934, was a non-reservation boarding institution established by the Office of Indian Affairs. Like other such institutions, this boarding school’s mission stressed manual training and education in an effort to erase traditional Native American ways. In time, the school grew from the original 74 students to an enrollment of 599 and encompassed over thirty buildings on 640 acres. Today, the Genoa U.S. Indian School Interpretive Center strives to recognize the incomprehensible emotional experiences many of the Native American children who attended endured as they were taught to assimilate into white society. Descendants and others visit the center to learn about their ancestors and the past and understand the impact experienced by the children and their families. This exploration of the past starts the healing with dialogue on social issues in Native American cultures and explores opportunities for public involvement.

71

NEMAHA COUNTYThe Library in the Spring Rebecca Johnson(Peru State College)

The heart of educational endeavors…The building currently housing the library at Peru State College was built in 1905 and has served the campus in multiple ways. It started as a chapel and through its long history has functioned as a roller rink, a swimming pool, a science building, an art department, and a gymnasium. When Peru State College was faced with the dilemma of needing a new library, the building, which was being underutilized as a gymnasium, underwent an extensive makeover to become the college’s library in 2003. This library on the “Campus of a Thousand Oaks” is open to the public and serves as a community center for the city of Peru.

72

NUCKOLLS COUNTYRural Renaissance Sonia Schmidt(Superior Historic Re-Development, Inc.)

The walls will again have stories to tell about a community treasure revitalized.As the Depression worked its way across the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated programs to put people back to work. Among these projects was the Superior City Hall and Auditorium. In 1935 the citizens voted to increase taxes to aid in the construction of the project and with the assistance of federal funds, work began in 1936. The Art Deco structure of brick and limestone housed the auditorium, city offices, city council chamber, and a third-floor jail cell. The auditorium was completed in 1937 and was home to theater and musical performances, dances, and gatherings for nearly 60 years before it was closed by the city of Superior in 1997. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a group of citizens accepted ownership of the building in 2012 to save it from demolition.

73

OTOE COUNTYDrizzly Arbor Lodge Evening Donna Whitman-Eklund

Decked out in its Christmas finery…

A visit to Arbor Lodge on the edge of Nebraska City can reveal not only the history and home of an important family but an appreciation of the beautiful park that includes an abundance of flora and fauna that are their legacy. The grand estate of Arbor Lodge on the edge of Nebraska City was the original home of J. Sterling Morton, who is credited with founding Arbor Day in 1872. Beginning in 1855 as a four-room frame house, the mansion grew to 52 rooms through several renovations. Today, Arbor Lodge encompasses more than 65 acres and is home to a collection of trees and shrubs that consists of more than 260 species, some planted by the Morton family themselves.

74

PAWNEE COUNTYGovernor David Butler’s Home Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

A microcosm of a Nebraska political life…

Looking out from a window at the Pawnee City Historical Museum grounds, one can see the historic home of David Butler, Nebraska’s first state governor. Butler ran for governor on the Republican ticket in 1866 and barely defeated his opponent, J. Sterling Morton. During his three terms as governor, he promoted railroad development, the relocation of the state capital from Omaha to Lincoln, and the organization of an agricultural college and state university. In 1871, during his third term as governor, impeachment charges were brought against Governor Butler for misappropriation of state funds, resulting in his removal from office. Several years later, the Legislature reviewed its action and expunged the impeachment proceedings from his record. Butler was elected to the Nebraska State Senate in 1882. He passed away on May 25, 1891.

75

PERKINS COUNTYAfter the Storm Darcy Demmel

The gorgeous plains of western Nebraska certainly can entertain the eye when a storm is rolling through. Add in a rainbow and

it gives quite the show.

There’s an old saying in Nebraska: “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it will change!” Nebraskans have learned to keep an eye to the sky. The state has experienced its share of temperature extremes from -47 degrees (registered in Morrill County in February 1899) to a record high of 118 degrees (recorded in Minden on July 24, 1936). Snowfall varies from about 21 inches in the southeast to about 45 inches in the northwest with a record of 24 inches falling in Arthur in 1939 in one day. Average yearly precipitation varies across the state with 30 inches in eastern Nebraska and 17 inches in the Panhandle. While blizzards, droughts, and tornados have plagued Nebraskans throughout their history, Nebraskans persevere.

76

PHELPS COUNTYColors in the Evening Janessa Bergman

Not only has the farm been passed down, but so have the values and the heritage from our ancestors, and we want that to continue

for generations to come.

