Sand Hills, Nebraska
Gentle rivers meander along pine-studded canyons, towering waterfalls and a veritable ocean of prairie grasses alongside America's largest man-made forest, a wildlife refuge of gigantic proportions and cattle ranches that are better comprehended from the air than the ground. It's a wide-open landscape. A landscape that inspired Mari Sandoz to produce some of this country's finest fiction. A landscape you'll enjoy exploring by car or canoe.
Explore Sand Hills
Cowboy Trail
By the late 1800s, the United States saw railroad tracks stretched, like a giant web, across its entirety, carrying cargo and travelers towards settlement in the West. Long silenced, abandoned, and almost forgotten, a hundred years later the rails are beginning to see travelers once again. They'
Ainsworth, NE RecreationNebraska National Forest
The Nebraska National Forest, located one mile west of Halsey and twenty minutes from Thedford along Highway 2 offers some of the most fabulous scenery in the state. It's been called a forest planted in the desert -- a ponderosa pine wilderness in the middle of the sandhills.
It'
Thedford, NE National ForestsKeya Paha County Courthouse
This building has supported the official business of Keya Paha County since is construction in 1914
Springview, NE Historic CourthousesThomas County Courthouse
Following the establishment of Thomas County, Thedford became the county seat in 1887, and a courthouse was built two years later. The courthouse served the county well until it was destroyed in a fire in 1920. After some delays a special election was held in 1923
Thedford, NE Historic CourthousesPost Office Mural - NHR
The former Valentine United States Post Office, constructed in 1936-37, is a one-story, brick and limestone Modernistic style building. While the building retains a high degree of integrity, its national historical significance derives
Valentine, NE National RegisterArthur Bowring Sandhills Ranch Historical Park
Ever wonder what ranch life was like during the settlement of the Sandhills in the late 1800's? A visit to the Arthur Bowring Sandhills State Historical Park will let you see
Valentine, NE MuseumsWalcott House - NHR
This one-and-one-half-story frame house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a simplified example of a Neo-Classical Revival dwelling, based upon earlier Greek Revival style houses in the eastern and mid-western states. F. M.
Valentine, NE National RegisterKeller Park Picnicking/Hiking
Picnic facilities are available for day use, while there is a large picnic shelter for family gatherings and other group get-together. Hikers, too, will enjoy this exceptional area, as they meander through the grasslands and canyons. There'
, NE HikingColeman House Museum
The Coleman House contains clothing, furniture, memorabilia, a genealogical file,
Ainsworth, NE MuseumsKeller Park Camping
An ideal get-away-from-it-all spot for campers, as well, camping enthusiasts
, NE CampingMiller Hotel - NHR
The Miller Hotel in Long Pine was originally built as a two-story frame house in 1895. It was converted to a hotel in 1914 when a ten-room wing was added. The hotel is historically significant for its association with the
Ainsworth, NE National Register