14 Nebraskaland • May 2021
IN THE FIELD
By Shawna Richter-Ryerson
ONE HISTORIC ROAD TRIP
Take a trip back in time, right here in Nebraska.
Watch Pony Express riders race across the plains,
soldiers fire a cannon from Civil War times and Philip
James Little Thunder Sr. perform a traditional Native
dance in his ancestors' honor — all in a new documentary,
Adventures in History: Discovering Nebraska's State
Historical Parks.
The documentary, from the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission and NET, Nebraska's PBS & NPR Stations,
invites viewers to come along on a journey that crosses
the state, exploring Nebraska's nine historical parks with
program host and narrator Stephanie Arne, an accomplished
conservationist and the former host of Mutual of Omaha's
Wild Kingdom.
Arne discovers Nebraska's exciting history nestled among
some of the most beautiful and storied landscapes in the
state. Her trip is filled with a plethora of characters and quite
a bit of lore.
She "meets" larger-than-life Western showman
William F. Cody at Buffalo Bill State Historical Park, learns
about the state's first female U.S. Sen. Eve Bowring and her
cattle ranch and why Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical
Park is called the "Pompeii of prehistoric animals." She also
learns the butt of every good barrel makers' joke at Fort
Atkinson and just what makes a Champion tree a champion
at Arbor Lodge.
Her journey is revealing. Through exploration and
connection, Arne learns that Nebraska's people, landscapes
and history have important stories, ones that can help us
understand Nebraska as it is today. But only if we're willing
to listen.
Catch the documentary debut at 7 p.m. May 23 on NET, or
the repeat showing set for noon May 30 on NET.
Be ready to be inspired.
Video production at Bowring Ranch State Historical Park in Cherry County with Dan Newburn, Clifford Cady and
Stephanie Arne. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
