Nebraska: Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway

One of America's Newest National Byways

There are very few places left in America that are so pristine that they have been virtually untouched by man. Nebraska Highway 2, AKA Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway, is one such place. Located in the north-central section of Nebraska, the Sandhills cover a little more than a quarter of the state. This 272-mile long National Byway starts in Grand Island and ends in Alliance, passing through the middle of an area of world-class natural wonders.  It’s home to the completely hand-planted Nebraska National Forest, the Loup River, abundant wetlands created by the Ogallala Aquifer, and brilliant night skies. Being in the Central Flyway for migratory birds, it’s teeming with wildlife, and you can’t forget the Spring Migration of the Sandhill Cranes.

​The Nebraska Sandhills is a place of wide-open spaces where undulating windswept dunes have been stabilized by a sea of prairie grass that only has a fragile hold on the land, and where cowboy hats and cowboy boots are a way of life and not just a fashion statement.

Areas where the land is bare, are called blowouts. Blowouts in various sizes occur throughout the Sandhills. They can be anywhere from a few feet in circumference to a few hundred feet. These spots are where the plants and their stabilizing roots have become depleted. The wind eventually exposes the sandy soil.

Having spent quite a bit of time in the Sandhills, I was thrilled to learn that  Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway received the National Byway designation in 2021 for its natural beauty and unique geography. So, finally, it seems that one of my greatest secrets is out, and people unfamiliar with the state will no longer sit in disbelief as I wax lyrical about the beauty of the Sandhills. But, of course, most still think I am talking about the Sandhill Crane, not the land for which they were named. 

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I can't stress this enough...

You have most likely never been somewhere this rural.  Once you leave Broken Bow, not every town has a gas station or restaurant, let alone a motel, and if you need a tow truck, you have a very long wait. Also, if you are out past dark, it's very very dark, as it is one of the largest "dark spots' left in the continental United States. 

I never go into the Sandhills without a full tank of gas or let my tank get  below half full and I always take a small cooler with food and drinks with me.​​

Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway is  272 miles long.  Starting in Grand Island, heading west on Hwy 2 it's:  33 miles to Ravenna •  49 miles to Broken Bow • 41 miles to Dunning • 11 miles to Halsey • 17 miles Thedford • 25 miles to Mullen • 39 miles to Hyannis  •  59 miles to Alliance

​​Driving time, straight through driving with no stops, is approximately five hours. You could easily spend one to five days on the Byway and still not see everything.

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How the Sandhills Were Created

​Created during the last Ice Age, as the glaciers retreated, winds blew the loose sand depositing it into dune-shaped formations as high as four hundred feet tall. These dunes stretch over a quarter of the state in length. At 13 million acres, it's the largest dune formation in the Western Hemisphere! 

Surrounded by the stark beauty of the Nebraska Sandhills, this is one of the few ranches visible along Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway.

Then the grasses took root and stabilized the dunes. After the early settlers discovered that the Sandhills were unsuitable for growing crops, they began raising livestock. It is due to the lack of crop production that these grasslands are 85% intact natural habitat. There are over 720 native plants here and only 7% exotic grasses, less than half of the exotics that other prairies in the Great Plains have. As a result, the Sandhills are a unique ecoregion. With native grasses covering 19,600 square miles, the Sandhills region is the most extensive contiguous and least disturbed prairies in the United States.

The many shades of green in the prairie areas of the Sandhills always amazes me.

The Sandhills is home to some of the largest cattle ranches in the country. In the early 2000s, the Sandhills region had around 530,000 cattle grazing the prairie, and Cherry County, with nearly 166,000 cows, was the top cow county in the nation! 

An American flag flies from the fenceline of a Nebraska ranch as the cattle graze on the rolling Sandhills in the distance.

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The Climate

​The Sandhills fall into two climate classifications. The eastern section is sub-humid with an average rainfall of 23 inches. Once you cross the 100th meridian, the climate becomes semi-arid, with an average of less than 17 inches of rain a year.

Even though there was less than a 20% chance of rain for the day, we found ourselves caught in a severe thunderstorm with small sized hail. There was no place to take cover, so we pushed through checking into our motel in Alliance early. Once the storm passed, we headed back out into the Sandhills for sunset, following the storm's backside as it moved eastward. As the clouds began to break up, the sun came out, and this magnificent double rainbow appeared.

