Lincoln Highway’s Two Ways to Nebraska
To tell the story of the Lincoln Highway in Nebraska, one would need to go back in time. There are two ways to enter the state of Nebraska from the east. One is to cross the newer bridge over the Missouri River that connects Iowa with Blair, Nebraska, saving the traveler both in miles and time. The other is the older version, following the original Highway 30 and dipping down to Council Bluffs, Iowa and crossing the river into Omaha, Nebraska, now signed as a “loop” that does travel northward to connect with “new” Highway 30 and the signed Byway route from Blair.
Where the West Begins
Many years ago, a sign in Council Bluffs, Iowa announced that once you crossed the Missouri River into Omaha, Nebraska, the American West began. Indigenous peoples have occupied this area for thousands of years and today Nebraska is home for six reservations including the Omaha, Winnebago, Ponca, Iowa, Santee Sioux, and Sac and Fox tribes. Nebraska has a storied history of Native Americans, cowboys, outlaws, and westward expansion.
As Europeans moved westward in wagon trains, their paths created what was to be known as the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, and California Trail. These same trails became part of the routes for the Pony Express, running from April 1860- October 1861. The first half of the Pony Express route started from St Joseph, Mo and followed the Oregon Trail though Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah before leaving the trail and heading south to Nevada and on to San Francisco, California. One of the most famous Pony Express riders was William “Buffalo Bill” Cody.
Pony Express and Buffalo Bill
Pony Express riders would change horses every 10-15 miles to keep them riding fresh horses. Each rider would complete a 75-100 mile run. Cody is recorded as making a 300-mile run taking 22 hours. He started his Pony Express career at 14 years old, having the experience already of delivering messages to wagon trains. He became an American buffalo hunter, U.S. Army Scout, Pony Express rider, fighter, actor, and created his “Wild West Show” featuring himself, Annie Oakley, and Chief Sitting Bull. Today, the Buffalo Bill State Historical Park is located west of North Platte, Nebraska, along the Lincoln Highway, where he built his home in the heyday of his Wild West Show.
The Makings of a Cowtown
Ogallala, Nebraska (meaning “to scatter one’s own” in Lakota language) is known as the “Cowboy Capital of Nebraska” and has its history tied to the Pony Express and cattle drives complete with a Cowboy Museum and Front Street (a western-themed attraction with shops, the museum, and the historic Crystal Palace Cowboy Revue.)
Boot Hill Cemetery is also located in Ogallala. It is the final resting spot for many cowboys who helped turn the town into a booming Cowtown in the 1800’s and many of the cowboys are buried with their boots on.
The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest underground water reservoir in the US providing much needed water for agriculture in the area and would have provided for early indigenous peoples as well. Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area is great for fishing, boating, and eagle viewing.
Enter the Railroad, Telegraph Service, and the Lincoln Highway
After wagon trains and Pony Express found the best routes westward, the first transcontinental railroad followed and was completed in 1869 as the Golden Spike connecting the Union Pacific with the Central Pacific was driven in Promontory Point, Utah. Today the spike is on display in the Castor Arts Museum at Stanford University and is honored at the Golden Spike Tower in North Platte with a view of one of the largest rail yards in the nation.
Soon after the railroad, the telegraph came to Nebraska, and their poles were installed alongside the Union Pacific tracks (October 1861). In 1913, the Lincoln Highway was designated as the first improved transcontinental highway across the United States. It travels from Times Square in New York City to Legion of Honor Park in San Francisco, California and follows the railroad in much of the west just as the railroad followed those early wagon trails. Today, the Lincoln Highway National Scenic & Historic Byway is also known as US Highway 30 in Nebraska.
PRAIRIE LAKES
Nebraska Has Much to Offer
Be sure to enjoy the many recreational opportunities, whether its fishing, boating or “tanking” down the Platte River or taking in the wildlife viewing of the Sandhill Cranes during migration. Nebraska has much for you to see and do. Stop and see these and other sites along the Lincoln Highway in Nebraska as you travel the same paths taken by people for centuries.
- Natural Springs in Big Springs, a much-sought respite for those early railroad workers in the 1800’s. A marker at 206 W 2nd St in the park tells the story of this natural spring use by Native Americans, pioneers, and railroad workers. Big Springs is also the site of the Sam Bass Robbery- the first and greatest robbery of the Union Pacific Railroad on September 18, 1877.
- Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse & Lounge in Paxton. It opened one minute after midnight on August 9, 1933 – just after Prohibition ended (allowing 3.2% beer.) Ole traveled the world for big game and has over 200 mounts in the steakhouse along with memorabilia from the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s.
- Wheat Growers Hotel in Kimball- built in 1918 and once dubbed “the most glorious hotel between Omaha and Denver.”
- Standard Red Crown Filling Station, built in 1922 in Ogallala now known as the Spruce Street Visitor Center and is open during the summer months.
For more information:
https://lincolnhighwaynebraskabyway.com/
https://nsbfoundation.com/nb/lincoln-highway-scenic-and-historic-byway-ne/