Historical tour, workshops to prelude Chautauqua By BRANDON NELSON Staff Reporter
A chance to delve into local history is planned just ahead of the 2014 Chautauqua. S cot t s Blu f f Nat iona l Monument and Legacy of the Plains staff and volunteers are teaming up to host a pioneer history tour and a homesteading workshop today. “Free Land? 1862 and the Shaping of Modern America” is the 2014 Chautauqua theme the tour and workshop aim to complement. The “Free Land” Chautauqua, which is coming to Gering and Scottsbluff on June 24, will allow audiences to experience and explore the collective effects of the Homestead Act, the Pacific Railway Act, and the Morrill Act on Nebraska, the Great Plains and the nation. The day will begin with the pioneer history tour at the monument from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The tour will take participants over Robidoux Pass, where they will see an old trading post site along with pioneer graves and ruts left behind by wagon wheels. Winding down into Carter Canyon, the bus will also stop by the Robidoux Trad i ng Post , a repl ic a str uct ure reconstr ucted usi ng hund red -yea r - old hand-hewn logs and period furnishings. W hile the 2 014 Chautauqua theme is primarily focused on homesteading,
Saturday, June 21 10 a.m. — “ Pioneers Lead the Way for Homesteaders” Meet at Legacy of the Plains Museum for a guided car tour of Robidoux Pass and the Trading Post, led by Park Ranger Wesley Gant of Scotts Bluff National Monument. 1 p.m. — “Exploring Homestead Records”, Legacy of the Plains Museum, learn about how to access homestead information, workshop led by Jack Preston. Monday, June 23 1 to 5 p.m. — Youth Chautauqua Camp, Harms Center, Western Nebraska Community College Tuesday, June 24 1 to 5 p.m. — Youth Chautauqua Camp, Harms Advanced Technology Center 6 p.m. — Meet the Chautauquans, Legacy of the Plains Museum (2930 Old Oregon Trail, Gering)
Photo by Brandon Nelson
Scotts Bluff National Monument staff will host a tour of Robidoux Pass and Robidoux Trading Post today. The tour will take participants over Robidoux Pass, where they will see an old trading post site along with pioneer graves and ruts left behind by wagon wheels. Participants will also see the Robidoux Trading Post, pictured, a replica structure situated a few miles south of Gering.
Monument Superintendent Ken Mabery said pioneers paved the way for settlers and are a critical part of homesteading history. “One leads right into the other,” he said. “Pioneers coming through saw how desirable the land was and word of that reached back to the people who would become settlers.” Following the tour, history buffs are invited to make their way to the museum, where a chance to research original homestead properties awaits them. Held in
conjunction with the West Nebraska Family Research & History Center, Legacy of the Plains and history cent er st a f f w i l l lead a workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. that will allow participants to look up digitized records dating as far back as the early 1900s that recount details of some of the original homestead properties in the valley. After a brief presentation explaining homesteading and how the records were created, museum volunteer and board member Jack
Preston said three projector screens will display the records as staff and workshop participants research family names and landholdings. “People are welcome to watch or look something up,” he added. The original documents contain detailed information about a piece of land, including building materials used and the types of crops planted, as well as personal information about the settlers. F rom t he s i z e of t he house on the property right
down to when the landowner received militar y discharge papers after serving in World War I, the records often have plenty to reveal, Preston said. “You can learn a lot of things from these records, things people could never find in other places,” he said. The tour and workshop are both free and open to the public. For more information, call the monument at 308436-9700 or the museum at 308-436-1989.