The western half of the Sandhills gets their heaviest precipitation from May through August, but the weather can be unpredictable out on the High Plains.

The sun reflects off the railroad tracks as the sun sets over the Nebraska Sandhills. The tracks follow along beside Highway 2, almost the entire 272 miles of the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway.

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Ogallala Aquifer

Doc Lake just west of the unincorporated town of Whitman, Nebraska, in Grant County.

The Loup River, along with its three branches, the North Loup, Middle Loup, and South Loup, and the Dismal River, have been documented as the most constant flowing rivers in the world. All their water comes from the Ogallala Aquifer, and it boils up beneath these rivers in many different places.  

​The Ogallala Aquifer is part of a more extensive groundwater reservoir called the High Plains Aquifer. It is the largest underground freshwater source in the world!  While the High Plains Aquifer sits underneath eight states, it's under 83% of Nebraska, with the Ogallala Aquifer making up 76% of all of the groundwater in it.

The Sandhills is right on top of the most significant and accessible amount of this water. There are somewhere around 1600 natural lakes and ponds scattered throughout the Sandhills, providing approximately 80,000 surface acres of water.  These lakes are usually shallow, most being no more than six feet deep. ​​

All the Sandhills wetlands are full of wildlife if you take your time and look. While you can’t see them here, this little marsh was full of baby Coots hiding in the grass in the center of the water.

While the Aquifer is usually found from 50 to 300 feet below the land surface, here in the Sandhills, the depth of the water table ranges from surface water to over 500 feet. And while the saturation thickness varies greatly, with an average thickness of around 200 feet, in some areas under west-central Nebraska, it exceeds 1000 feet. So there is always water here, even during a drought.

You will not see much runoff during heavy rain since the Sandhill's soil is primarily coarse sand, silt, clay, and gravel, making it highly porous. As a result, the ground acts like a giant sponge absorbing the precipitation. Then gravity pulls it down to help recharge the Aquifer.  ​

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​You are going to see A LOT of trains...

A Train in the Sandhills

Up to 100 trains pass through the Nebraska Sandhills every day on tracks parallel to Nebraska Highway 2. Sometimes a mile long, the trains carry coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin coal fields, the largest coal-producing region in the United States, to power plants across the country.

Coming Around the Bend

...and windmills!

An Aermotor Windmill.

The Aermotor Windmill Company sold its first windmill in 1888 and became a strong competitor in the windmill business, selling over 20,000 windmills in their first four years in business. When the company founder passed away in 1919, he left the company to a tax-paying trust, with 48 colleges and universities as the beneficiaries. Still in operation today, it is the only windmill company left in the US and one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the United States.

The traditional agricultural multi-bladed four brace tower windmill is one of the most straightforward, elegant representations of the best of Nebraska. But, while they can be seen dotting the landscape all over the state, most are decorative these days. That’s not the case in the Sandhills, where hundreds, probably thousands, are still at work out here. Farms and ranches use windmills and wind energy to draw their water out of the ground pumping it into low circular metal tanks to water the animals. If it hadn’t been for the invention of the American windmill, the Sandhill would never have been settled.

While windmills are found everywhere along Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway dotting the rolling Nebraska Sandhills landscape, this is the first time I ever saw a patriotic red, white and blue one!

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Traveling the Byway

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Grand Island

​Grand Island is not in the Sandhills region, although you can begin to see the Sandhills in the distance as you leave town on Highway 2.  

​Grand Island is included as part of the Scenic Byway because the Sandhill Cranes were named for the Sandhills region of Nebraska, and every year, for about six weeks in early Spring, the Sandhill Cranes make their home along the Platte River nearby.

Returning to the roost and the rest of the flock, these Sandhill Cranes with wings spread and legs extended float in for a landing on the Platte River after a short sunrise flight.

I shot this on the last sunrise of the 2021 Sandhill Crane season. Many of the birds had already traveled on, and the few that are seen here left this same day.

At the high point of the season, around the middle of March, 80% of the world's population of Sandhill Cranes will be hanging out in the cornfields eating corn during the day and sleeping on the sandbars in the Platte River at night. This year's (2021) high count was almost 600,000 Sandhill Cranes! 

