July 2023 • Nebraskaland 47
park remained on the riverbottom for a few more years, but
sedimentation, shifting river channels and the increased
risk of fl ooding would force its move to the hills west of the
Niobrara in 1987.
From those hills, the old park's structures remained visible
for years. The cabins, store and paddleboats stayed open for a
year or two. Some of the buildings were relocated, including a
few of the cabins, which found a new home at the Blue Moon
Resort near Verdel. More fl ooding in 1996 took its toll on the
rest, which were eventually demolished. That fl ood shifted
most of the Niobrara's fl ow into the Mormon Canal and fi lled
the lagoon and pool with sand. Slowly, signs of the old park
were erased. Eventually, the shelter, the last relic of the old
park, was hidden from view by willows and cottonwoods.
And then 2019 happened. March rains quickly melted
thick snowpack and swelled the frozen Niobrara River,
sending massive blocks of ice downstream. Spencer Dam
breached, sending a wall of ice and water downriver, washing
out Highway 12 between Niobrara and the park, and the old
railroad bridge that served as a trail. Water likely topped the
roof of the shelter by a few feet, and had trees on the island not
defl ected the ice, it surely would've been swept away. When
the water receded, the roof, covered with sand, collapsed.
That is what I saw from the air in 2019 while documenting
the damage caused by the fl ood.
I had waited too long.
My "someday" fi nally came in May of 2021. With nothing
pressing on the schedule, and the peak of mosquito and tick
season still ahead, I headed for the park and bushwhacked my
way across what is now Bazile Creek Wildlife Management
Area from the highway to the shelter. I found sand piled
nearly to the rafters, and the fi replace toppled.
I wish I had made that hike sooner. Much sooner. And I
wish I would've seen that shelter, and the park, in its heyday,
so I could truly appreciate why the locals continue to have
such fond memories of the place once known as Niobrara
Island.
N
Following the fl ood of 2019, the shelter's roof collapsed and the fi replace toppled. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
An aerial photo from 2017 shows trees that had grown on
the west side of the shelter, roof still intact, obscuring its
view from the park. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
