62 Nebraskaland • June 2020
MIXED BAG
We always search for the image that no one else has taken,
but some landmarks are so spectacular, captivating or out of
place that everyone who passes by has to take a picture. In
Nebraska, the list includes Scotts Bluff National Monument,
Smith Falls and the water towers at Fort Robinson State Park.
Anyone with a camera or smartphone that's been to any
of these places knows what I'm talking about. The urge to
capture them is irresistible. So give in.
The beauty of taking pictures, besides the fi nal product, is
that no two photographers end up with exact replicas. The
same subject, even the same angle, will turn out remarkably
diff erent depending on the person, the light, the season. So
whether you are a professional photographer or just now
taking up the camera as a social distancing hobby, take
the picture that everyone else has already taken. Take it
unashamedly. And then send it to us.
TAKE THE PICTURE
By Emily Burch
Water for the Fort
By Justin Haag
Similar to other man-made landmarks on the
High Plains, the water towers at Fort Robinson
State Park sprang from a purpose of utility.
They came during a period of transition for the
U.S. Cavalry, and surely served as a symbol of
reassurance for area residents who feared the
military base would close as the Indian wars
were ending.
The U.S. Army constructed the two towers
in 1903, shortly after squadrons of the Tenth
Cavalry – the black regiment known as "buffalo
soldiers" – were assigned to Fort Robinson. The
new metal structures replaced a wooden tower
that had stood at the northeast corner of the
grounds since 1889.
With a capacity of about 32,000 gallons each,
the towers served the grounds until 2005. That
year, two 90,000-gallon concrete tanks were
constructed, three-fourths underground, near
the ridge northwest of the park's main campus.
Park superintendent Jim Miller said the towers
still have a function.
"When we have guests who can't get their
bearings here at the fort, we tell them to stop
and look at the towers. They are the only
structures at the fort that are set due north and
south of each other," he said.
PHOTO
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