They are doing two things, fattening themselves up to continue their journey onto their breeding ground, and the single cranes are looking for mates. It's quite an experience to watch the Sandhill Cranes performing their elaborate courtship dances. At times it feels like the Cranes are throwing a giant party. I like to think of it as Spring Break for the Sandhill Cranes! LOL​

A Sandhill Crane squats low with her neck coiled back and wings close to her body with her primary feathers spread. This move is one of the most beautiful displays in the Sandhill Crane dance. The female typically does the curtsey in the dancing pair. It is a response to a Jump or Gape by her partner.

If you are a birdwatcher, this is a MUST SEE, and even if you aren't, the Sandhill Cranes are guaranteed to steal your heart. Making It the perfect time to plan a trip to visit the Sandhills -- both the hills and the birds. 

​As a photographer, it's the Sandhill Cranes that keep me coming back to Nebraska over and over again. 
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Dude, get out of my face!

Check out my blog post about The Spring Migration of the Sandhill Cranes for more information about timing your trip and where to see these amazing birds! ​​

Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer

Another Grand Island MUST SEE is the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer. This 200-acre complex is on the south edge of Grand Island. While they have a fabulous museum, my favorite part is the 1890s Railroad Town. They have recreated some buildings and also relocated and restored many old buildings and homes from the area. They also have Henry Fonda's birth home. ​

The Bank on the corner of downtown Railroad Town. This Living History town that dates to 1891. There are more than 60 buildings and homes within a four-city block area.

A vintage baseball uniform and bat sit cast off in the corner of a little boy's bedroom.

​In my opinion, what makes a good living history museum is how well the interiors have been furnished and accessorized. These homes and businesses feel like the owners just walked out over a hundred years ago and left them this way. It's a true gem!

Grand Island’s iconic Black Tin Stallion stands beside the recreated Veterinarian Hospital of Dr. Pete Phillipson at Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer’s 1890s Railroad Town.

This large black stallion has been a familiar icon around Grand Island, Nebraska, since the early 1900s. Designed as an advertising symbol, the wood and tin horse was on the roof of the North, Robinson, and Dean Sales Barn back when Grand Island was the 2nd largest horse and mule market in the world. The company later became Third City Livestock, but the black tin stallion remained to watch over the Livestock Yards. When the company closed in 2004, the owners donated the Black Stallion to the Stuhr Museum. He has been in Railroad Town since 2007.

Check Stuhr's website for more information about the Museum and Railroad Town.

Grand Island Tourism also has an nice website or you can visit them in person at:  201 W Third St, Grand Island.

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Litchfield

Just a random piece of trivia...​
Litchfield, Nebraska, is the very center of the nation. It's 1733 miles to each coast from here.

A Nebraska cornfield at sunset. Corn as far as the eye can see.

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Broken Bow

This is where you really start to get into the Sandhills. 

The Red Barn is the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway Visitor Center in Broken Bow.

Broken Bow is one of the last towns of any size to have a wide selection of restaurants and hotels at the eastern end of the Sandhills.  ​

​​When Jesse Gandy platted Broken Bow, Nebraska, in 1882, he donated the lots to people to build homes and establish businesses, but he reserved the center of the town square for a park landscaped with trees, walkways, and a bandstand.

The town square was the town's first park. They broke ground for the park in 1885 and planted the trees on Arbor Day 1886. 

The town square in Broken Bow, is beautifully decorated with American flags on each corner for the Fourth of July. Located at the center of the park is the century-old Tom Butler Bandstand.

The town added the bandstand in 1916. Band concerts were held weekly and still are on most Thursday nights during the summer.

As it nears sunset, the sun's low angle creates a rainbow in the water spray of a crop irrigation system.

Broken Bow is still mostly cornfields, but the farmers use every square inch of land they can right up to the edge of the Sandhills. ​​

This gracefully curved cornfield with the freshly cut and baled hay caught my eye. Notice how precisely it has been cut around the cornstalks. So very scenic with the Nebraska Sandhills in the background.

While the Red Barn in Broken Bow is the Byway Visitor's Center, I would recommend doing some trip preplanng using the Sandhill's Journey website.

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Merna

There is not much in Merna but a gas station. However, this awesome windmill collection is right next to it. 

