July 2021 • Nebraskaland 21
espite its proximity to busy
Highway 275 north of Scribner,
Dead Timber State Recreation
Area is hidden. Even its entrance,
which faces a crop fi eld on the other
side, is unassuming and plain. The sign
indicates that you're in the right place,
but you turn off the county road and
wonder, "Is this it?"
From your vehicle, you wouldn't be
able to see that to the southwest, just
beyond the stretch of mowed grass,
past the pollinator garden — which
grows tall and vibrant in summer —
and down a gently curving path, you'd
fi nd an old, wooden bench. Step up
closer and the ground gives way to a
steep drop-off , opening up your fi eld of
view. Flooding has aff ected the SRA,
clearly. But however overgrown and
primitive, the verdant valley sprawls
at your feet invitingly, the blue-green
oxbow lake snaking among fl ood-
affl icted terrain and timber below.
A beloved getaway for Dodge County
locals, Dead Timber SRA was purchased
by Game and Parks for $7,000 in 1938.
Since then, the area has provided its
dedicated visitors with decades of not
only adventure and memories, but also
peaceful seclusion.
Background
Dead Timber's 200 acres off ers
camping, fi shing, hiking, picnicking
and non-powered boating. Currently,
key amenities include 17 electric
campsites with 30-amp hookups; a 50-
acre oxbow lake with bluegill, common
carp, bullhead, channel and fl athead
catfi sh, crappie, freshwater drum
and largemouth bass; and day-use
shelters complete with tables, grills
and spacious lawns for gatherings and
games neatly tucked in the trees along
the top of the bluff s.
Its landmark stone shelter — and
likely the entrance pillars as well —
was built in 1939 by the National Youth
Association.
According to Scribner legend, the
name "Dead Timber" comes from the
Native Americans. Old-timers say that
D e a d Ti m b e r
S t a t e R e c r e a t i o n
A r e a
Complicated past, but a
bright future
Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
D
Jerusalem artichoke sunfl owers grow near an oxbow lake at Dead Timber State
Recreation Area in Dodge County.
