The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument
The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument spans Interstate 80 near Kearney, Nebraska. The Archway is a museum, a monument, and a tribute. The Archway spans the freeway at the center of the United States – an equal 1,733 miles from Boston to the east and San Francisco to the west. This non-profit monument stands at the place where the great pioneer trails the Mormon, California, and Oregon Trail met at the gateway to the west in Fort Kearny. The Archway’s mission is to preserve the historical aspects of the transcontinental journeys of the past.
From 1845 to 1860, more than 250,000 people rode and walked the 2,000 miles from Missouri to the West Coast. The distance was vast, with seemingly endless prairies and the blistering sun, challenged by mountains and wildlife. The pioneers who went west persevered through hardship. They carried their cherished belongings in wagons or strapped to burros; and pushed carts over mountains, across the rivers, and through the valleys. The trip both hardened and strengthened those who survived it. It also nurtured a breed of independent self-sufficient people whose determination established the American West and left a rich heritage that is reflected in our nation’s character.
The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument preserves the history of those who traveled the long and arduous routes across the great prairies. As the early settlers established homesteads, they witnessed the birth of the railroads, the Lincoln Highway, America’s first transcontinental road, I-80, the nation’s first interstate. The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is a tribute to the pioneers and the ingenuity that developed our diverse culture and American way of life.
The staff at the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument dresses in clothing of the pioneer period, offering visitors a pioneering experience. Immersed in the period, visitors can witness firsthand, the thrill of receiving news into a distant outpost, a buffalo stampede, and read the words and see the faces of the ones who lived and died on the way to a better life. The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument offers education programs for all ages. The Chuckwagon Restaurant serves up hearty fare and the gift store offers Nebraska-made products and more.
The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is open daily year round. Hours vary with the seasons.
Henry Doorly Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo was established in 1894 as the Riverview Park Zoo. It is now a world-class tourist attraction and a leader in environmental education. The Zoo’s primary objectives are conservation, research, recreation, and education. The Henry Doorly Zoo seeks to promote these objectives on a local, regional, national, and global scale to provide recreational opportunities that enhance the knowledge of the natural world
The Henry Doorly Zoo has raised the bar on the way that zoos present that animals to the public by providing innovative environments, habitats, and facilities that have set the standard for other zoos across the country and throughout the world. To that end, the Scott Aquarium and Lied Jungle, Desert Dome, Kingdoms of the Night, Hubbard Gorilla Valley, and Hubbard Orangutan Forest immerse animals in their natural environments and habitats.
Other exhibits at the Henry Doorly Zoo include the Cat Complex, Cheetah Valley, Dairy World and Petting Zoo, Desert Dome, Durham Family Bear Canyon, Garden of the Senses, Giraffe Complex, Lagoon Islands, Little Australia, Owen Sea Lion Pavilion, Pachyderm Hill, and much more. The Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari showcases Nebraska's land as it once was with prairies, meadows, and wetlands that create living classrooms. The Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom Pavilion, Lozier IMAX Theater, and Cat Complex highlight the lives of wildlife and exotic places
Leading the way in animal conservation and research, the Bill and Berniece Grewcock Center for Conservation and Research offers state-of-the-art medical and research in animal care and management, reproductive physiology, nutrition, genetics, and genome resource banking. The Henry Doorly Zoo also offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral student programs for educational enhancement.
The TreeTops Restaurant serves cafeteria-style overlooking the world's largest indoor rainforest. Many concession stands are located throughout the Henry Doorly Zoo. Picnic areas are also located throughout the zoo. Gift shops are located at the north and south entrances of the zoo and in the Scott Aquarium. The Henry Doorly Zoo is open daily year-round and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Homestead National Monument of America
Free land! The Homestead Act had a long-lasting effect on America that is still felt today. The Act prompted and encouraged westward expansion of the United States. The free lands gave men and women the chance to own land and establish a new life. This opportunity could be considered the birth of the American Dream. The grants were 160 acres. Under the Homestead Act, over 270 million acres (or 10% of the nation) in 30 states were distributed among claimants. Even then nothing was totally free – the claimants had to pay an $18 filing fee. About 40% of the claims were successful, and met the requirements of the ownership enabling the claimants to receive the title of the land. The other 60% of the lands reverted back to the government for someone else to claim. Some of these had advantages for the new claimants as a house, a well, or other structures may have been left, or the land cleared and crops planted from the original claimant.
Homestead National Monument of America is located west of Beatrice, Nebraska on the original homestead claim of Daniel Freeman. Freeman is considered to be America’s first homesteader. His claim was filed on January 1, 1863, the first day of the Homestead Act. In the 1930s, the Department of the Interior purchased the land from Freeman’s descendants to make it the site of a national monument. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation that created the Homestead National Monument of America.
The 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act repealed the Homestead Act. (A ten-year extension permitted homesteading in Alaska until 1986.) However, the great land-grab had all but died out anyway. The ravages of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s discouraged many from farming and pushed people into other lines of work.
A half million people each year visit the Homestead National Monument of America to learn about the Act and how it changed the lives of Americans. The park attractions include the Daniel Freeman site, museum exhibits and videos, historic structures, hiking trails, and a designated Watchable Wildlife Site. None of Daniel Freeman’s buildings are on the park property, however, the Freeman School (1872) is open to the public. Also at the park is the Palmer-Epard cabin, originally built in 1867. It stands as an example of a type of pioneer dwelling built on homesteads. The cabin is a sturdy comfortable home, a far cry from the sod houses and dugouts that were common homestead dwellings.
Special events and education programs are held throughout the year. The new Heritage Center is set to feature more exhibit space and a new film. The Homestead National Monument of America is open daily year round and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.