Downey Well Drilling’s collection of windmills located in the village of Merna.

Victoria Springs State Recreation Area

Victoria Springs SRA is located 6 miles north of the Byway in between Merna and Anselmo. ​ It was established in 1925 and is the third oldest recreational area in the Nebraska park system.

We decided to take Victoria Springs Road east of Merna, and then we returned to the Scenic Byway on NE-21A Spur so we could see as much of the area as possible.  

The scenic 6-acre lake at Victoria Spring State Recreation Area.

Called the "Oasis of the Sandhills," Victoria Springs SRA is a 60-acre park at the base of the Sandhills. It is primarily a camping area, but they have a lake stocked with fish and paddleboat rentals. There is a nice picnic area and a few historic buildings.

In 1874, intrigued by news of a  mineral spring in the area, Oscar Smith and Custer County judge Charles Matthews came from Loup City to check it out. When they arrived, the valley was teeming with bison and elk.  

​Judge Matthews immediately staked a claim and built two log cabins on the land. One was his storehouse, and the other was his home and the first Custer County post office.

Back then, "taking the waters" and mineral spas were all the rage. ​​​Victoria Springs water  became​ ​renowned for its therapeutic 

The New Helena one-room schoolhouse, built in 1888-89, held classes until 1964. That year, the school closed when the Anselmo-Merna Consolidated district was formed.

New Helena was the first town in the area. They began organizing a school district in 1876 and were the first district in Custer County to file organization papers. However, for some reason, a protest was filed against the district's formation, which delayed the action. As a result, New Helena became Custer County District #2, missing out on becoming the first district in the county.

properties. The water was bottled and sold throughout the United States. They even tried to turn the area into a resort town, but that never happened.
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Victoria Springs is the only known mineral spring in the state. It gushes out of the creek on the east side of the park.

Judge Charles Matthews storehouse, home and the first post office in Custer County, Nebraska.

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Anselmo

You cannot miss this beautiful Catholic Church. It is just off the south side of Highway 2.

St. Anselm's Catholic Church is also known as the Cathedral of the Sandhills. Constructed in 1928-29, this church is St. Anselm's second church. It is part of the parish complex, which includes the rectory and parish hall. The parish hall, built in 1905, is the original church.
 
The parish complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 for its Late Gothic Revival and Bungalow/Craftsman architecture.

Cathedral of the Sandhills

NE-21A Spur, AKA Smith Avenue, is Anselmo’s main street. You will find an authentic sod house and a historic jail built without nails on the main street in town.

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As you cross the 100th Meridian west of Anselmo, ​the cornfields and farmland will give way to large cattle ranches. 

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Agriculture is the number one industry in Nebraska, with cattle and calf production being the number one segment in the industry. ​

One of my favorite ranch gates along Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway. You will see a lot of ranch gates marking the entrances to the different ranches along Highway 2

In the Sandhills, houses may be miles from the gate, and they are almost always not seen from the road. The ranch gate is the entrance marker directing visitors up to the ranch. The gates usually display the ranch's name, and they will sometimes advertise the type of cattle they breed or the date ranch was established.  But, just like in the Old West, the gates are still mostly wide open and welcoming out here. 

You never can trust animals to do what you expect them to do!

We pulled off to the side of the road so I could photograph this herd of cattle scattered in the distance through the beautiful rolling Nebraska Sandhills. They all looked up simultaneously, thought, “ friend,” and came to greet me at the fence. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the shot I envisioned, and they were unhappy with me when I left. I heard their snorts of indignation!

My husband thought the entire thing was hysterically funny as he watched from the SUV.

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Dunning

Dunning is a small burg of about 100 people situated at the confluence of the Dismal River and the Middle Loup River. You will cross the Dismal on the south side of town and the Middle Loup on the north side.  ​You will not see the Dismal River again from the Byway.

Kayaks on the Middle Loup River along the Nebraska Sandhills.

For the next fifty miles from Denning, the Middle Loup River parallels Highway 2 until you get to Seneca.

​Middle Loup River views are better when driving east than when driving west, so remember to check behind you occasionally if you are heading toward Alliance. 

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Halsey - ​Nebraska National Forest ​

The Middle Loup River and Nebraska National Forest from Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway.

The Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands has two districts. The district along Sandhill's Journey is the Bessey Ranger District.

​It began as an experiment by University of Nebraska horticulture professor Dr. Charles E. Bessey. Dr. Bessey, concerned with a possible national timber shortage due to large fires, unregulated harvests, and the country's growing need for wood products, wanted to plant trees in the Sandhills to help offset these shortages. Bessey and Gifford Pinchot, the first Forest Service Chief, convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside two treeless tracts of the Nebraska Sandhills as a forest reserve.

The Charles E. Bessey Nursery, near Halsey, Nebraska, was established in 1902 to produce tree seedlings for replanting in the Sandhills. Today, the Nursery grows 2.5 to 3 million tree seedlings per year for distribution to national forests, state and tribal agencies in the Great Plains and West. It is one of only six USDA Forest Service managed nurseries left in operation, and this Nursery is the oldest.

Although the Sandhills forest never became the timber-producing forest that Bessey envisioned, at one point, it was the world's largest completely hand-planted forest, encompassing 92,000 acres of rolling hills planted with 22,000 acres of trees! Nebraska State forest is now said to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere, while Qinghai Tibet Plateau in China now has the world's largest hand-planted forest.  

I have never photographed the most heavily forested area. It is used for camping and has a very nice picnic area. It's a great place to stop and enjoy a picnic lunch in the shade.  

Believe it or not, this sandy trail winding its way up to the windmill in the distance was a far better road than we were driving on when I stopped to take this picture. I would have loved to have venture farther in but wasn’t sure if getting off the main road would take me into private land.

I have always dreamed of getting into the Sandhills instead of just viewing them from Highway 2. However, since most of the land is privately owned in the Sandhills, that is not easy to accomplish without trespassing.

​​I was thrilled when we discovered a public 4WD-only road at the far western end of the Nebraska National Forest. But, unfortunately, we only drove it a very short distance before we came to a spot where the road was almost completely washed out. Since that was more abuse than I wanted to put my Armada through, we turned around.​

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Thedford

Thedford is a small village of fewer than 200 people. They have a grocery store, Dollar General, a couple of restaurants, and a gas station. So it's a good place to top off the tank and grab food. 

This type of farm scene is a common sight in the Sandhills. Many meadows between the rolling hills will have hay bales on them. It takes a lot of hay to keep the cattle and the other animals fed on the ranches. Baling hay takes place from May to late summer and in early fall.

From the Thedford intersection of Nebraska Highway 2 and US Highway 83/Blue Star Memorial Highway, it is 41 miles north to visit Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, and 38 miles farther past Valentine NWR is Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge.  

We decided not to travel that far off the Byway on this trip, but if you like to visit National Wildlife Refuges, they are both well worth the drive. We have always seen lots of birds, prairie dogs, elk and deer. ​​

Railroad tracks zig-zag through the Nebraska Sandhills.

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Seneca

On a previous trip through the Sandhills, we drove through Seneca, a population of 33 according to the 2010 census, until we crossed the Middle Loup River on the north side of town and discovered elk wading in the river.

A bull elk walks along the edge of the Middle Loup River at Flip Licking's Stable Productions Exotic Animal Ranch.

​On this trip, we took a gamble, wondering if we could catch them in the river again, and a couple of elk were there! 

A bull elk poses next to the Middle Loup River.

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​After a little research, I discovered this was the home of Flip Licking's Stable Productions Exotic Animal Ranch. Unfortunately, it was after hours, so I wasn't able to visit. 

​Their reviews are all five stars, and their mission statement is something near and dear to my heart. Check them out. They have ranch tours, a petting zoo, and a four-room B&B in the barn.   

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Mullen

Just a short distance north out of Mullen on Nebraska Highway 92 will take you across the Middle Loup River. The area around the Middle Loup through here is especially scenic.

This is one of my favorite spots along Nebraska Highway 97 just north of Mullen, Nebraska, in the Nebraska Sandhills.The clouds were amazing as they darkened up. We thought we were in for quite a storm, but then it passed without a drop.

Shortly after leaving town, you will top a large hill. Look right for a beautiful view of the Middle Loup River.  At the bottom of this hill is a driveway on the same side of the road. This is a tanking location, and it’s one of the few spots where you can walk down to the river without trespassing on private property. ​

Just a peek at the Middle Loup River as it lazily winds its way through the Nebraska Sandhills just north of Mullen, Nebraska.

