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/768942
58 NEBRASKALAND • JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017 Nebraska's history. "To anyone who might hear my story, I would urge them to, if at all possible, visit the markers and not just read about them on their phones," Springgate said. "Nebraska history comes to life when you are reading the marker story while standing on the actual location of the historical event." His best example is the Republican River Flood of 1935 marker in Furnas County. "Reading the marker narrative and looking behind the marker at the horizon, then turning around seeing the opposite horizon distance, really gives you scale of how vast and deep the flood was where you are standing. Awesome experience," Springgate said. Springgate said one of the markers that touched him the most is the Rebecca Winters marker in Scotts Bluff County. Winters died from cholera en route to Utah in 1852. Lacking wood or stone, a family friend took the rim of a wagon wheel and etched her name on it. Visitors can still see the wagon rim tombstone today. "I can't imagine leaving your loved one like that," Springgate said. "These people were in the middle of nothing." Springgate doesn't just take a photo and leave. He carries a knife to clear away weeds and debris if a marker needs it. "Then we read the marker, thank the servicemen if that's applicable, and if it's a cemetery, we say a little prayer. We try to be as respectful as possible," Springgate said. Springgate's motorcycle is not just connected to his love of his history. It's also connected to a deep sense of patriotism. "I had a full Uncle Sam suit – I even cut my beard like Uncle Sam's – that I wore with American flags on my bike," Springgate said. "People in the parks would stop what they were doing to put their hands over their hearts. They were even saluting me. I was so humbled at that. I just get chills even talking about it now." He is also a member of the Patriot Guard Riders. "You wear a patch on your upper left of your jacket, and one time a mother comes up to me and thanks me, and I'm like, 'No, thank you for what your son does and what you and your family do,'" Springgate said. "As part of the junior high and high school crowd, I was one of the worst ones for saying, 'The war is terrible and the military is terrible.' As I got older, I thought I needed to make up for it, so I joined the Patriot Guard. I was never a protestor, but in my mind I was cruel. I see these young people now and I'm inspired by them." Springgate's interest in meeting people and hearing their stories has led to a strict no-GPS policy. He and his friends rely on maps and local guides. "If I can't find one, I check in at the local gas station. They seem to know everything," Springgate said. "When I bring in the maps, a whole group tries to help. People ask me, 'Why don't you just use GPS?' and I tell them, 'I wouldn't have met you if I used GPS.' We want to do it low-tech and meet people." Springgate said he often seeks police The Fort Omaha historical marker is located in northern Douglas County on one of Metropolitan Community College's campuses. PHOTO BY ALEX WILES