Chautauqua uses many devices for entertainment By BRANDON NELSON Staff Reporter
With roots dating to the late 19th century, the Chautauqua event’s original purpose was to use oratory, literary readings and musical per formance to enter t ain people and inform them about the political and cultural happenings of the day. Kristi Hayek, Nebraska Chautauqua coordinator for Humanities Nebraska, said organizers are working to uphold that tradition today by inviting scholars-in-residence to dress in period garb, breathe life into the past and bridge historical events to modern life. “Yes, we’re dealing with history, but our hope is that by bringing the community together and having such great scholars onhand to answer questions, the topics will connect to current applications and will get people talking about what these things mean and how it impacts us now.” Centering its theme on a four-year series, “Free Land? 1862 and the Shaping of Modern America,” the 2014 Chautauqua will encourage its audience to experience and explore the collective impacts of the Homestead Act, the Pacific Railway Act and the Morrill Act on Nebraska, the Great Plains and the entire nation. The influences of these three pieces of legislation, all passed within six weeks of each other in 1862, will be discussed by historians portraying prominent historical figures, such as Union general and railroad builder Grenv ille Dodge, author W illa Cather, Ponca chief Standing Bear, author and homesteader L aura lngalls Wilder, homesteader and inventor George Washington Carver, and humorist Mark Twain. Hayek said these portrayals are a central piece of the Chautauqua experience. “Some of them you’ll know and some you won’t. We like to try to introduce people to historical figures they may not have heard of before,” she added. Each night, from June 24-29, Twain will moderate each of the 40-minute, first-person present at ions f rom t he histor ica l figures and then allow for questions from the audience. Workshops for both adults and children will take place throughout the week and help participants examine the Chautauqua’s themes in further detail. T he themes include the unfolding of the American “free soil, free labor” ideal held by period policymakers, the railroad and rapid economic development in the West, displacement of Native Americans, a broader access to public education and opportunities for people of the West and the potential for social mobility within the increasingly educated populace of the developing American West. Not only did these subjects affect millions of war veterans, easterners, U.S. citizens, immigrants, women, African-Americans and Native Americans, Hayek said, they continue to impact modern A mericans. “ We try to choose topics that we feel will resonate with a lot of different folks,” Hayek said. “Whether it’s homesteading, migration or displacement of the Native A mericans, ever yone should be able to find some of part of the story that speaks to them.” For more information, visit www.nebraskachautauqua.org.
Courtesy photo
Young chautauquans answer questions from the audience during a Nebraska Chautauqua event in Papillion. The Youth Chautauqua Camp will be next week and will allow youngsters to research and portray characters from western Nebraskan history.
Camp offers youth chance to bring past to life By BRANDON NELSON Staff Reporter
A camp offering area youth a chance to become historians, script writers, researchers and actors is coming to the Panhandle for the first time. The Youth Chautauqua Camp will kick off on Monday, June 23, and over the week youngsters will connect with local figures from the past. The free camp, which will meet in Harms Advanced Technology Center in Scottsbluff, is being put on in conjunction with the 2014 Nebraska Chautauqua and is open to students entering grades five through nine. Coordinators Judy Amoo and Lisa Betz said the camp has room for 20 participants. From 1 to 5 p.m. each day during camp week, young chautauquans will work on developing their chosen historical characters through acting, storytelling and research exercises. Betz said numerous characters are up for grabs, including a Fort Mitchell soldier, a pioneer doctor, a newspaper editor, Red Cloud and other Native American tribesmen. In addition to performance tips from Ride Into Histor y actors A nn Birney and Joyce Thierer, participants will be transported to local libraries, museums and the West Nebraska Family Research & History Center to gather background on their characters. “We’ll take them through the process of becoming someone else and presenting the stories their characters were involved in,” Birney said. “We want to evoke a lifelong appreciation for history and help them develop research skills. We want them to come away with a deeper appreciation for their local history and how they connect to it,” After rehearsals, the young chautauquans will don costumes and take center stage on Friday, June 27, under the big Chautauqua tent
at the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering. Each young chautauquan will spend three to five minutes presenting an accurate and entertaining portrayal of their character before fielding questions from the audience. Their performances will complement the acts of historians portraying prominent historical figures, such as Union general and railroad builder Grenville Dodge, author Willa Cather, Ponca chief Standing Bear, author and homesteader Laura lngalls Wilder, homesteader and inventor George Washington Carver, and humorist Mark Twain. The historians will represent the national perspectives on the Nebraska Chautauqua theme, “Free Land? 1862 and the Shaping of Modern America,” which focuses the collective impacts of the Homestead Act, the Pacific Railway Act and the Morrill Act on Nebraska, the Great Plains and the entire nation. Stories of local happenings told by the young chautauquans will anchor this greater storyline to the North Platte Valley, Nebraska Chautauqua Coordinator Kristi Hayek said. “They give us that local feel. Presenting the stories from your own area puts that local spin on what we’re trying to do and explore with the Chautauqua,” she added. Volunteers are needed to serve as elders for the camp. Betz said volunteers would support young chautauquans in their research endeavors and serve an encouragement as they develop their characters. Anyone with a particular knowledge of western Nebraska history would be a valuable resource, she said. “We need people who are willing to work with young people, be an encourager, allow them to shape the storyline and find their own answers,” she said. To register for the camp, call 308-635-6700. For more information, call Amoo at 308-6356702. Character ideas and elder volunteers may be directed to Betz at 308-672-1114.
