Midwestern Monuments of Exploration: Unveiling the Roadside Attractions of Nebraska
While traveling through Nebraska, visitors often overlook the plentiful roadside attractions and monuments that punctuate the state's vast landscape. As an integral part of the nation's exploration history, these oft-ignored sites offer unique insights into the people and events that have shaped the region. The Midwestern monuments of exploration, situated along the well-trodden paths of Nebraska's highways, present ample opportunities for immersion in the narrative of the region's early explorers, pioneers, and settlers.
One such site, located near the town of Alliance in northwestern Nebraska, is the Carhenge monument. While not a direct exploration monument per se, the somewhat quirky replica of England's Stonehenge constructed from vintage cars marks the intersection of Route 87 and Route 2. This site draws parallels with the creative methods early settlers and explorers used to navigate the uncharted territories of the American West. Additionally, the monument serves as an homage to the ingenuity of pioneers such as Robert Stuart, who mapped parts of the Oregon Trail, some sections of which traverse the state.
Further south, in Ogallala, lies the Mansion on the Hill Historic District. This small town museum showcases remnants of early Nebraska, providing historical context to the monuments scattered throughout the region. Site exhibits cover exploration and settlement, trading and commerce, recreation, and local Native American influence. Examples of monuments situated near this historic district include those commemorating the early explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, such as the Coronado Historic Site located near, Two Rivers.
Situated near Two Rivers State Recreation Area in Douglas County is another example, this one in honor of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 1804, the famous duo followed the Missouri River through the site, eventually mapping the state's varying landscapes and geography, impacting future exploration. Monuments dedicated to this historical landmark explain this event in the context of broader regional history.
Travelers driving along US-30 in Perkins County will encounter the Oft's Trail Historic Marker. A tribute to the Oft's party of 1859, this monument proudly records another early exploratory endeavor through the area and notes that as many as fifty passengers and oxen perished on the endeavor. Set against a setting that still echoes of trials and sacrifices made by early settlers, monuments such as this place profound importance on regional historical study.
Travelers devoted to research may often become intrigued by particular monuments, frequently following various related roadside attractions. This distinctive pursuit may significantly enhance an exploratory journey through Nebraska.
Among notable monuments discussed within Nebraska historians' academic literature are roadside memorials illustrating geographic phenomena that explorers wrote back to their patrons to popularize these 'natural' curiosities as potential tourist attractions. These historical 'roads signs', many created by groups like the AAA Nebraska or the US Department of Transportation, were often the direct result of the local government and community efforts to popularize self-tours. Historical roadside placards display in great depth the essential part of explorers and government that has determined this process and the narratives spun in creation to capture an interested public.
By casting their gaze beyond contemporary, local historical sites along the Nebraska roadside may transport the historically-aware traveler from his time while presenting an enriching wealth of exploration narrative. No historical 'stop' can be considered in isolation; hence contextual details and deeper academic contexts about the other explorers were also shared.
One such site, located near the town of Alliance in northwestern Nebraska, is the Carhenge monument. While not a direct exploration monument per se, the somewhat quirky replica of England's Stonehenge constructed from vintage cars marks the intersection of Route 87 and Route 2. This site draws parallels with the creative methods early settlers and explorers used to navigate the uncharted territories of the American West. Additionally, the monument serves as an homage to the ingenuity of pioneers such as Robert Stuart, who mapped parts of the Oregon Trail, some sections of which traverse the state.
Further south, in Ogallala, lies the Mansion on the Hill Historic District. This small town museum showcases remnants of early Nebraska, providing historical context to the monuments scattered throughout the region. Site exhibits cover exploration and settlement, trading and commerce, recreation, and local Native American influence. Examples of monuments situated near this historic district include those commemorating the early explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, such as the Coronado Historic Site located near, Two Rivers.
Situated near Two Rivers State Recreation Area in Douglas County is another example, this one in honor of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 1804, the famous duo followed the Missouri River through the site, eventually mapping the state's varying landscapes and geography, impacting future exploration. Monuments dedicated to this historical landmark explain this event in the context of broader regional history.
Travelers driving along US-30 in Perkins County will encounter the Oft's Trail Historic Marker. A tribute to the Oft's party of 1859, this monument proudly records another early exploratory endeavor through the area and notes that as many as fifty passengers and oxen perished on the endeavor. Set against a setting that still echoes of trials and sacrifices made by early settlers, monuments such as this place profound importance on regional historical study.
Travelers devoted to research may often become intrigued by particular monuments, frequently following various related roadside attractions. This distinctive pursuit may significantly enhance an exploratory journey through Nebraska.
Among notable monuments discussed within Nebraska historians' academic literature are roadside memorials illustrating geographic phenomena that explorers wrote back to their patrons to popularize these 'natural' curiosities as potential tourist attractions. These historical 'roads signs', many created by groups like the AAA Nebraska or the US Department of Transportation, were often the direct result of the local government and community efforts to popularize self-tours. Historical roadside placards display in great depth the essential part of explorers and government that has determined this process and the narratives spun in creation to capture an interested public.
By casting their gaze beyond contemporary, local historical sites along the Nebraska roadside may transport the historically-aware traveler from his time while presenting an enriching wealth of exploration narrative. No historical 'stop' can be considered in isolation; hence contextual details and deeper academic contexts about the other explorers were also shared.
