Travel Reference
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offsome steam. Thetown,onevisitor noted,wassogodless that “amongst its halfhundred
buildings, no church spire pointed upward.”
Thetownoftodayoffersdelightfulfamilyfare.OnFrontStreetthepastcomestolifeat
theCrystalPalace—namedforan1875dancehal—asthehouselightsdimandgunslingers
re-enact showdowns every night during the summer. In September the town features its In-
dian Summer Rendezvous, a three-day event that celebrates the area's colorful past with
bands, live entertainment, dancing, and a diverse assortment of local talent.
2.
Lake McConaughy
Just a short drive north from Ogallala, Lake McConaughy—with more than 100 miles of
sandyshoreand35,000acresofclear,deepwater—certainlylivesuptothenicknameNeb-
raska's Ocean. A 5,500-acre park borders the lake, which is a popular spot for fishing,
camping,boating,andwatersports.Duringlatewinterandearlyspring,keepaneyepeeled
for bald eagles and sandhill cranes.
3.
Ash Hollow State Historical Park
For some 6,000 years, spring water has drawn visitors to this oasis on the plains. Traces
of their presence remain throughout the 1,000-acre park, which is named for its shady ash
groves. Near the visitor center is a rock shelter that served as an Indian campsite for 3,000
years. And nearby Windlass Hill, one of the first steep slopes faced by westering pioneers,
is still scarred by tracks made by wagon wheels as they slid downhill. Along the highway
beyond Ash Hollow, travelers might encounter somewhat stranger relics, for Nebraskans
follow the curious custom of leaving old cowboy boots turned upside down on their road-
side fence posts.
4.
North Platte River
Continuing north, cross over the North Platte River, which parallels Rte. 26 as the road
heads westward across the prairie. (Nourished by snowmelt from the Colorado Rockies,
the 665-mile-long river merges with its smaller sibling, the South Platte (just east of North
Platte), to form the main-stem Platte River in central Nebraska.) Wetlands, rocky buttes,
and sandbars are frequently in view along the way, as are the countless unkempt cotton-
woods that fringe the river. Planted by settlers, many of these trees are now dying off, but
their remains provide shelter for such creatures as raccoons and wood ducks.
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