Local music groups to jazz up Chautauqua By BRANDON NELSON Staff Reporter
T he songs and sounds of times gone by will fill the air during the 2014 Chautauqua, which will kick off in Gering on Tuesday, June 24. Music groups from western Nebraska and eastern Wyo-
ming will jazz up the Chautauqua’s historical topics and presentations by performing an array of traditional ditties ranging from war ballads to bluegrass. Program Coordinator Beth Trupp said the Chautauqua pla n n i ng com m it t e es pu r p os ef u l l y s ou ght out a re a
acts that are reminiscent of the Chautauqua’s focus era. All events will center around the 2014 Chautuaqua theme, “ Free L a nd ? 18 6 2 a nd t he Shaping of Modern America,” which explores the collective effects of the Homestead Act, ENTERTAINMENT, page 11A
Wednesday-Sunday, June 25-29 H o m e s t e a d A c t 15 0 t h Traveling Exhibit, Scotts Bluff National Monument Wednesday, June 25 10 a.m. — Native American Storytelling (Youth Workshop), Harms Advanced Technology Center Noon — “The Railroad: How Did They Build It & How Did It Almost Fall Apart? ” Patrick McGinnis (Adult Workshop), Lied Scottsbluff Public Library 1 to 5 p.m. — Youth Chautauqua Camp, Harms Center 2 p.m. — “Exodusters,” Paxton Williams (Adult Workshop), Lied Scottsbluff Public Library 6:30 p.m. — Yes Ma’am, Chautauqua tent 7 p.m. — Warren Brown as Mark Twain, Chautauqua tent 7:30 p.m. — An evening with Willa Cather (Betty Jean Steinshouer), Chautauqua tent Thursday, June 26 10 a.m. — “Dogs vs. Cats,” Betty Jean Steinshouer (Youth Workshop), Harms Advanced Technology Center Noon — “America in the Gilded Age,” Warren Brown (Adult Workshop), Gering Public Library 1 to 5 p.m. — Youth Chautauqua Camp, Harms Advanced Technology Center 2 p.m. — “Dispossession of the Plains Indians,” David Nesheim (Adult Workshop), Gering Public Library 6:30 p.m. — Gering City Band, Chautauqua tent 7:15 p.m. — Warren Brown as Mark Twain, Chautauqua tent 7:30 p.m. — An evening with Grenville Dodge (Patrick E. McGinnis), Chautauqua tent Friday, June 27 10 a.m. — “The Plant Doctor,” Paxton Williams (Youth Workshop), Harms Advanced Technology Center Noon — “The People of My Antonia, O Pioneers! & The Song of the Lark,” Betty Jean Steinshouer (Adult Workshop), Gering Public Library 1 to 7 p.m. — Youth Chautauqua Camp, Chautauqua tent 2 p.m. — “The Civil War & Its Impact on the Great Plains,” Patrick McGinnis (Adult Workshop), Gering Public Library 6 p.m. — Youth Chautauqua presentations, Chautauqua tent 7 p.m. — Green Valley Homesteaders, Chautauqua tent 7:15 p.m. — Warren Brown as Mark Twain, Chautauqua tent 7:30 p.m. — An evening with Laura Ingalls Wilder (Karen Vuranch), Chautauqua tent Saturday, June 28 Noon — “The Rise and Fall of the Wild West,” Karen Vuranch (Adult Workshop), Lied Scottsbluff Public Library 2 p.m. — “Mark Twain’s The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” Warren Brown (Adult Workshop), Lied Scottsbluff Public Library 6:30 p.m. — Torrington Fiddlers, Chautauqua tent 7:15 p.m. — Warren Brown as Mark Twain, Chautauqua tent 7:30 p.m. — An evening with George Washington Carver (Paxton Williams), Chautauqua tent Sunday, June 29 2 p.m. — “Telling Your Own Story,” Karen Vuranch (Adult Workshop), Gering Public Library 6:30 p.m. — All Nations Native American Dance Group, Chautauqua tent 7 p.m. — Warren Brown as Mark Twain, Chautauqua tent 7:30 p.m. — An evening with Standing Bear (Taylor Keen), Chautauqua tent All Chautauqua events are free and open to the public. The Chautauqua tent is located at Legacy of the Plains Museum, 2930 Old Oregon Trail. In case of inclement weather, tent programs will be held at Gering High School, 1500 U St. Adult workshops will be held in the community rooms at the Lied Scottsbluff Public Library, 1809 Third Ave., and the Gering Public Library, 1055 P St., and are scheduled to last an hour. Youth workshops will be held at the Western Nebraska Community College’s Harms Advanced Technology Center at 2026 College Park and are intended for children in grades K-4.
