Homestead National Monument

I set out today to finally put ninety-three to bed, and eventually ended up at Homestead National Monument near Beatrice. The monument resides on what once was Daniel Freeman's homestead, the first established under the Homestead Act of 1862.



Homestead is what I would consider a quiet attraction, the kind of place that rewards spending some time contemplating your surroundings. There isn't any overly spectacular scenery or attention-grabbing structures, just a very nice visitor center and a native prairie to walk through and clear your head. Today was a near-perfect day for the walk. It was just what I needed after a long week of doubts.



The best news is that I am ready to call ninety-three finished in the next few days. I've got some new ideas that I hope to be able to share soon. It's an exciting time (when I manage to look past all of the present uncertainty).

Also visited: Ellis, Odell, Clatonia, Adams, Louisville and Bellevue.

Saturday afternoon

I've decided to spend some more time on two counties that are the closest to home yet relatively unexplored during the time I've been working on ninety-three. First comes Washington County, which lies immediately north of the Omaha metro area. I spent most of the afternoon around the Missouri River near Blair and Fort Calhoun. There's still quite a bit of flooding in the area from the all rain we received in June. The road to Boyer Chute lies under water at the moment, but the flooding appears to be subsiding as we move into the far more dry weather of July.

Detail #2512 was found in the town of Nickerson, across the Elkhorn River in Dodge County.

Also visited: Herman, Fontenelle and Arlington.

Stromsburg, Nebraska

Today I revisited Stromsburg, the Swede Capital of Nebraska and one of my favorite small towns in the whole state. The town has a near-idyllic downtown square full of locally-owned shops and friendly people. It's a bit like going back in time.



Above is a barn that I photographed in early 2008 and was going to rephotograph today. Sadly, it appears that some sort of calamity has destroyed the structure since my last visit. The abandoned farmhouse and small silos are still there, however, quietly standing at the intersection of two gravel roads about two miles west of Stromsburg.

Also visited: Clarks and Silver Creek.

Gage County

I spent this afternoon revisiting Gage County, attempting to find a photograph worthy of being the final addition to ninety-three. It certainly was a gorgeous day for it, a reprieve from the almost daily thunderstorms we've been dealing with of late. I'm not sure I'm ready to call the day a success for myself, but we'll see.

The building in the photograph is the Elijah Filley Stone Barn, located a mile or so south of the town of Filley. The unusual barn was built in the 1870's and now finds itself on the National Register of Historic Places.

Also visited: Cortland, Pickrell, Rockford, Holmesville, Blue Springs and Wymore.