Poetry and Folklore of Northeastern Nebraska

September 22, 2015 Leave a comment


The Center for Rural Affairs along with the Nebraska Humanities Council and the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site will host a community storytelling event with Twyla Hansen, Nebraska State Poet and area native.
“Twyla is a Lyons native whose books of poetry are filled with stories from her small farm upbringing in Northeast Nebraska,” commented Kat Shiffler with the Center for Rural Affairs. “Her presentation of poetry and folklore will portray stories of the land and it’s people; a region steeped in history. From Chief Blackbird to Logan Creek, from country schools to haunted houses, Hansen’s readings and stories will serve as an entertaining reflection on our region’s folklore and identity. After her presentation, the floor will be open for community members to share their own stories.”
The Center encourages everyone to attend to learn more about the regional culture unique to Northeast Nebraska and exchange memories they have to tell. “Folktales, colorful exaggerations and half-truths welcome,” added Shiffler. Light refreshments and treats will be provided.
Who:  Twyla Hansen, Nebraska State Poet
What: A community storytelling event with Nebraska’s State Poet and area native
When: Sunday afternoon, October 11th 4pm to 5:30pm
Where: 151 N Main St., Lyons, NE  (in the brick building adjacent to the Center for Rural Affairs office)
The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Shiffler at kats@cfra.org.
Visit the Center for Rural Affairs event page for more information: http://www.cfra.org/events/stories-place-poetry-and-folklore-northeastern-nebraska.

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Neihardt Site Chosen as Passport Stop

July 27, 2015 Leave a comment


The Neihardt Site has once again been chosen as one of 80 stops for the Nebraska Tourism Commission’s sixth annual Passport Program.

The ten tours featured in this program will take participants all over the state to discover unique and exciting places.

This year, the Neihardt Site is part of the “Nebraska Legends Tour,” which includes some of the most famous historical figures to call Nebraska home.

In addition to the Neihardt Site, other stops in the Legends Tour include the Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial, Columbus; Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, Nebraska City; Arthur Bowring Ranch State Historical Park, Merriman; General Crook House Museum, Omaha; Ponca Tribal Museum and Library, Niobrara; Senator George Norris State Historic Site, McCook; and Willa Cather State Historic Site, Red Cloud.

When you visit any of the designated sites, be sure to get your passport stamped to be eligible for prizes for each completed tour. For more information visit nebraskapassport.com.

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Travel U.S. Route 83 With Author Stew Magnuson at Neihardt Site

May 6, 2015 Leave a comment


The Neihardt Foundation encourages travelers and historians alike to take note of the May “Sunday Afternoon at the Museum” program.  

Author Stew Magnuson recently released The Last American Highway: A Journey Through Time Down U.S. Route 83: Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma, (Court Bridge Publishing) a travel-history book that uncovers stories along the road that bisects the United States from north to south, and will be at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft on May 17 at 5:00 p.m. for a presentation and book signing.  

Descending 1,885 miles down the center of the United States from Westhope, N.D. to Brownsville, Texas, U.S. 83 is one of the oldest and longest federal highways that has not been replaced by an Interstate.  Magnuson takes readers through the Nebraska Sand Hills, the Smoky River Valley in Kansas and the singular Oklahoma Panhandle.  Along the route are the stories of the famous, infamous, and the forgotten. Buffalo Bill Cody hunted these lands, but what about Buffalo Jones, who set out to save the American bison from extinction?  

This is where the ruthless, but now largely forgotten bank robbers, the Fleagles, committed their most heinous crime; where the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia met George Armstrong Custer and Pussy Cat Nell dispatched the corrupt Sheriff “Bushy” Bush with a shotgun blast.  U.S. 83 ties President Eisenhower, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and author Truman Capote together.  Magnuson recounts the story of the town of Audacious, the longest-lasting and largest African-American settlement in Nebraska, which lasted some 30 years in the depths of the Sand Hills north of Thedford, as well as the night in the 1990s when a clandestine truck carrying a nuclear weapon crashed along the side of U.S. 83.  