Although Nebraska is one of the country’s leading agricultural producers, only one-tenth of the state’s labor force is employed in agriculture in some way. This reflects the efficiency of modern agriculture. Corn has been the state’s cash crop with wheat, oats, soy beans, sorghum, barley, rye, and hay also cultivated by Nebraska farmers. Nebraska is the country’s top producer of alfalfa and Great Northern beans and also ranks high among the states in the production of sugar beets and potatoes. Nebraska farms are major beef and pork producers but also are important in the production of poultry and sheep. Technology is changing the way farmers manage nearly every aspect of their farming operations. New developments in technology, from the seeds they plant to the machinery they use to harvest their crops, are making it possible for farmers to be more productive, while caring for the land entrusted to them in the best way possible.

77

PIERCE COUNTYWPA Contributions, Plainview City Park Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

A lasting legacy of the Great Depression...

In 1933 President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA), one of the many “New Deal” relief programs to counter the Great Depression by putting unemployed Americans to work. Out of the 10 million jobless men in the United States in 1935, three million received monetary aid by building highways, schools, hospitals, airports, and parks. The Plainview Band Shell complex, including this fountain, was constructed between 1939 and 1942 by the WPA. The concrete band shell, fountain, benches, and light posts are excellent examples of the Moderne architectural style used for public buildings and structures built by the WPA and other New Deal public works programs. The group of park structures is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

78

PLATTE COUNTYSt. Mary of the Angels Alan J. Bartels

Memories of church services, weddings, baptisms, church socials, and other events in Grand Prairie Township…

The first St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church was built in 1875. Strict rules were laid down by the first parishioners: every landowner and settler who desired to be a member of the parish had to make a contribution and buy a lot in the cemetery. Decades later, the second church was built in 1924, and was proclaimed the “Mother Parish of all German Parishes in Platte County.” Though the parish of St. Mary’s seldom numbered more than 45 families, there was always a fine spirit of cooperation among its members. The church and school, erected at the cost of many sacrifices, give testimony to the progressive spirit of its founders and their descendants. St. Mary’s closed its doors for the final time in 1967.

79

POLK COUNTYMorrill Organ Angela Carroll

A vintage pump organ keeps its secrets of the Morrill family and a time gone by.

Inside the Charles Morrill homestead is an old, weathered organ, a piece worthy of a wealthy family. Charles Morrill (1842-1928) arrived in Nebraska in 1871 as an impoverished young farmer whose hard work and sharp business acumen led to prosperity. The Charles Morrill homestead, which included a summer and a winter home, was erected in 1872 along the Big Blue River. The winter home remains today. In 1890 Morrill was elected to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, where he served for 10 years. Because of his passion for fossils and geological artifacts, he frequently collaborated with paleontology expeditions and financed the process to bring the first collection to Morrill Hall at the university, named in his honor and dedicated in 1927. He died at his homestead in Stromsburg, Nebraska, on December 14, 1928.

80

RED WILLOW COUNTYGolden Grain Kathleen Hansen

Fields of grain have sustained Nebraska farmers for 150 years. Modern grain storage holds the future.

Nebraska is one of the top 10 wheat-producing states in the country. This grain has sustained family farms in the state for genera-tions and helps define Nebraska as a flourishing agricultural mainstay in the United States. In Nebraska, wheat is primarily grown in the western half of the state, although farmers from all across the state plant winter wheat in the fall to harvest in the spring. By investing in grain bins, the storage capacity of farmers recently totaled more than 13 billion bushels. Rather than sell grain at a loss, many farmers have chosen to store their inventories and wait for more favorable prices.

81

RICHARDSON COUNTYWay Side Barn Vicki Beilke

Barns are an easily-recognizable link to the past.

The Way Side Stock Farm was established by Alexander Rankin McMullen, a prosperous stock farmer in southeast Nebraska. Located two miles east of Stella in Richardson County, this barn is two stories with a cross-gambrel roof dating to 1904. The ground floor features a central aisle with six horse stalls, a tack room, a grain bin, and an open livestock area. The upper floor is a very large hayloft. Barns tell a story of a way of life that is quickly disappearing and that many have no direct contact with as the migration to urban areas continues. The Way Side Stock Farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

82

ROCK COUNTYA Vintage Landmark Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

An icon for the community…Since 1927, this vintage Phillips 66 service station located in Bassett served travelers on the old Blue Pole Highway, now modern-day U.S. Highway 20. The pumps faithfully continued to operate until 1992 when the station closed for good. As a community development project, the building underwent a careful restoration, complete with period gas pumps and signage. It currently serves Bassett as a gathering place, information center, and tourist attraction.