The Middle Loup River is a shallow, slow-moving river with a sandy bottom. It is bordered on both sides by private ranchland, so it is necessary to go through an Outfitter for river access. However, this lazy winding river is perfect for floating. 

Down by the Middle Loup River, storm clouds roll over the Nebraska Sandhills,

While you can rent a kayak, canoe, or even an inner tube at many outfitters, consider floating down the Middle Loup River in a livestock water tank for a unique Nebraska experience. These 7-9 foot in diameter tanks are practically unsinkable, making them perfect for people that prefer to stay dry while enjoying a float through the Sandhills.

While there are several different outfitters in different areas of the Sandhills, the one along the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway is Gidden Canoe Rental at the Sandhills Motel in Mullen. ​

A windmill is being used to pump water into a metal stock tank to keep the animals watered in the Nebraska Sandhills.

South of Mullen, you will find two world renown golf courses along the Dismal River. The Sand Hills Golf Club and Dismal River Club. 

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Whitman

Once you get past Whitman, you will start noticing all the lakes and wetlands that are part of the aquifer system.​

A BNSF Railway train crosses Doc Lake near Whitman, Nebraska.

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Hyannis

Three horses congregate near a barb wire fence with Beem Lake and the Sandhills in the background. Beem Lake near Hyannis, is a swampy wetland close to Avocet State Wildlife Management Area.

The Grant County Museum located in the County Courthouse at 105 E. Harrison in Hyannis has memorabilia donated by the family of Charles Burt Hayward. Most notably, John Wayne's saddle from the movie "True Grit."

Hayward grew up on his parent's cattle ranch near Hyannis and later became an actor, stuntman, and body double in Western's dating from the 1950s through the 1980s. Hayward doubled for most of the famous stars that acted in Westerns during that time. After becoming good friends with John Wayne, he doubled Wayne in nearly two dozen of his later films. He received gifts from many stars he was a "stand-in" for, including John Wayne. Hayward's career spanned 50 years, and he was one of the most respected and admired stuntmen and stunt coordinators in the business. Hayward is in the Stuntman Hall of Fame. 

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Ellsworth

Morgan's Store in Ellsworth.

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​Today it is known as Morgan’s Store, but when it first opened in 1898, it was the company store for the legendary Spade Ranch. There's a historical marker on the north end of the building that tells about the Spade Ranch. 

A cast iron horse head hitching post at Morgan’s

After 1927, the store changed hands several times. It sat empty from 1967-1971, until Veldon Morgan, a former Spade Ranch Cowboy, purchased it. He and his son Wade built two warehouse additions to the original store. Through the 1970s and 1980s, they manufactured western tack and saddles and employed over 100 people. Morgan’s western equipment sold nationwide. However, Morgan’s began to downsize in the 1990s and by 2000 had ceased factory operations.

Morgan’s is a now ranch supply and general store. It’s an eclectic store that carries clothing, boots, leather goods, guns, ammo, tack, and just about everything else a cowboy could need.  

The store was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. ​

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Lakeside 

While it is common to see American White Pelicans migrating through Nebraska during the Spring and Fall, I have always been able to find Pelicans around the lake and marshes in the Sandhills, even in the summertime. Experts believe these are immature and nonbreeding Pelicans spending their Summer away from the nearby breeding colony at LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota.

American White Pelicans hang out on the sandbar at Hancock Lake in Lakeside.

​When passing through Lakeside, I have never failed to find American White Pelicans along with some Double-Crested Cormorants hanging out at  Hancock Lake on the north side of the Byway.

Nebraska Highway 250

​Highway 250 intersects the Byway at Lakeside.  If you head north on 250, you will drive through some of the most iconic prairie ranchland in the Sandhills as it winds its way around several small shallow lakes.​

A pair of Ibis fly across the wetlands while a passing train is reflected in the water.

It’s a pretty drive, and while you won’t see many cars, it is the major highway through the area. Someone will eventually come along if you need help, so it’s a good choice if you want to venture off the Byway.   

