62 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2015
I
t's always a good feeling to put a face to a name, particularly if one
has been following a Nebraskan writer's historic stories in magazines
for as long as their own history of reading magazines goes.
Even better when that very writer strolled into my office one
morning, just as I was beginning my own history as a Nebraskan
writer for a magazine.
"Tom Buecker," he stuck out his hand and gave a firm shake.
"Nebraska State Historical Society."
He was well-known and respected as a curator at the Fort Robinson
Museum for 26 years following eight years at the Neligh Mill State Historical Site, and had
been contributing to NEBRASKAland Magazine since 1979, before moving to Lincoln to work
at the Nebraska History Museum in 2011.
Naturally, I had questions. But he shot
first, after a quick glance at my desk. "I
see you like old photographs," he said
with smiling eyes.
The next afternoon, it was I gazing
happily through old photographs at his
his desk. He had invited me to visit and
shared rarely seen – most never-before
published – stereoscopic images of
the Red Cloud Agency circa 1870s, a
recent acquisition of the Nebraska State
Historical Society.
He was as lively as the 15th Street
intersection outside his downtown
Museum window as we examined scenes
of the Plains Indian life on the landscape.
We speculated into the afternoon: the
authenticity of early photographs, deciphering the white handwritten captions and sharing
stories his research had uncovered. It was a collection that would complement his latest
manuscript, Last Days of Red Cloud Agency, with publication scheduled for the fall of 2016,
a compilation of his meticulous research and extension of his previous publications describing
the extensive history of Fort Robinson.
I walked away with more questions than ever, but knowing he had helped me to answer the
one that I hadn't even thought to ask: Why is it vital to know our history, and continue to share
it with others?
The moment word came of
Tom's passing at the Kennard
House, I knew our history as
Nebraskans would change. Even
in his final moments, he was
caring for a historic structure,
as he did the others – the many
monuments of history that had
stood tall, witnessed much and
shared many a good story –
reminding us that our history
is always a part of us.
Just as he will always be.
Sharing History
Tom Buecker pictured at Fort Robinson State Park
in 2001.
PHOTO
BY
DON
CUNNINGHAM
en
y
d
d
Amy Kucera, Associate Editor
February 10, 2015
NSHS
RG5899-8-3
A
Lakota
man
in
full
headdress
at
Fort
Robinson,
1870s.