ENTERTAINMENT: Local music groups to jazz up Chautauqua Continued from page 10A Grenville Dodge will take t he st age on T hursday, the Pacific R ailway Act, June 26, at 7 p.m. to provide a nd t he Mor r i l l A c t on a 40-minute account of his Nebraska, the Great Plains exploits as a Union general and the nation. and railroad builder after “ We w a n t e d t o f i n d the Gering City Band serper formances that were enades the audience with appropriate for that time turn-of-the-century marchframe, so we called around es at 6:30 p.m. and all of the groups were On Saturday, June 28, excited about performing,” Chautauqua attendees will Trupp said. The local group Green have a chance to listen to Valley Homesteaders will one of Goshen County, Wyperform their brand of blue- oming’s, oldest music orgagrass and old-time tunes nizations. Trupp said the twice during the Chautau- Torrington Fiddlers will qua week. Their first set rosin up their bows at 6:30 will begin at 6:30 p.m. on p.m. and whip through a seTuesday, June 24, during ries of bluegrass songs bethe Meet the Chautauquans fore a Chautauquan scholar recounts in character the event. L ater in the week, the story of homesteader and group will prelude a Chau- inventor George Washingtauqua scholar’s first-per- ton Carver. “I’ve been told (the Torson presentation as author a nd homesteader L aura rington Fiddlers) have 16 Ingalls Wilder with a short members in their group and I’ve heard very good set on June 27 at 7 p.m. World War II-era jingles things about them,” she presented by the Yes Ma’am said. The All Nations Native singers from Bayard will entertain audiences at 6:30 A mer ica n Da nce Group p.m. on Wednesday, June will round out the Chau25 before Chautauqua host tauqua week with pow wow and humorist Mark Twain dances in traditional garb introduces a Chautauquan at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June portrayal of author Willa 29. Trupp said their group’s Cather. dances aptly prelude Ponca A lso, historical f igure Chief Standing Bear’s per-
Photo by Brandon Nelson
In this recent photo, members of the Green Valley Homesteaders sing an old-time tune at the Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast in Scottsbluff. The band will be one of several groups providing entertainment during the 2014 Chautauqua, which will kick off in Gering on Tuesday, June 24.
spective on the homesteading period. Prior to the music group performances, food vendors offering hamburgers, popcorn, drinks, candy and ice cream sundaes will open their stands each night at 6 p.m. “There’s quite a variety of food and we’re encouraging people to come early to hear the music and eat dinner before listening to the speakers,” Trupp said. “This will be a fun time for the whole family.”
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CORNHUSKER STATE GAMES
JULY 18–27, 2014
CSG ATHLETE SPORT CLINICS The Nebraska Sports Council is proud to bring one of Nebraska’s most famous athletes home to work out with YOU! Former professional basketball player, Erick Strickland, will host sport clinics in five communities across Nebraska in five days. All youth ages 5-18 are invited to participate. Cost is $20 per person. All registrants receive a souvenir t-shirt and an autographed photo of Erick. Register today at: http://www.cornhuskerstategames.com/athlete_clinics
ERICK STRICKLAND
Fallbrook YMCA (700 Penrose Dr.)
Former Nebraska Cornhusker, NBA Basketball player and 1998 CSG Mystery Torchlighter, Erick Strickland, played nine years with the Mavericks, Pacers, Bucks, Celtics & Knicks and is now the Player Development Coordinator with Give & Go Hoops. It is his passion to implement skills,techniques and discipline needed to become better in all areas of an athlete’s life. He works with young men and women as they pursue their dreams of playing at the next level in college and beyond. PRESENTED BY:
WITH SUPPORT FROM:
The CSG Athlete Sport Clinics are held in conjunction with the Cornhusker State Games Torch Run