The horses spend a lazy day hanging out next to the windmill and water tub on a Nebraska Sandhills ranch. Here in the heart of cow country these horses are most likely working horses. Some of the largest ranches in the United States are here in the Sandhills. They can be thousands of acres in size, and many ranchers still use horses to get around when checking on their cattle.

Red Angus Cattle on a Nebraska Sandhills ranch are mowing the prairie one blade of grass at a time.

Smith Lake Wildlife Management Area

Smith Lake State Wildlife Management Area is located 25 miles north of Lakeside on Highway 250. 

Scenic Smith Lake in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Another view of Smith Lake.

​Smith Lake is fed by a spring and is one of the few lakes in the area you can fish. Unfortunately, most of the other lakes in the Sandhills are too shallow or alkaline to support fishlife. A wildlife management area surrounds the 290-acre lake making it a popular birding area as well. ​

Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge

The most direct route to Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge is from Lakeside.  It's approximately 28 miles south of the Lakeside.

Crescent Lake is a 71 square mile National Wildlife Refuge, it is primarily grasslands dotted with wetlands. There is a 19-station self-guided auto tour route through the Refuge.

It has been many years since I made a trip out to Crescent Lake.  Just getting there is an adventure! The drive from Lakeside is on mostly dirt roads, and there might have been an unimproved road through a farmers field involved. I remember having a staring contest with a couple of bull calves practicing on the off chance they grew up to be bulls one day.  LOL 

Plains Sunflowers line both sides the dirt road on the drive to Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. I have never seen so many blooming yellow sunflowers edging a road in my life!

I know I have been vague about the drive out to Crescent Lake NWR, but besides the feisty calves that I didn’t manage to get a picture of, this profusion of annual sunflowers is all that stands out in my memories.

​It’s an amazing refuge and fun off byway adventure that will take you all day. Take your lunch along. I would not attempt this drive late in the day, if it has been raining recently or if you have a low clearance car. The SUV that I was driving at the time made it just fine. I remember a few rough areas, but  nothing so bad that you needed a 4WD for.  As always with dirt roads, they can vary greatly from season to season and one trip to the next. 

Check their website or call the refuge headquarters before heading out, to make sure the refuge roads are open.

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Antioch

The ruins of a Potash Plant in the ghost town of Antioch, Nebraska.

Potash was imported from Germany to produce fertilizer, Epsom Salts, soda, and other products. However, during World War I, potash became so scarce the price increased from around 8 to 10 dollars a ton to over $150 a ton!

Then in 1917, University of Nebraska scientist's discovered a way to distill potash from the alkaline lakes in the Sandhills. Five potash reduction factories were built in Antioch. Virtually overnight, the town boomed, growing from a schoolhouse, one church, and a store to a population of 5000 people. Antioch became known as the "potash capital of Nebraska."

In 1921, after the war ended, the US resumed trade with Germany and France. However, since it was so much cheaper to import potash. the Nebraska potash trade was decimated.  The factories closed and were mostly destroyed.

​Today, Antioch is a ghost town with less than 25 residents, but the ruins of the potash plants are on the National Register of Historic Places. You can see what remains of two of the five plants along the Byway. 

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Birding Along the Byway

​​The Sandhills are at the heart of the Central Flyway, a critical habitat for millions of migratory birds. 

​Bird watching in the wetlands right alongside the Byway between Lakeside and Alliance is fantastic, especially in the early morning and a couple of hours before sunset!​

Here's a few of my images of commonly found birds in the Sandhills  to watch for...

Water drips from this White-Faced Ibis’ bill creating ripples in the water as he forages for food.

The Western Meadowlark is the Nebraska State Bird.

The Black-Crowned Night Heron were out in force, sitting on the fence posts after the storm. I had forgotten how abundant they are on the western end of the Sandhills.

An Upland Sandpiper wades along the edge of the wetlands, searching for food.

Check out the Sandhills Byway Birding website to learn more about birds commonly seen in the Sandhills.  ​

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Alliance

Shortly before you arrive in Alliance you will leave the Sandhills. 

Dubbed "An Oasis in the Sandhills," the town is bordered on the south and the east by the Sandhills.  With a little under 8500 people, Alliance is going to be the largest town you have seen since Grand Island.

​I grew up in a small town with a similar population, but Alliance seems so much larger since it supports much of the central population of the Nebraska Panhandle.