83

SALINE COUNTY1887 Bank Erin Giannangelo

A symbol of Tobias’s early success and growth…The town of Tobias saw an economic boom shortly after being platted in 1884. With the arrival of the railroad, the town grew quickly with early businesses sprouting up along Main Street and a diverse array of commercial operations, all resulting from the optimism of its people. By the end of 1886, 60 businesses had been established and the town boasted a population of 500. Its prospects were evidenced by this substantial two-story brick bank built in 1887. In 1891 a major fire destroyed 22 buildings, devastating the commercial dis-trict. The year 1893 ushered in a drought and a monetary panic that would grip the nation for several years. Today Tobias has a population of about 140, but the pride of this small town, along with its history and heritage, is still found.

84

SARPY COUNTYPortal School Herb Thompson

The environment for learning was always focused on instruction.Built in 1890, this one-room schoolhouse was constructed south of the township of Portal in Sarpy County. In the early 1900s, school conditions in rural areas were somewhat primitive. With no electricity in the building, the teacher, who often doubled as a janitor, had to regularly feed wood to the pot-bellied stove to keep the classroom warm against the winter chill. Students used chalk and slate boards for their arithmetic calculations. When lunchtime rolled around, the children would open their tins to see if they might find a hard-boiled egg, a left-over rolled up pancake with jam, or maybe a lard sandwich. The Portal School was utilized for many years and was the last rural eight-grade school to close its doors in Sarpy County. In 1995 the old school building was moved to Papillion, where it reminds all of rural education.

85

SAUNDERS COUNTYDeserted Jay Spilker

Rich with history…Located near Ashland, the Israel Beetison House is one of the finest examples of the Italianate style found in Nebraska. Beetison, an Englishman who homesteaded in Nebraska in the 1860s, hired the Dalton Brothers to build his home using locally quarried limestone. Construction began in 1874 when local masons were hired to carve 18-inch- thick limestone blocks. Teams of horses and wagons dragged the blocks nearly 10 miles to the homestead until the house’s completion in 1875. The 1,800- square-foot house features a frame cupola that towers over the landscape, four bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and dirt-floor cellar. Along with the historical value of the home, the area also is rich with history. Even before the house was built the area was traversed by the Ox Bow Trail and evidenced the remains of Native American occupation.

86

SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTYScottsbluff Wagon Train Curtis Blum

On the great pathway to the west…Towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, Scotts Bluff has served as a landmark for peoples from Native Americans to immigrants on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails to modern travelers. It is named after Hiram Scott, a fur trapper who in 1828 was left behind by his companions to die. The rock formation jutting up over surrounding flatlands was visible for several days during the pioneers’ journey through Nebraska and marked the route of Mitchell Pass, where wagon ruts are still visible. Although the bluff marked the end of mundane travel, it signaled the start of a tougher mountain trail. The westward immigrants often mentioned Scotts Bluff in their diaries and journals. As people made their way through the area between 1843 and 1869, they often paused in wonder to see such a natural marvel.

87

SEWARD COUNTYLou and Mary Anne’s Angela Carroll

Lou and Mary Anne’s, where the community comes together…

When you think of small-town America, Nebraska immediately springs to mind. The state is full of picturesque little towns where the people are friendly and the main streets are still the center of activity. And central to those small towns are the local “establishments” where the community comes together for a “cold one,” a plate of food, and a visit. In Bee, Nebraska, the favorite “watering hole” is “Lou and Mary Anne’s.” Built in the 1930s, the bar’s reputation for Friday-night fish fries, prime rib, and good times brings in the locals as well as those who are more than willing to drive the extra miles for the food and experience. Only in a small town do you park down the middle of the street when things get busy. All this in a village of 190, whose citizens fondly call it “A Honey of a Town!”

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SHERIDAN COUNTYPondering a Plan Becky Potmesil

Oceans of grasses, milkweed, and sand bluestem cover the land which looks today much like it did in pioneer days.

