Nebraskaland

ike many Nebraska communities, McCook began as a railroad town. In 1882 the Burlington and Missouri Railroad needed a division point between Lincoln and Denver. Rather than build at the existing towns of Indianola or Culbertson, the railroad started a town halfway between, where it owned land. McCook soon became the largest city in southwestern Nebraska. But on the morning of May 31, 1935, McCook residents weren't thinking about the railroad. It was the Republican River that had them worried. Flood waters came rushing through the valley as a wall of water, leaving 40 men trapped on the roof of the city power plant. Hundreds of people watched helplessly from shore. They feared the building would collapse, but no one dared swim the torrent of water. Someone came up with a bold plan. Using the power lines, the men on the roof pulled a rope to the building. Then a man pulled himself across and brought back a telephone cable car to carry men to safety. Two men were rescued this way before the water tower collapsed, taking the line with it and sending one man into the water; he survived, but the rest of the men were stuck until the water receded the next day. Not everyone was so fortunate. Across southwestern Nebraska, the Republican River Flood of 1935 killed more than 100 people – one of the deadliest natural disasters in Nebraska history. The following years saw the construction of several flood control dams along the Republican and its tributaries – so many that the Nebraska Tourism Commission has accurately dubbed southwestern Nebraska "Prairie Lakes Country." McCook lies within a half-hour's drive of three of these scenic lakes— Swanson, Red Willow and Medicine Creek – each of which is a state recreation area with ample facilities for boating, camping, fishing (bass, crappie, northern pike, walleye and others) and hunting (pheasant, quail, waterfowl, and white-tailed and mule deer). In McCook itself, downtown has historic buildings and restaurants, specialty shops, a fine arts gallery, a historic theater and free summer concerts at the Norris Park band shell. The Bieroc Cafe on Norris Avenue is known for year-round live folk music performances by national artists, and the Loop Brewing Company is a must-stop for dinner and drinks. Norris Avenue takes its name from U.S. Senator George Norris (1861- 1944), one of the most influential statesmen of the 20th century. His house is open as a state historic site and is part of the Heritage Square walking tour, which includes the homes of three Nebraska governors and a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. McCook is also home to Heritage Hills Golf Course, a challenging 18-hole links course located on hills overlooking the Republican River valley – where the deadly floods are long gone, but the scenery remains. Gotomccook.com. ■ By David Bristow McCook Barnett Park along the Republican River' Senator George Norris State Historic Site McCook's City Power Plant – 1935 McCook PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ik a R D Named in honor of Alexander McDowell McCook, a Brigadier General in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

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