Near State Highway 121 near Powerpland Road, on the left when traveling west.
On August 27, 1804, the expedition set up camp for four days just downstream from here. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark invited some local Sioux bands "...to council with us at a Bluff Called the Calumet..."
Three days later, here on . . . — — Map (db m315943) HM
On Main Street just east of West 3rd Street, on the right when traveling east.
While lost and searching for missing horses, George Shannon had missed many adventures and some wonderful food — as soon as the men found Shannon, they were eager to share their stories. During those sixteen days, the men were feasting on fish and . . . — — Map (db m313300) HM
On Powerplant Road (State Highway 121), on the left when traveling west.
Over time, the Missouri River has chosen many paths. With the settlement of the Great Plains came the need to restrict the river's meandering. As development increased, the demand for flood risk reduction, navigable waterways, safe water supplies, . . . — — Map (db m315949) HM
On Main Street just east of West 3rd Street, on the right when traveling east.
In the 125 years since Crofton was founded, the United States and its communities have changed dramatically. Even with industrialization and advancements in education and technology, there remain certain constants in our lives. Crofton is a . . . — — Map (db m312995) HM
On State Highway 121 near Poweplant Road, on the left when traveling west.
Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail, National Park Service
In 1804-1806, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery on an epic journey. Charged by President Thomas Jefferson to find a water route to the Pacific . . . — — Map (db m315938) HM
Near State Highway 121 near Powerplant Road, on the left when traveling west.
During the summer of 1804, the river below looked very different. Unlike today's course controlled by dams and dikes, the Missouri River that Lewis and Clark knew flowed wild and erratic . Strong currents floated branches embedded logs, submerged . . . — — Map (db m315940) HM
On Main Street 0.1 miles west of 539 Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
On its journey to the Pacific Ocean the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped near here on September 2, 1804. At this camp the explorers’ imagination and knowledge of military fortifications misled them into concluding that sand ridges and mounds left . . . — — Map (db m181799) HM
On Main Street 0.1 miles west of 539 Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
George Shannon was reunited with the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the group traveled onward to present-day North Dakota. Private John Newman was caught speaking in mutinous tones — an attempt to subvert the discipline and loyalty of other members . . . — — Map (db m181894) HM
..came to the mouth of the Qui courre (rapid) this river Comes roleing its Sands whuch (is corse) into Missouris from the SW by W... it does not rise high when it Does it Spreds over a large Surface, and is not navagable....
Captain William . . . — — Map (db m311993) HM
"4th of September Tuesday 1804 a verry cold wind from SouthE. by S. we set out early proceeded on"
[Map showing entire Corps of Discovery route and location of Niobrara State Park along that route]
[Bas reliefs of] . . . — — Map (db m312279) HM
In 1846, some 65 Mormon families with 150 wagons were
headed West along the north shore of the Platte River.
Somewhere between present-day Columbus and Genoa, a
government agent contacted them to harvest some grain
planted by white laborers . . . — — Map (db m312189) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
Seen through Ponca eyes, the original prairie environment was a cherished sea of grasses and plants. Together, with the buffalo, we kept the prairie healthy. Buffalo herds would graze the vast landscape, and our people would collect different types . . . — — Map (db m192598) HM
Fur traders had already traveled the region some years before
the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-06. Trader Juan Munier
claimed to have discovered the Ponca living on the Niobrara in
1789, but Pierre and Paul Mallet probably visited the . . . — — Map (db m312296) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
In contrast to the village earthlodge, the tipi was a light and portable shelter. It was a kind of seasonal, second home. Constructed of slender wooden poles and buffalo hide, tipis were pitched in a circular arrangement during the bison hunt and . . . — — Map (db m192656) HM
Excerpt from William Clark's Field Notes for September 4, 1804.
"A verry cold wind from South E. by S. We set out early-proceeded on to the mouth of a Small Creek in the bend of the
L.S. Called (Sand) white line [lime] at 1½ miles furthr . . . — — Map (db m312183) HM
Near Walnut Street (Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway) (State Highway 12) at Spruce Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
George Shannon was in St. Louis in 1810 when he was authorized to travel to Pennsylvania to assist historian Nicholas Biddle in editing the Lewis and Clark journals. While working on the journals, Shannon decided he would like to study law. Shannon . . . — — Map (db m181895) HM
LAND MANAGEMENT
As a Natural Legacy
Demonstration Site,
Niobrara State Park
showcases land
management techniques
landowners can use to
provide good wildlife
habitat on their land. These
techniques include eastern
red cedar tree . . . — — Map (db m311982) HM
Near 522 Avenue 0.4 miles south of State Highway 12, on the left when traveling south.