The Sandhills is one of the largest contiguous and least-disturbed prairies in all of the United States. Spanning almost 20,000 square miles (one-fourth the area of Nebraska), it is the largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere. The Nebraska Sandhills rest on the Ogallala Aquifer and groundwater can often be seen coming to the surface at the base of many sand dunes. This mixture of dry and sandy grassland dunes with thousands of lakes and wetlands scattered between is the home to kangaroo rats, porcupines, and pronghorn antelope. It is also the central flyway for migrating birds including the Sandhill crane. Because sandy soil makes farming nearly impossible, much of the Sandhills has been left as virgin prairie although it is productive for cattle grazing.

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SHERMAN COUNTYMany Miles Mitzi Kuszak

The old Dodge pickup….if only it could talk!

Part of a farmer’s way of life is having the best tools for hard work. A pickup truck is one of those tools. Most farmers own at least one pickup truck to help them with their livelihood. A survey of more than 2,300 farmers by Farm Journal Media in 2015 found that for the most part, the farmers surveyed were “brand loyal,” owners and not leasers, and preferred American-made to foreign-made. They typically bought four-wheel- drive trucks that were durable with an engine big enough to get the job done. No doubt in its day this Dodge pickup did its share of work.

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SIOUX COUNTYChurch of Immaculate Conception Ron Jensen

The church and its cemetery are the only reminders of the people who settled here.

Located on the high, lonesome prairie on Hat Creek in the Oglala National Grassland of Sioux County, the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church stands empty on the wind-swept land. At the site of what was once the town of Montrose, the church is the only building still standing today. Immaculate Conception was constructed in 1887 in the unincorporated town which numbered 24 citizens at its peak in 1910. The town once boasted a general store, blacksmith shop, post office, and café. Today, the church and its cemetery are the only reminders of the people who settled here.

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STANTON COUNTYStorz Brewing Company Barrel House Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

A working man’s brew…

In 1891 Gottlieb Storz, a German immigrant, founded the Omaha Brewing Association and named himself as president. The brewery was renamed the Storz Brewing Company in 1901. As part of its statewide distribution system, branch distributors were situated in several Nebraska communities. Built in 1906 by the Storz Brewing Company, this building initially served as a barrel house famous for “its notorious working man’s brew.” It is the only surviving Storz barrel house still standing in Nebraska. Following its former use, the building has served as a warehouse, feed storage, package store, and restaurant. In 2001 the legendary structure was renovated to preserve its original integrity and character.

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THAYER COUNTY1885 Lumberyard, a Necessity for Growth Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

Early lumberyards in the Great Plains shaped the development of the region.

Located on the Kansas-Nebraska state line on the divide between the Blue and Republican Rivers, Byron was platted in 1880 and originally named Harbine. As a railroad town its first building, a depot, was erected in 1880. It was soon followed by a grain house, hotel, lumberyard, and several residences. Early lumberyards in the Great Plains contributed to the development of the region. This lumberyard, constructed in 1885, was an important resource for the community for commercial and residential building in Thayer County during the late nineteenth century. It contains a large frame lumber storage building with a false front façade and clerestory windows at the roofline, which bring in light and fresh air.

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THOMAS COUNTY“Move ‘em Out” Angela Carroll

Nebraska is known for two things: cattle and corn.

In Nebraska two commodities rule—corn and cattle—and there are very few places in Nebraska one can go without seeing one and/or the other. Nebraska ranching is a significant and vital part of the state’s economy and is a way of life for residents and communities. Ranching was unknown to Nebraska until the Union Pacific railroad was built across the state in 1867. In the 1870s, cattlemen came to the area and found it was ideal for pasturing cattle. The Kinkaid Act of 1904 allowed homesteaders to claim 640 acres of land compared to the 160 allowed by the 1862 Homestead Act. Between 1910 and 1917, nearly 9 million acres were claimed under this act. Today, the cattle rancher—the cowboy and cowgirl—are the caretakers of the herds of cattle entrusted to their care and they take their responsibility very seriously.

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THURSTON COUNTYBurning Bush Daniel Luedert

The land rests between growing seasons, waiting for warmer weather and hands to once again till the soil.

Shortly after the organization of the Nebraska Territory in 1854, the land was surveyed into the grid system. The patterns of section line roads, fields, and fences follow this rectangular system of land survey which still defines the landscape of the state. In 1884 the federal government released a portion of the Omaha Indian Reservation to settlers. The laws opening the land to settlement forbade entrance “until 12 (noon) on the appointed day.” Local history indicates that on April 30, 1884, the signal was given by firing a gun, at which time people rushed out onto the land. When an unoccupied marker was reached, a plow was unloaded and used to mark a fence line. One can only imagine the history behind this fence line that was captured in this wintry setting.

