January-February 2025 • Nebraskaland 41
Lightning strikes during
a thunderstorm at the
Thompson Natural History
Preserve at Chadron State
College in Dawes County.
s a regional editor in the
Panhandle, my job takes
me to some of the most
magnificent public lands in the
state. Nebraskaland readers know
the Pine Ridge, Sandhills and
Wildcat Hills have no shortage
of natural wonders that serve a
nature photographer well.
Perhaps the destination I
am most thankful for does not
show up on most maps, and isn't
even outside the city limits of
my home, Chadron. As a matter
of convenience, the Thompson
Natural History Preserve and
adjacent land owned by Chadron
State College is my go-to when I
need a quick fix of the outdoors.
At less than 200 steps from
my house, I almost daily enter
a system of trails that course
around two ponds and hills
overlooking the town from a
vantage of more than 200 feet
above. With a diverse mix of wide,
multi-use trails of concrete or
buffalo grass, and undeveloped
single-track, the property serves
well for running, biking and
hiking. Our dog seems to love it
even more than I do.
In total, the trails cover about
200 acres of open property owned
by Chadron State College and the
Chadron State Foundation. Some
points of interest include Briggs
Pond, the landmark C Hill and a
makeshift labyrinth of stones in
the deep footprint of the city's
old cistern. After a 2006 wildfire
scorched the ponderosa pines on
the hills, much of the property
evolved from forest to grassland.
Wildlife is still plenty attracted
to it.
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