[east side]Newell Knight Born Sept. 13, 1800 Died Jan. 11, 1847 A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Erected in loving appreciation of our father who died during the hardships of the Mormon exodus . . . — — Map (db m312700) HM
Established in 1856 at the confluence of the Niobrara and
Missouri rivers, the town of Niobrara has actually had three
homes." The first settlement, about 2 miles east of here
grew up around a building known as "Old Cabin." When the
Indians . . . — — Map (db m312294) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
This building was constructed in 1936 by the Indian Emergency Conservation Work (IECW) force. Like the Civilian Conservation Corps, the IECW was part of the country's New Deal program aimed at providing economic relief during the Great Depression. . . . — — Map (db m192597) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
Back in the day, our people lived in villages comprised of earthlodges. We called the lodges maithi, and they were set beside our gardens and crops. These dwellings were constructed by women, though men sometimes helped to cut and carry in the . . . — — Map (db m192655) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
After a tragic history of forced relocation and land loss many tribes began coming together in the mid-20th century for intertribal gatherings. It was here that each tribe's long history of seasonal dances and sacred ceremonies culminated in a new . . . — — Map (db m192596) HM
Things did not improve for the Ponca. Disease and homesickness
still plagued them. During the winter of 1878-79, Chief Standing
Bear's son died. He wanted to be buried in Nebraska. With a small
band, the chief slipped away and headed North to . . . — — Map (db m312299) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
For thousands of years our people depended upon the buffalo. We ate its meat, used its hides for our homes and clothing, its horns to make spoons, and our children even used the buffalo's ribs to make winter sleds. Every part of the animal was . . . — — Map (db m192600) HM
Conditions became so bad for the Poncas that by 1876
Washington had to act. Congress authorized $25,000 to move
the tribe to Indian Territory, "if they consented to go." Eight
chiefs went to select a new reservation site. They refused . . . — — Map (db m312195) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
maN zhaN (the land) is xube' (sacred) to the Ponca People as is Ni' (water). Following forced removal of the Ponca Tribe to Oklahoma, the tribe split into two groups. The members that stayed in Oklahoma are now referred to . . . — — Map (db m192657) HM
Termed one of the most developed North American Indian
civilizations, the Poncas derive from the Middle Mississippi
Culture and are related to the Osage, Kansas, Quapaw and
Omaha. Their main villages occupied what is now Knox County.
Never . . . — — Map (db m312191) HM
On State Highway 12 at 522 Avenue, on the right when traveling west on State Highway 12.
This has been the homeland of the Ponca Indians since earliest recorded history. In 1868 the federal government signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which transferred the land to the Sioux without the permission of the Ponca. Treaties made with the . . . — — Map (db m179194) HM
Near Walnut Street (Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway) (State Highway 12) at Spruce Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
On the night of June 2, 1969, while on maneuvers in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam, the Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne was in collision with the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans. The impact cut the Evans in . . . — — Map (db m181893) HM WM
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the vast
wilderness of the Louisiana Purchase via the great Missouri
River and its tributaries all the way to the Pacific Ocean. As
they sailed, . . . — — Map (db m312185) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
Seen through Native eyes, the land and water are alive. Rocks, trees, meadows, and rivers: all of these natural elements possess their own life spirit. In our culture, Mother Earth is a powerful force in everyday life. We believe that our people, . . . — — Map (db m192653) HM
Near 521st Avenue at 890th Road, on the left when traveling north.
Our villages and old trails were always located near rivers or streams. Waterways were the highways of days gone by, and we used them for travel and trade. Sometimes they would also function as natural yet strategic barriers between one tribe and . . . — — Map (db m192599) HM
On Main Street (State Highway 12) at 516th/Glick Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Main Street.
A successful lawyer, Shannon was easily recognized by his peg leg but never wanted or sought sympathy. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1820 to 1824 and was a circuit judge for three years. Then Shannon moved his family to . . . — — Map (db m312300) HM
