NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/668245
10 NEBRASKAland • MAY 2016 he town of Gothenburg brings visitors to one of the most interesting displays of history in miles. Dubbed the Pony Express Capital of Nebraska, it is loaded with glimpses of times past. The Pony Express consisted of relays of men who rode horses carrying saddlebags of mail across a 2,000-mile trail for faster communication with the west during the threat of the Civil War. The service opened April 3, 1860, and only lasted until Oct. 24, 1861, when the Pacific Telegraph line ended the need for the riders. Gothenburg has two Pony Express stations - the Midway on its original ranch site south of Gothenburg and the Sam Macchette station in Ehmen Park. The station in the park was used as a fur trading post and ranch house along the Oregon Trail southwest of Gothenburg before it was used as a Pony Express station. Named after Goteborg, Sweden, this small town is noted for its Swedish heritage, founded in 1882 by dreamer Olof Bergstrom, a minister from Goteborg. The Gothenburg Historical Museum offers visitors the opportunity to see the town's beginnings with railroad displays, photos, and memorabilia. The Sod House Museum is a time capsule of pioneer life featuring an authen- tic replica of an early sod home reflecting hardships faced by pioneer families. In the early 1890s a 10-mile canal was dug from the Platte River to create a reservoir named Lake Helen, which provided water-powered electricity and in return brought a brass foundry, flour mills and other factories to Gothenburg. After 1893 the industry boom days ended and the lake was primarily used for agricultural irrigation. Today the newly refurbished lake and recreation area has excellent fishing, a 2.5-mile exercise trail, and a Veteran's War Memorial to commemorate local residents who gave their lives in WWI, WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Lafayette Park, adjacent to Lake Helen, provides campsites and showers under a shelter of trees with scenic views of the lake. Traveling through Gothenburg visitors may drive on part of the original Lincoln Highway. The coast-to- coast roadway connected New York to San Francisco; at Gothenburg the highway crossed the river bridge and followed a narrow road, which is still visible, as it continued west on the south side of the river. In 1930 the Lincoln highway was rerouted onto what is now Highway 30. The Lincoln Highway is one of Nebraska's nine scenic byways and can be traveled today from Gothenburg to North Platte. After a day of discovering all the history in this small city, relax with a round of golf at Wild Horse Golf Club. A nationally rated 18-hole course open to the public, the links feature a driving range, putting and chipping green, a pro shop and snack bar. When it's time to retire for the day Wild Horse has new, four-bedroom cabins available by reservation. Other places to visit include the Ehmen Park Arboretum, the annual rodeo, the Swedish Crosses Cemetery, Walker's Steak House and Nebraska Barn and Grill. Plan your trip by visiting Gothenburgdelivers.com. By Julie Geiser Gothenburg he in Ex ti Wild Horse Golf Club Sod House Museum Gothenburg Pony Express Reenactment