Chappell in Deuel County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Yesteryear

Photographed by Mark Parker, June 27, 2024

1. Yesteryear Marker

Inscription.
1. Chappell Buffalo
Chappell School's mascot until 2005

2. UNL Husker Volleyball
Kim Behrends played from 1997 to 2000

3. Train Engine
Chappell began as a railroad stop.

4. Original Chappell Railroad Depot

5. Heads of Wheat
"Where Wheat is King"
Former motto of Chappell

6. Original Farmers Elevator
Founded in 1914

7. WWII B-24J Bomber
Crashed on June 7, 1944
Site is southeast of Chappell

8. Thomas D. Buckley
December 1897-June 1979
Thomas D. Buckley Trust started in June 1981.

Plaza murals were donated by The Buckley Trust
Lauren Olson Art 2022

Erected 2022 by The Buckley Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Charity & Public Work • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.

Location. 41° 5.573′ N, 102° 28.401′ W. Marker is in Chappell, Nebraska, in Deuel County. It is at the intersection of 2nd Street (U.S. 30) and Matlock Avenue, on the right when traveling west on 2nd Street. The marker and mural are on the east facing side of the Cabela's Furniture building. Touch for map.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Marker is at or near this postal address: 602 2nd Street, Chappell NE 69129, 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,

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 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Moments in History (within shouting distance of this marker); B-24J Bomber Crash (approx. 0.6 miles away); Historic Lodgepole Creek Valley (approx. 0.6 miles away); Hughes’ Ranch Pony Express Station (approx. 4 miles away); "Dinky" Locomotive (approx. 10 miles away in Colorado); Ovid, Colorado (approx. 10.2 miles away in Colorado); See and Do,Off the Byway (approx. 10.2 miles away in Colorado); Prisoners on the Plains / Ride 'Em Cowboy (approx. 10.2 miles away in Colorado). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chappell.

Also see . . .
1. About The Buckley Trust.

Yesteryear Mural image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, June 27, 2024

2. Yesteryear Mural

The marker is just off-frame to the right.

Thomas Dennis Buckley was born in Missouri in December, 1897, to Dennis and Susan Buckley. His family, consisting of his Mom, Dad, Brothers Frank and John, Sister Elizabeth, and Tom moved to Lamar in 1906. Tom came to Chappell in 1917 with his brothers. They lived in a bunk house on wheels and hired out to break sod using a one-cylinder Rumley.

After serving one year in the military, he worked on the railroad for a few years before returning to Chappell. He started farming then until he died on June 12, 1979.

Upon his death, a Private Foundation was formed. The Trustees sold his land in 1980 at record-high prices and invested the proceeds from the sale, as well as the investments that Tom had at the time of his death.

(Submitted on June 3, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

2. Kim (Behrends) Buckendahl- Chappell. Behrends' induction into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame

Kim (Behrends) Buckendahl rewrote Nebraska high school volleyball’s record books. From her 42 kills in the state championship match to her 1,643 career kills, Behrends dominated small-town volleyball like no other. She led
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 27, 2024

3. Yesteryear Mural Left side
From key on the marker:
1. Chappell Buffalo, Chappell School Mascot
2. "N" on the volleyball related to Chappell native Kim Behrends, who played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers 1997-2000.
3. Train Engine in reference to the former train stop in Chappell
4. Original Chappell Railroad depot
Chappell to back-to-back undefeated state championships and a 55-match winning streak. All-class all-state for two years and Class D-1 all-state all four years, she earned Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 1996 and was Volleyball Magazine’s runner-up for National Player of the Year. Also a basketball standout, she finished her career with 1,384 points. The Lincoln Journal-Star’s 1997 Female Athlete of the Year, Behrends went on to letter four years on the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team and was one of the tri-captains on the 34-0 national championship team of 2000.

(Submitted on June 3, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

Yesteryear Mural center section image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, June 27, 2024

4. Yesteryear Mural center section

From the marker key
4. Original Chappell Railroad depot
5. Wheat heads reference to the former town motto "Where Wheat Is King"
6. Farmer's Elevator Co. Flour Mill
7. WWII B-24J Bomber, which crashed near Chappell in 1944.

Yesteryear mural right section image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, June 27, 2024

5. Yesteryear mural right section

From the marker key
7. WWII B-24J Bomber, which crashed near Chappell in 1944.
8. Thomas D. Buckley, founder of The Buckley Trust

Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 147 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 3, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.