The story becomes personal for Magnuson, as he returns to his father’s hometown in Stapleton, and tells the story of his grandmother’s struggles during the Great Depression and the secret she kept from her family for decades.  “This is a book of true stories connected by a ribbon of concrete that cuts right down the middle of the nation,” Magnuson said.  He is the author of The Death of Raymond Yellow Thunder: And Other True Stories from the Nebraska-Pine Ridge Border Towns, Nebraska Center of the Book’s 2009 nonfiction book of the year.  

Magunson also penned Wounded Knee 1973: Still Bleeding, an account of the controversial 2012 Dakota Conference at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., where members of the American Indian Movement squared off against retired FBI agents.  Magnuson writes the Highway 83 Chronicles blog and set up the U.S. Route 83 Travel page, which gives tips to those who are interested in taking a trip on the road.  All “SAM” programs are free and open to the public.  Reception to follow the program.  The Neihardt State Historic Site is located at 306 W. Elm St., Bancroft, NE.  For more information, call 1-888-777-4667 or contact us through email at Neihardt@gpcom.net.  “Like” us on Facebook at John G Neihardt State Historic Site to stay informed about programming.

May SAM Program Poster

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Standing Bear Film and Presentation at Neihardt Site

January 5, 2015 Leave a comment


The January “Sunday Afternoon at the Museum” program at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site features a screening of Standing Bear’s Footsteps, a historical documentary that traces Chief Standing Bear’s journey from his Nebraska homeland to the malaria-infested plains of Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma and finally to a trial that made front page news across America.  The film weaves together interviews, recreations, and present-day scenes to tell a story about human rights and what it means to be an American.  The film will be followed by a presentation with the associate producer Princella Parker.  Join us Sunday, January 11 at 2:00 p.m. to learn more about Standing Bear, the Ponca tribe, the unique status of Tribes and Indian citizens, and the many and varied ways Indian people have–and continue to–contribute to Nebraska and American history.  There will be a reception following the presentation.  This filming coincides with efforts to pass legislation that would create a Federally-designated Chief Standing Bear Trail.  The trail would retrace the steps of Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca people during their forced removal.

The Neihardt State Historic Site is located at 306 W. Elm St., Bancroft, Neb.  Both the program and reception are free and open to the public.  For more information, call 1-888-777-4667 or contact us through email at Neihardt @gpcom.net.  “Like” us on Facebook at John G. Neihardt State Historic Site to stay informed about programming. January 2015 SAM Standing Bear's Footsteps Poster

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Author Bruce Hopkins Coming to John G. Neihardt State Historic Site

October 2, 2014 Leave a comment


The John G. Neihardt State Historic Site invites the public to a reading and book discussion at this month’s “Sunday Afternoon at the Museum.”  At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 12, 2014, author Bruce Hopkins, a noted environmentalist, teacher, and writer from the Loess Hills region of Iowa, will read from his collection of essays and poetry Truth in the Rivers.

This work is illustrated with watercolors by Howard Horii, an artist and architect from the New York City/New Jersey area. Broken into three sections, the first follows Horii’s life from his time as a young Japanese American student in the 1940s in California, to relocation and internment in Arizona after the attack on Pearl Harbor, to Horii as a successful artist and architect.

The second section addresses the author’s experiences as a Black Studies teacher during the 1960s and his travels with African American colleagues to the East Coast and the Deep South during that time.  The third section explores ways to understand and learn from this difficult past.  Hopkins considers the necessity of education as a means to provide children with the means to face the civic and moral issues they will face.  This is a story of human resilience, determination in the light of adversity, and the human ability to sustain the creative voice in the face of difficulty.  We look forward to an afternoon of introspection, reflection, and mindful storytelling.

Several of Horii’s watercolors will be on display. Books—including Truth in the River and his other notable work When Foxes Wore Red Vests—will be available for purchase and signing.  Reception will follow the program.  We also invite you to peruse our selection of books and CDs as well as local beadwork.  The Neihardt State Historic Site is located at 306 W. Elm St., Bancroft, NE.  Both the program and reception are free and open to the public.  For more information, call 1-888-777-4667 or contact us through email at Neihardt @gpcom.net.  “Like” us on Facebook at John G Neihardt State Historic Site to stay informed about programming.

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