Featured Markers
Willa Cather Memorial Prairie
Willa Cather first came to Webster County from Virginia in 1883 at the age of nine. The vast open prairies of Nebraska made a lasting impression on her. "This country was mostly wild pasture and as naked as the back of your hand. I was little…
Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital
This hospital was built in 1912 under the guidance of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American woman physician, with the financial support of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions and other donors. It served both Native American and…
Mari Sandoz in Lincoln
Mari Sandoz (1896-1966), Nebraska historian and novelist, lived at this site, 1226 J Street, from 1925 to 1937. Here in 1928, she began writing Old Jules, the biography of her father. From the J Street curb, she often wrote and watched construction…
Random Markers
Fort Niobrara
When a Sioux Indian reservation was established north of here in Dakota Territory in 1878, early settlers in the region grew fearful of attack. They requested military protection, and in 1880 Fort Niobrara was built a few miles east of present-day…
Windlass Hill Pioneer Homestead
The stones surrounding this marker are the remains of the homestead dwelling of Reverend Dennis B. Clary, a pioneer Methodist Minister, who received final patent for his homestead May 22, 1899. Mr. Clary was born September 1st, 1822, in Maryland and…
John G. Neihardt Center
John Gneisenau Neihardt (1881-1973), teacher, philosopher, and Nebraska Poet Laureate, moved to Bancroft in 1900. Here he first became acquainted with Indians, married, and began his major work, A Cycle of the West, a five-part epic poem…
Spring Ranche
The original Spring Ranche, located two miles south of here on the north side of the Little Blue River, was founded about 1863. James Bainter, the first permanent settler, operated a store and inn for travelers along the Oregon-California Trail. The…
Walker's Ranch
Two miles to the east is the site of Walker's Ranch, an early Kearney County landmark. The ranch was established by Charles Walker in 1872 as a station on the government mail route from Kearney City to the Republican Valley. It consisted of a…
Shipley Cemetery
The Shipley Cemetery, named for William Shipley, is located one-half mile north of this marker. In 1893 Shipley deeded part of his homestead for public use as a cemetery.
The oldest known burial, dated 1861, is Shipley's grandson, James. In…
Featured Tours
Explore Nebraska History
A project by Nebraska State Historical SocietyExplore Nebraska History is a free app that shares the heritage of Nebraska at your fingertips. Learn more about the interesting stories and fascinating people highlighted by our Nebraska Historical Marker program. Travel across our beautiful state in person or via your device with curated historical tours. The stories provided in this app expand upon our historical markers with each point on an interactive GPS-enabled map that includes historical information about the location, images and media from archival collections and links to additional publications.
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