On Lincoln Street at South 16th Street, on the left when traveling west on Lincoln Street.
The old Fire Hall on Lincoln Street was replaced in 1912 by this two-story building built by Peter Kiewit Company of Omaha. The firemen started a fund in 1908 to raise money for a bigger facility, and by 1912 had enough to build a combined fire . . . — — Map (db m288990) HM
On Nebraska Street just west of North 15th Street, on the right when traveling west.
The train depot was built at the crossroads of the north-south tracks of the old Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha line (CSTPM&O) and the east-west tracks of the Sioux City & Pacific line. This 1880 depot was the second depot in Blair, taking . . . — — Map (db m289153) HM
On Lincoln Street just east of South 16th Street, on the right when traveling east.
Blair's first firehouse was built on this site in the 1870s. It was made from wood and did double-duty as the police station and jail. The Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 1874 with a bulky fire extinguisher as their only piece of equipment. . . . — — Map (db m288966) HM
On Washington Street (Lincoln Highway) (U.S. 30/75) at North 16th Street, on the right when traveling west on Washington Street (Lincoln Highway).
This building is one of the earliest brick structures on main street, built in 1881 by J.H. Hungate, an early Blair pioneer and the town's first mayor. The bricks were manufactured in DeSoto and hauled by team and wagon to Blair. Hungate built . . . — — Map (db m288981) HM
On County Road 26 2.5 miles west of U.S. 30, on the left when traveling west.
Founded in 1870 by Israel Swihart, the cemetery was named for his wife, Mary Brewster Swihart. Those buried here include three civil war veterans, and several children who succumbed to the harsh conditions of life on the Great Plains. The cemetery . . . — — Map (db m7817) HM
On South 16th Street just south of Colfax Street, on the right when traveling south.
With the founding of Blair in 1869, a school was started and graduated two students in its first class. By 1871, the school district had three teachers and 185 students, enough to justify a separate high school. Blair's original high school was . . . — — Map (db m288987) HM
On S. 16th Street at Colfax Street, on the right when traveling south on S. 16th Street.
Religous institutions have played an important role in the history of Nebraska. During the frontier period, churches fulfilled both the spiritual and social needs of the early inhabitants. The Congregational Church was one of Nebraska's pioneer . . . — — Map (db m7841) HM
On County Road 14 0.5 miles west of U.S. 75, on the left when traveling west.
Traditionally known as the Cuming City Cemetery, this eleven-acre tract of land was set aside in 1976 primarily as a preserve for native vegetation. Never plowed, this prairie looks much like it did to the Indians and to the first white men who . . . — — Map (db m7793) HM
On U.S. 75 at Power Line Road (County Route 41), on the right when traveling north on U.S. 75.
The town of DeSoto was platted on this site in 1854 and incorporated in 1855. Steamboating on the Missouri was then in its heyday. DeSoto provided a landing for passengers and goods. A number of boats sank nearby, notably the Cora and . . . — — Map (db m7837) HM
On DeSoto Lake Road near Lakeview Drive, on the left when traveling east.
Three plaques are on this marker. Top, left plaque
First Naturalists of the American West
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was more than a geographic expedition. Lewis; and Clark became the first scientists to document the natural . . . — — Map (db m76887) HM
On Prospect Street at U.S. 75, on the right when traveling north on Prospect Street.
On August 3 Lewis and Clark held a council with the Oto and Missouria Indians at a site they named "Council Bluff," near present Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. It was the first of many councils they would hold on their journey to the Pacific Ocean. . . . — — Map (db m7794) HM
On DeSoto Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
In 1804-06, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led about 40 soldiers and boatmen on an epic journey. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned this “Corps of Discovery” to find a route to the Pacific Ocean through the newly . . . — — Map (db m76886) HM
On Washington Street (U.S. 30/75) at South 16th Street, on the left when traveling west on Washington Street.
This red sandstone structure has been a landmark of the downtown since 1890. It was originally built with two corner turrets on the roof. For years a flagpole was fixed to one turret, with the flag being raised by a rope accessible from the . . . — — Map (db m288968) HM
On Lincoln Street at South 16th Street, on the right when traveling west on Lincoln Street.
Originally the site of a blacksmith shop and livery stable, the city gained this stately post office after a clever Congressman from Blair secured federal funding for his hometown. A bill was passed that provided government funding for the . . . — — Map (db m288986) HM
During the mid-nineteenth century, steamboats played a major role in the settlement and development of the nation. In March 1865 the fully laden sternwheeler Bertrand left St. Louis under command of Captain James Yore. The cargo of general . . . — — Map (db m74161) HM
On DeSoto Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
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, floating branches, embedded logs, . . . — — Map (db m76885) HM
On South 16th Street just south of Colfax Street, on the left when traveling south.
The first county courthouse was located in Fort Calhoun when it was the county seat in the 1850s. When Blair experienced growth from the railroad in the 1870s, residents successfully lobbied to have Blair declared the new county seat. A small . . . — — Map (db m288900) HM
