Milford in Seward County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Tall Grass Prairie

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 11, 2007

1. Tall Grass Prairie Marker

Inscription. This rest site is near the center of Nebraska's tall-grass prairie on the eastern edge of the hunting grounds once used by the Pawnee Indians. Nebraska's largest tribe, the Pawnee located villages on major area streams, including the Blue, Loup, and Platte Rivers. Wagon trains from Nebraska City on the Missouri River to frontier settlements and military posts farther west carried people and goods through the area beginning in the 1840's. The freighters' trail, known as the Nebraska City-Fort Kearny Cutoff, ran a few miles south of here. Frontier settlement began in the 1860's, Seward County was organized in 1865, and the countryside was rapidly colonized during the following decade. This fertile watershed of the Big Blue River attracted many German immigrants (including some by way Russia), as well as Scandinavians. Through the use of deep-well irrigation, the region was developed in recent decades into a major center of successful, intensive farming. For the next seventy miles, westbound travelers will notice the subtle changes in the landscape as the tall-grass prairie merges into the short-grass country of the semi-arid

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

plains.

Erected by Department of Roads-Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 179.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 40° 49.277′ N, 97° 3.64′ W. Marker is in Milford, Nebraska, in Seward County. It is on I-80 Rest Stop. The rest stop is west of I-80 exit 382. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milford NE 68405, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska and in Greater Lincoln.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the prairies.

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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Purple Heart Trail (a few steps from this

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 11, 2007

2. Tall Grass Prairie Marker

marker); The Big Blue River (a few steps from this marker); Farming in Nebraska (within shouting distance of this marker); Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Milford (approx. 3.4 miles away); Big Blue River, Seward (approx. 5.8 miles away); Plum Creek Prairie Historic Site (approx. 5.8 miles away); Seward, 4th of July City (approx. 6.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milford.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 651 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 10, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.