Once heralded as the "Queen City of the Plains," Alliance, Nebraska originated as a simple railroad junction called Grand Lake. Founded on true pioneer spirit in 1887, Alliance has grown from a farm and ranch community into a major retail center for Box Butte County.

The Knight Museum showcases over 200 images in this new book, depicting the history and growth of Alliance during its 113-year history.

Although there are many anonymous threads

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Situated at the junction of the North Platte and South Platte rivers, North Platte has a long history as an important stopping point in the westward migration of from the days of the California gold rush to the building of the transcontinental railroad and beyond. The Oregon Trail to the gold rush followed the South Platte River, and the Mormon Trail followed the North Platte River. In 1866 the building of the Union Pacific railroad stopped at

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Over 150 years ago, the area now known as Chadron was vast, open grassland. Nearby water sources, Chartran Creek and Bordeaux Creek, were named for the French fur traders whose main customers were nomadic tribes the French called the Sioux. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills, the area quickly changed. The military outposts Fort Robinson and Camp Sheridan were established to control Indian Agencies for Red Cloud's and Spotted Tail's bands.

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The boldest and bravest of pioneers headed west, by covered wagon and on foot, to carve out new lives from verdant prairie sod, near the riverbanks in the beautiful Elkhorn Valley. French fur trappers called the river Corne de Cerf, French for the "horn of the elk," due to the river and its tributaries resembling the antlers of a stag. It then became known as the Elkhorn River. Catfish, bullheads, perch, and bass provided a welcomed change in sparse

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Fort Atkinson has been called the "top historical spot in Nebraska," the "SAC of 1820," and "America's most important Western outpost." Once the country's largest fortress beyond the Missouri River, its garrison protected America's interests in the burgeoning fur trade, provided a base camp for explorations, played host to famous frontiersmen, and was the site where numerous treaties were signed. But by 1961, Fort Atkinson was endangered. The fort's...

The city of Kearney was founded in 1871 under the name Kearney Junction. Rev. D.N. Smith and Moses S. Sydenham were tasked with the job of choosing a townsite. In 1873, after much debate, the small railroad stop was named Kearney. Over the years, the town continued to grow; it really began to boom in 1886, when the Frank family completed construction on an electric power plant, ushering in an unprecedented era of construction and business in the

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Lincoln's predecessor, Lancaster, formed in 1863 on the east bank of Salt Creek around a proposed Methodist female seminary. Though a building was erected, the school failed to materialize. When Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867, the village of Lancaster was chosen as its first capital, and the name was changed to Lincoln. Although lacking mineral resources, a navigable stream, a railroad, or even a minimal population, the village steadily

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The year is 1888, and Pres. Grover Cleveland has just signed into law a bill that will lead to the establishment of Fort Crook. In 1948, that Army post gained a new name: Offutt Air Force Base. The history of Offutt Air Force Base is truly unlike that of any other military installation. In the face of adversity, it has overcome challenges during the United States� rise to global prominence, was active during the golden age of flight, and served...

When people think of Grand Island, they invariably picture the bridges connecting it with Buffalo to the south and Niagara Falls to the north. They might also think of it as a pleasant and conveniently located suburb or envision the island's natural beauty with the majestic Niagara River flowing serenely around it. But there were no bridges before 1935, and most people know little of the island's long, fascinating history up to that time. To the Iroquois,...

In July 1866, three wagon trains of German immigrants from Wisconsin arrived at their new home on the North Fork of the Elkhorn River in northeastern Nebraska. The settlers intended to call the town Northfork, but in 1868, when the abbreviated "Norfork" was submitted to federal postal authorities, the government assumed the name was misspelled and changed it to Norfolk. Since the town's founding, the story of the community has been one of continuous...