Nebraskaland

40 Nebraskaland • October 2023 military scouts of the late 1800s hid for days in the creek's vicinity while being pursued by Native Americans. When united with a rescue party, the hungry scouts were provided salty bacon, often referred to then as "sowbelly." Quality aside, a meal is surely notable if a creek is later named for it. Visitors can access about a half-mile of the creek at the 160-acre Coff ee Park. Contrary to any insinuations of the name, a barista is not serving up hot drinks there. Coff ee Park is named for a prominent ranch family instrumental in settling the region: specifi cally Guy H. "Chick" and Ila Coff ee, the property's previous owners. Ila donated the property to the village of Harrison in 1972, the year Chick died. The property was developed in the next four years with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and donations. The village owns and maintains the park, which features playground equipment, vault toilets and picnic shelters accented with stone harvested nearby. The clear, spring-fed coldwater stream has naturally reproducing brown trout and is occasionally stocked with other species. It has long been attractive to anglers, but even more so since the Game and Parks Commission completed a $40,000 aquatic habitat project there in 2022 with a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Where before the stream fl owed just a few inches deep, it now moves over rock riffl es and into pools up to 5 feet deep. At bends in the stream, anglers now fi nd logs, rocks and other structures that not only prevent erosion but also attract fi sh. Three new walk-through Y-gates allow anglers access to the entire public portion of stream without having to cross the barbed-wire fence. Signage has been added at the property boundaries to deter park visitors from trespassing on adjacent private land. After the creek descends through the Pine Ridge, it fl ows into the grasslands to the north before eventually joining Warbonnet Creek — another northwestern Nebraska attraction with rich history and a distinctive name. That's a whole other story. People can access Coff ee Park by turning east onto Sowbelly Road from Monroe Canyon Road one-half mile north of Harrison. Another scenic way, there is Pants Butte Road that intersects U.S. Highway 20 4 miles east of Harrison. The route provides incredible views as it winds down the ridge and intersects with Sowbelly Road to the left at the bottom. The roads are dirt and people are wise to visit when they are dry. No one wants to be stuck in this country, with or without an ample supply of sowbelly and coff ee. N To learn more about Sowbelly Creek and Coff ee Park, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov. ABOVE: A cottonwood log, harvested from downed timber on site, is among the habitat and erosion control features added to Sowbelly Creek in 2022. TOP RIGHT: Vance Haug of Chadron reels in a brown trout from Sowbelly Creek. BOTTOM RIGHT: A brown trout is returned to the cool water of Sowbelly Creek. Brooks and rainbows also have been stocked in the creek, and cutthroats are being considered.

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