Agate in Sioux County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Agate Springs Ranch

Photographed by James Hulse, June 11, 2022

1. Agate Springs Ranch Marker

Inscription. Ample water from the Niobrara River, protective bluffs, and good grazing land made this an ideal place for a ranch. Established in 1879, it was one of the first ranches in the frontier territory of Sioux County. By the early 1900s, it encompassed over 2500 acres.

James Cook's ranch was also a way station for travelers and a destination for guests: Lakota families from Pine Ridge, local ranchers, friends from Wyoming and Colorado, and famous paleontologists eager to explore the fossil hills. The family home featured a museum displaying Cook's collection of Indian artifacts and fossils.

Today, Agate Springs Ranch is still a family-owned working ranch. Please respect the owner's privacy. A portion of James Cook's museum collection is on display at the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Visitor Center.

Captions
Center: The ranch in 1898. Cook planted the cottonwood trees next to the ranch house. A Lakota encampment is on the right.
Middle Right: James Cook in 1930. He enjoyed guiding visitors through his museum, recounting stories of his youth and his life on the prairie.

Erected by National Park Service,

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U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.

Location. 42° 25.515′ N, 103° 47.32′ W. Marker is in Agate, Nebraska, in Sioux County. It is at the intersection of River Road and State Highway 29, on the left when traveling east on River Road. The marker is located at a small parking lot for the trail head on the Daemonelix trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Harrison NE 69346, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Nebraska Panhandle.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

on the Great Plains,

on the Northern Plains,

and specifically on the High Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Guests from Pine Ridge (here, next

The Agate Springs Ranch Marker is on the right image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, June 11, 2022

2. The Agate Springs Ranch Marker is on the right

to this marker); Two Cultures, One Land (within shouting distance of this marker); A Slice Through Time (approx. 0.4 miles away); Daemonelix (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fossil Hills Trail (approx. 2½ miles away); Bone Cabin (approx. 2½ miles away); The Gift of Friendship (approx. 2.8 miles away); a different marker also named Fossil Hills Trail (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Agate.

More about this marker. The Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is a fee-free National Park Service site.

Also see . . .
1. History & Culture. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (Submitted on July 14, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. The Cook Family — Early Pioneers of the West. (Submitted on July 14, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The walkway to the Agate Springs Ranch Marker from the parking lot image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, June 11, 2022

3. The walkway to the Agate Springs Ranch Marker from the parking lot

Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 727 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 14, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.