Our first pass through Nebraska in 2006 just grazed the southwestern tip as we visited McCook where Lori's mother was born. At the local historical museum we met a lady who had known Lori's grandmother. This is what we find so wonderful about the local museum that is focused on the local history and staffed by people who have actually lived the history. A local museum is also very hands on and many of the artifacts are touchable. I could page through the scrapbooks showing the 1935 flood. The highlight for me was a book of personnel records for railroad retires showing all their promotions, demotions, fines, and awards; absolutely fascinating
Again we happened to arrive in time for another county fair. The swine show was over but we got to see the 4H llama competition which is based on taking the animals through a series of obstacles they would naturally avoid. Llamas can be rather feisty and it is amazing how well these kids can handle them and the degree of trust and rapport they have to get theirs to do things that would normally terrify them.
At McCook we again stayed in a motel because the campground at Red Willow State Recreation Area was well over 10 miles out of town with rather primitive facilities. On the way this old steam tractor and thresher was on display. In the late 1800s this was the cutting edge of technology and is still amazing with all the functions performed mechanically and no electronics or computers.
We now abandon US-36 that we'd followed from Ohio and picked up US-34 which led to Fort Collins rather than Denver. The small town of Heigler had this jail built in 1908 and used into the late 1940s. Just being in jail here constituted severe punishment and I suspect not all inmates survived in either August or February. Did I happen to mention it was HOT!
Returning to Nebraska later in the fall of 2006 we stayed at Fort Robinson SP in the far northwestern corner. This is an old frontier post with many of the original buildings restored or rebuilt. Covering some 22,000 acres it has many wide vistas much like when the fort was originally opened. The ramparts shown here are not fortifications on the hill but the natural cliff formation.
In the late 1800s Fort Robinson was used as an internment camp for Indians and is where the famous Souix Chief Crazy Horse died in captivity. While many people question why you can't just roundup the Indians, or Taliban, or whatever, it's not that simple. The land looks flat but it is riddled with these little valleys with a few trees and a water hole that can easily hide a small tribe. As long as they don't have a smokey fire and your scout is over the ridge they can pass totally unnoticed.
Right next to our campsite was a guy from Lincoln, Nebraska who drove up here every fall to hunt the wild turkeys. Getting up to kick the rooster awake and force the sun up he had been out hunting all day with no luck only to find this flock surrounding his camper in the afternoon. They may not be the smartest bird on the block but they figure out really quick the no hunting zones.
From Fort Robinson we meandered down Hwy2 (as opposed to US-2 further north) to Stewart where we needed the truck serviced and then on to Mark Twain SP in Missouri. One of the most noticeable things here in the west is the miles and miles and miles of totally worthless land; but it has a fence around it. The time, materials, and effort it took for the fence is probably worth a lot more than the land.