Recreation and Places
of Interest
Nebraska has a wide range of scenic attractions.
Its recreational assets are its numerous reservoirs,
lakes, and rivers, including the Republican River
and the Platte River system. All parts of the
state offer hunting and fishing as well as opportunities
to observe wildlife.
National Monuments and Forests
Although Nebraska has no national parks, there
are historic sites and monuments, two national
forests, a national grassland, and five wildlife
refuges administered by the federal government.
Chimney Rock is a national historic site. This
rock formation, near Bayard, is a lofty spire
and was a prominent landmark for those who traveled
the Oregon Trail. Another symbol of the trail
is Scotts Bluff National Monument, near Gering.
The wheel ruts of wagon trains that passed through
this area may still be seen. Mitchell Pass, providing
access through the bluff, was the route used
by wagons and stagecoaches after 1852 and by
the Pony Express. Homestead National Monument
of America, near Beatrice, is the site of the
first land claimed under the Homestead Act of
1862. Another national park unit is Agate Fossil
Beds National Monument, in Sioux County. This
area, along the Niobrara River, is rich in fossils
of prehistoric animals and has been studied by
the Carnegie Museum and the University of Nebraska
since the early 1900s. Fort McPherson, south
of Maxwell, is the smallest national cemetery
in the nation.
Some of the state’s most impressive scenery
is in the Nebraska and Samuel R. McKelvie national
forests. The section of Nebraska National Forest
in Thomas and Blaine counties was entirely hand-planted.
Oglala National Grassland is located in Dawes
and Sioux counties. Lakes in eastern Cherry County
and in central Garden County are national wildlife
refuges.
State Parks
Nebraska has 95 state parks and recreation areas.
Among the most important state historical parks
are Fort Robinson, near Crawford; Fort Kearny,
the outpost that protected travelers on the Oregon
Trail; Buffalo Bill’s Ranch, the home of
William F. Cody for 30 years, in North Platte;
and Arbor Lodge, the stately mansion of J. Sterling
Morton, a territorial governor and originator
of Arbor Day, in Nebraska City.
Museums
Joslyn Art Museum is one of the nation’s
outstanding visual arts centers. It has a noted
collection of western art and artifacts, which
are housed in a striking marble structure in
Omaha. Another noted art museum is the University
of Nebraska Art Galleries in Lincoln, which specializes
in American art. Also located on this campus
is the University of Nebraska State Museum, which
has natural history displays, including one of
the world’s largest mammoth fossils. The
Museum of Nebraska History in Lincoln has exhibits
covering the history of the state.
Fossil collections may also be seen at the Agate
Fossil Beds National Monument in Harrison. Outstanding
pioneer history and natural history collections
are displayed in the Oregon Trail Museum at the
Scotts Bluff National Monument and in the Hastings
Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Hastings.
In Minden is a fine private museum, Pioneer Village.
History collections may also be seen at the headquarters
of the various county historical societies, in
the Museum of the Fur Trade near Chadron, in
the Durham Western Heritage Museum in Omaha,
and in the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
in Grand Island.
Other Places to Visit
Among the points of interest near Omaha are
Fontenelle Forest; Mormon Cemetery, the burial
place of those who perished in the winter of
1846 to 1847; Fort Omaha, established in 1868;
and Boys Town, a famous community established
by Father Edward J. Flanagan for homeless or
neglected boys. The restored home of William
Jennings Bryan, the U.S. political figure and
three-time candidate for the U.S. presidency,
is located in Lincoln. Red Cloud, the small town
setting for many novels by the Pulitzer Prize
winner Willa Cather, has 26 sites listed in the
National Register of Historic Places. Other historic
sites in the state include Fort Atkinson, the
first military post in Nebraska; the Gothenburg
Pony Express station; and the historic town of
Brownville, on the Missouri River.
Source: MSN
Encarta: Online Encyclopedia |
