he
Navy
probably
isn't
the
first
thing
you
think
of
when
you
hear
the
name
"Hastings,
Nebraska."
And
you
might
not
immediately
think
of
ships
and
sailors
as
you
drive
past
the
endless
acres
of
funny
earthen
igloos
along
Highway
6
—
but
they
tell
a
naval
story
of
World
War
II.
You
can
see
the
remains
of
Hasting's
war
history
on
a
self-guided
driving
tour
planned
by
the
Adams
County
Historical
Society,
Adamshistory.org.
The
city's
top
attraction,
however,
is
the
Hastings
Museum
of
Natural
and
Cultural
History,
which
boasts
of
being
the
largest
municipal
museum
between
Chicago
and
Denver,
Hastingsmuseum.org.
Many
visitors
come
not
for
history
but
for
sports.
The
Smith
Softball
Complex
and
newly
renovated
Duncan
(baseball)
Field
host
many
tournaments
and
is
the
current
host
of
the
state
high
school
softball
tournament.
Race
and
car
enthusiasts
come
to
Hastings
for
Motorsport
Park
Hastings
(MPH),
a
2.15-mile
road
course
named
by
Forbes
Magazine
as
one
of
its
"Best
Places
to
Speed
Legally,"
Racemph.com.
Downtown
Hastings
features
a
mix
of
local
shops
and
restaurants.
It's
a
good
place
to
park
the
car
and
go
exploring
on
foot
—
something
the
city
encourages
with
its
fountains,
bronze
statues
and
historic
buildings.
The
Back
Alley
Bakery
is
a
local
favorite,
with
fresh
pizza
and
bread
from
its
wood-fired
brick
oven.
The
Lark
hosts
live
music
with
its
popular
Listening
Room
Concert
Series,
Hastingsdowntown.com.
Kool-Aid
Days
is
this
town's
largest
extravaganza,
with
various
events
planned
over
a
3-day
schedule
each
year,
Kool-aiddays.
com.
■
By
David
Bristow
Hastings
he
yo
"H
The
Hastings
Museum.
me
ng
m
g
me
Hastings
PHOTO
BY
JIM
HEADLEY
PHOTO
BY
JULIE
GEISER
The
Lark
hosts
live
music
on
Friday
or
Saturday
nights.
Hastings
History
War
news
from
the
Pacific
had
mostly
been
bleak
during
the
first
half
of
1942.
Then
came
reports
of
the
stunning
U.S.
naval
victory
at
Midway
on
June
3-7.
Just
days
later,
on
the
10th,
the
government
announced
plans
for
what
would
become
the
nation's
largest
naval
munitions
plant.
It
would
be
built
near
Hastings.
It
all
happened
quickly.
The
government
forced
the
sale
of
49,000
acres
of
farmland;
construction
began
in
July
and
was
completed
early
in
1943.
For
Hastings,
which
suffered
through
years
of
declining
population
during
the
Great
Depression,
the
Naval
Ammunition
Depot
was
both
a
bonanza
and
a
headache.
A
flood
of
newcomers
resulted
in
a
housing
shortage.
Rents
doubled
overnight.
Some
plant
workers
complained
of
price
gouging
and
discrimination.
Others
saw
the
community
open
their
homes
and
welcome
newcomers.
The
depot
itself
was
enormously
productive,
with
10,000
military
and
civilian
workers
by
the
end
of
the
war.
At
one
point
it
was
producing
more
than
40
percent
of
the
U.S.
Navy's
munitions.
It
was
dangerous
work.
Twenty-two
people
died
there
in
four
separate
explosions.
The
worst
happened
Sept.
15,
1944,
killing
at
least
nine
and
injuring
53.
The
blast
was
felt
a
hundred
miles
away.
Even
so,
the
depot's
safety
record
was
excellent
by
wartime
standards.
The
plant
closed
in
1966.
NEBRASKA
STATE
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
RG2923-2-9