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VALLEY COUNTYArcadia Congregational Church and a Nebraska Historical Marker Richard Jones

Before a storm…Three years after the town of Arcadia was platted in October 1885, The First Congregational Church was organized. At a cost of $2,884, the church was dedicated in July 1890. On July 9, 1904, a tornado damaged the church, which required extensive repairs. During the tenure of Reverend William Alcorn (1919 – 1929), the church added 258 members. By the 1970s membership had begun to decline and in August 1998 the five remaining members voted to close the church as a place of worship after 110 years. However, this beautiful building was not done serving the community and was donated to the town of Arcadia. Now known as the “Gathering Place,” it is used for weddings, funerals, and other events and is the oldest building on Main Street.

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WASHINGTON COUNTYThe Laundress’ Taking a Break Bobbi Anderson

Bringing history to life…

The state’s historic sites are notable for commemorating and celebrating Nebraska history. Through reenactments of living history, the public is entertained as well as educated. Living history at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park brings to life the story of the early westward expansion of our country. The park hosts several living history weekends a year that feature volunteers recreating the lives of soldiers and civilians who lived and worked in and around this former western outpost. Fort Atkinson was established in 1820 on the recommendation of explorers Lewis and Clark. The fort was important to the early fur trade, Missouri River traffic, and Indian relations and was active until 1827. Much of the historic outpost has been reconstructed and interpretive work, such as these laundresses attending to their duties, is scheduled periodically during the summer.

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WAYNE COUNTYWayne County Courthouse and Veterans Memorial Liz Shea-McCoy and Mike McCoy

A contemplative reminder…

The historic Wayne County Courthouse, constructed in 1899 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as the backdrop for this memorial to veterans of all wars, dedicated in 2010. Located on the east lawn and bringing together past and present, the memorial consists of eight granite columns. More than 3,100 names are etched into the six-foot-tall tablets, which list the names of citizens of Wayne County who have served in the military during our country’s wars. Going back to the War of 1812, the list includes the casualties and survivors of many conflicts. A bronze depiction of a fallen soldier is prominently displayed, a contemplative reminder of those who were killed or injured.

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WEBSTER COUNTYStarke Round Barn Shane Booth

An historic and engineering marvel…

The Starke Round Barn was built in 1902-3 by the four Starke brothers, Conrad, Ernest, Bill, and Chris, who came to Nebraska from Milwaukee. The massive structure measures 130 feet in diameter and has a central silo and three levels: the bottom for livestock, the second for machinery and grain storage, and the third (or loft) for hay. The construction method combines balloon framing and heavy timber supports built without the use of nails or pegs. The Starke Round Barn, located near Red Cloud, is the state’s largest round barn as well as one of the largest in the nation. The barn now is the site for numerous special events throughout the year and is the site of the annual Barnfest Celebration.

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WHEELER COUNTYHeadquarters Ranch House Sibyl Spahn

A testament to those who had the courage and vision to settle this land…

In Wheeler County ranching is the main industry and the Headquarters Ranch House is a testament to those who had the courage and vision to settle this land. Sam Allerton, a Chicago millionaire, was one of those visionaries. He saw the value of the lush, sub-irrigated hay land in Beaver Valley surrounded by plentiful Sandhills pastures and began to acquire land holdings in 1899. Allerton and Charles Thompson established the A-T ranch, which grew to more than 35,000 acres by 1902. This large, two-story, concrete-block house known as “The Headquarters” was completed in 1906 from blocks formed with sand from nearby hills. Local people worked on the house but craftsmen from Chicago were also enlisted in the construction. The ranch is recognized by listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

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YORK COUNTYSunset at Wessels Farm Gregg Sutton

A quintessential Nebraska sunset…

Because of his dedication to rural America, David Wessels, a York farmer, bequeathed land and capital to be set aside to create a living history farm. The York Community Foundation enlisted the help of the community to carry out Wessels’ vision. The 145-acre site invites the public to step back in time to 1920 when electricity, indoor plumbing, and refrigerators were not a part of the rural vocabulary. The Living History Farm features David Wessels’ home as well as a barn, corn crib, machine shed, garage, chicken coop, and large windmill typical of the 1920s. The farm offers a hands-on educational and historic experience for all who visit.

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