Nebraskaland

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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.

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JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017 • NEBRASKALAND 59 officers, firefighters, postal workers and sanitation workers to help him find a marker if it's missing. Springgate has also been responsible for finding a marker that was later restored to public view. The O.K. Store marker in Hall County was moved because of State Fair Park construction. When Springgate tried to find it and failed, employees spent three weeks trying to locate it. When they did, they called him and he came back out to take a photo. They've since re-installed the marker. "They said they were embarrassed it had gotten shuffled to storage," Springgate said. "They said they would put it up because of me, and later they called and said they had. I just thought, 'Wow, I made a difference.'" Finding a marker moved or missing does happen occasionally. Nebraska's historical marker program is the result of several programs working together. The first state-sponsored Nebraska historical marker was dedicated at Fort Calhoun on May 21, 1961. Other markers were installed to commemorate the Oregon Trail or other local history events and places. However, the Nebraska legislature decided in 1957 that recognizing Nebraska's historic sites uniformly and accurately was important for both historic record and tourism. The Nebraska legislature passed a bill that helped shape the program into what it is today. Local initiatives identify, create and fund the markers, while the NSHS edits and works with a foundry to make the markers, and the Nebraska Department of Roads installs the markers. The markers are made of white or silver text on a dark blue background with the seal of the State of Nebraska and the words "Nebraska Historical Marker." The markers range from large signs with two posts to one-post signs that lay nearly flat on a pedestal. Their costs range from $1,750 to $5,100 depending on size. "The majority are in really good shape," Springgate said. "It makes me very disappointed when I see bullet holes. There was gang graffiti on one in Douglas County that wasn't six months old. But some are just gorgeous, the way they take care of them. Some have spotlights and flowers and flags or white lattice fences." Springgate's bike is in the shop to get it ready for more marker hunting this summer. "The group of guys I ride with, we always talk about how 'it's the journey, not the destination,'" Springgate said. "Me, I like to have a destination. But my destination doesn't have to be set in stone." He's right. His destinations are set in aluminum. ■ 2017 marks Nebraska's 150th anniversary as a state. Springgate said one of the markers that touched him most is the Rebecca Winters marker in Scotts Bluff County. PHOTO BY BUTCH SPRINGGATE

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