Near Beatrice in Gage County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Walk in Their Shoes
What was it like to be a homesteaders? To get an idea, take a walk. The flags around the parking lot enclose an acre.
It may not seem huge. But plowing an acre meant walking about 10 miles. Over uneven soil. Driving a team of oxen. In sun or rain. Walk that acre. Then multiple it by 160, the size of a typical homestead.
There seemed to be nothing to see; no fences, no creeks or trees, no hills or fields…There was nothing but land; not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made.
Willa Cather, My Antonia, 1918
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1918.
Location. 40° 17.126′ N, 96° 49.582′ W. Marker is near Beatrice, Nebraska, in Gage County. Marker is along the walking path from the parking lot to the Heritage Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8523 West Nebraska Hwy 4, Beatrice NE 68310, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Homestead Heritage Center (within shouting distance of this marker); Do You Live Near a Homestead? (within shouting distance of this marker); Homesteading's Legacy is Written on the Land (within shouting distance of this marker); A Prairie Reborn (within shouting distance of this marker); Is All Barbed Wire the Same? (within shouting distance of this marker); Close Quarters (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Boundaries of Freedom (about 300 feet away); Daniel and Agnes Freeman (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Beatrice.
Also see . . .
1. Homestead National Monument of America. (Submitted on September 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Bear Creek Homestead History. (Submitted on September 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Frontier House - A Reality Show About Homesteading in the 1880s. (Submitted on September 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. Peaceful Lane: One Family's Efforts to Live Off the Land. (Submitted on September 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 500 times since then and 4 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.