March 2025 • Nebraskaland 61
Rocky Ford Campground, 1981
Pictured is Rocky Ford Campground, set up for over 50 people. This would have been a Friday evening before starting a two-
day canoe trip from Cornell Dam to Rocky Ford with an overnight camp at Fred Krzyanowski's pasture, with cattle and a few
horses near Smith Falls, now Smith Falls State Park.
Loren Wilson owned Rocky Ford campground and Wilson Outfitters, and he had an office in Lincoln for a number of years.
In spring, he would haul the canoes from Lincoln to the Niobrara and then back to Lincoln in the fall for repair or maintenance.
In 1980, I started working part time at the outfitter until a short time after Loren's death in 1986. Part of my job was to
bring ice cream from the UN-L dairy store packed in dry ice. It was served with fresh Dutch-oven-baked pies or brownies on
Saturday at Smith Falls after a steak dinner. Pancakes and sausage breakfast on Sunday morning. We hauled everything down
river with us, including folding picnic tables.
– Tom Bouse, Lincoln
Fishing at Lake Ogallala, 1998
Pictured are my sons, Joel Tophoj with one of his catches
and his brother, Mikkel, looking on. Earlier that day,
their grandfather and uncle went fishing at nearby Lake
McConaughy where they didn't have success. The boys, their
dad and uncle lined up on a dock at Lake Ogallala to try their
luck there. Within a few minutes, Joel caught his limit while
everyone else turned up empty-handed. What an exciting
day of fishing for Joel!
– Stephanie Tophoj, Brule