The Art Deco-styled Alliance Theater was built in 1937. It is three stories tall. While the entrances are modernized, the movie poster, box office area, facade, and marquee are all original and covered in the original colored glazed tile.

​Alliance exists because of the railroad. Burlington and Missouri River Railroad came to the area in 1888 and town of Alliance grew up around the railroad right of way.

​Today, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway is still a significant employer in Alliance.

Be sure to take a quick drive through the downtown business district, they have some interesting historic buildings.

Newberry's Hardware Company was established in 1888; the same year Alliance became a town. Newberry's built this three-story Neoclassical Revival building in 1914. Hardware was sold on the first floor, the offices were located on the second, and the harness and saddle shop was on the third floor.

Carhenge

Carhenge located just north of town on Highway 87 is the most famous tourist site in Alliance. This quirky replica of Stonehenge was created using 39 vintage American automobiles painted with gray spray paint.  ​

An idea that was sparked at the funeral of Jim Reinder's father in 1982, it came to fruition when Reinder and 35 of his family members gathered five years later at his father's farm for a family reunion. It was dedicated as a memorial to Reinder's dad during the summer solstice in June 1987 with champagne, poetry, song and even a play written by the family. 

Since that day, Carhenge has towered over the plains of Nebraska. A circle of cars, three standing trilithons inside the ring, the heel stone, slaughter stone, and two station stones are all placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge. The outside circle of cars measures approximately 96 feet in diameter. Some vehicles are held upright by burying their trunks in 5 feet deep pits. The automobiles used to form the tops of the arches have been welded in place. A 1962 Caddy has the place of honor as the heel stone. 

The heelstone at the center of Carhenge is a 1962 Cadillac.

Other great places to check out while in Alliance...

Burlington Locomotive #719 sits at the intersection of 18th Street and Box Butte Avenue. This 86-ton steam engine was donated to the city by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad and dates from 1903. Initially built in the Havelock, Nebraska, shops, it was in use for close to 50 years.  
 
Knight Museum and Sandhills Center at 908 Yellowstone Avenue sits on the corner of ​Central Park. This historical Museum provides the history of Alliance and the railroad. Giving you a glimpse of what it was like to live in the Sandhills back when it was first settled. 

​Check out Central Park while you are at the Knight Museum. During the Great Depression, Alliance took full advantage of the New Deal to improve the city. As a result, Central Park received a fountain, swimming pool, and bathhouse at that time. The fountain in front of the bathhouse, refurbished in 2007, now has a computerized fountain spray system with lights. Watching the fountain is a fun nighttime activity in the summer. Today, the bathhouse located at 1101 Niobrara Avenue houses the Sallows Military Museum.

Dobby's Frontier Town at 320 E 25th Street is a turn-of-the-century frontier village created by Kenneth "Dobby" Lee, who relocated nineteen old Western Nebraska buildings to his property and restored them. Dobby's Frontier Town has won many awards and was even featured on the TV show "Home and Gardens."

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Other than my blog post about the Sandhill Cranes that I mentioned above, you may also be interested in reading, Following the Path of the Pioneers Through Western Nebraska. That blog post covers the Western Trails Scenic and Historic Byway from Ogallala, Nebraska, to the Wyoming border. 

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All of Susan's images are available for purchase as fine art prints and wall art, home decor, gift items, and apparel in her Photo Gallery.

The Image Collections that pertain specifically to this post are the  Nebraska Collection, Birds Collection, and Sandhill Crane Collection.

"Ranching in the Sandhills" Framed Art Print
Shown with Mat Color: Sand and Frame: Dark Brown Style: VN8

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About the Photographer

Susan Rissi Tregoning is the 8th photographer in the past four generations of professional photographers in her family. After a long career as an art buyer and interior designer, she put her career on hold in 2006 to travel with her husband and his job. In the process, she found her roots again,  developing a photography obsession far  ​beyond casual ​

snapshots that evolved into a desire to capture every location and object as art. By meshing her two loves, photography and design, she has come full circle.​

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Plan your trip to see one of America’s newest National Scenic Byways, the 272-mile long Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway in Nebraska. This blog post is a photographic and informational journey through this amazing natural wonder. | A Susan Tregoning Photography Travel Blog Post