Nebraska: Vestiges of the Old West and a wide array of recreational areas lure history buffs and outdoor enthusiasts to the Cornhusker State - State Of The Month

Travel America, March-April, 2004 by Dave G. Houser

Commenting on her beloved Nebraska, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather once noted: "Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world, but here the earth is the floor of the sky." To be sure, from its early history as a frontier crossroads to its present status as one of America's leading farm states, Nebraska is all about the land. There's a great deal of it too--77,355 square miles sprawling across the nation's midsection--making Nebraska our 15th largest state.

For centuries American Indians and bison coexisted nicely on the vast plains of Nebraska. But there were others envious of this land. Coronado claimed it and much of the present-day Southwest for Spain in 1541. In 1682 France laid claim to all lands drained by the Mississippi and its branches--a stake that included Nebraska and in effect overlapped Spanish boundaries. Spain regained control of the region from 1762 until 1800 when Napoleon Bonaparte snatched it back. Thomas Jefferson's brilliant purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon in 1803 paved the way for westward expansion and the land Indians called "nebrathka" (or "flat water," their name for the Platte River) lay squarely in the path of Manifest Destiny.

Lewis & Clark got the ball rolling in 1804, pushing up the Missouri River, which forms the entire eastern boundary of what is now Nebraska. Next would come the Oregon and Mormon trails, serving as major migratory routes to the West. The Pony Express route crossed Nebraska as did the transcontinental railroad and later the Lincoln Highway, the first national motorway to the West. For early pioneers, eager to push on to the coast, Nebraska was merely a way station on the westward trail, but during the latter hall of the 19th century more and more of them, spurred by the Homestead Act of 1862, settled in to take up farming and ranching. A 160-acre parcel near Beatrice was the first free land recorded under the act, a kernel of history duly commemorated at the town's Homestead National Monument of America. Not surprisingly, much of Nebraska's colorful history stems from its pioneer era.

With almost 95 percent of its land devoted to farming and ranching (more than any other state), Nebraska is a leading producer of beef cattle, hogs, corn, soybeans, and chicken eggs. You will not, however, find it on a list of top vacation states--much to the pleasure of the many who do come to play and stay in the Cornhusker State. Given there are no mountains or ocean beaches. Nebraska nonetheless offers visitors an amazingly diverse landscape--from the forested bluffs and river bottoms of the Missouri to vast tall-grass prairies, sand hills, sagebrush deserts, and western badlands. There are broad rivers such as the Missouri, Platte, and Niobrara, and more lakes than any state except Minnesota, all of which provides an inviting setting for migrating birds and waterfowl--and a magnet for recreation seekers.

Outdoor recreation is, in fact, the state's main drawing card. If you like to boat, fish, hike, bike, canoe, ride horseback, or birdwatch, just consider what Nebraska has to offer. Here's a quick review of the state's top recreation spots, from east to west:

In the northeast, a pair of superb state parks embrace a natural, free-flowing 55-mile section of the Missouri that is protected as a National Recreational & Scenic Rivet: Ponca State Park occupies 892 acres of rolling hills and hardwood forest overlooking the Missouri and, along with facilities for camping, boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing, it is home to the magnificent new Missouri National Recreation River Resource & Education Center. The center employs state-of-the-art interpretive displays to share the stories of the Missouri River's natural and cultural history. Niobrara State Park, situated on 1260 scenic acres at the confluence of the Niobrara and Missouri rivers, provides all the usual recreational possibilities, plus summer rafting programs that offer some great wildlife viewing and special insight into the Lewis & Clark expedition, which camped on present-day park lands back in 1804.

Tucked between these two parks and backed up behind Gavins Point Data, Lewis & Clark Lake, the state's second largest, straddles the border with South Dakota. Lewis & Clark State Recreation Area is comprised of five individual recreation areas scattered along 35 miles of the lake's south shore. With a full-service marina and plenty of boat ramps, cabins, and camping, it's a favorite with anglers in search of walleye, pike, bass, and catfish and with bird watchers who flock here especially to see bald eagles.

In the central part of the state, Calamus and Sherman reservoirs offer more great angling but it is Lake McConaughy, to the west near Ogallala, which stands out as Nebraska's largest and most popular reservoir. Covering 35,700 acres, "Big Mac" is the ultimate sporting lake, as popular with windsurfers and water skiers as it is with boaters and anglers. From February to April, bird watchers from the world over convene at the lake's west end--and along the Platte River all the way to Grand Island--to view sandhill cranes. More than a half-million of the giant cranes (80 percent of the world's population) congregate here to rest up during their annual migration.