Could you leave your home, your family, your friends, knowing you may never see them again? Could you do what the pioneers did, traveling the Oregon Trail, California Trail or Santa Fe Trail? Have you ever wondered what it must have been like?
I know a little bit about the Oregon Trail. My ancestors traveled to Oregon in 1847. My great-great-grandmother, Allie Ann McLain was four years old. I can’t imagine taking my four-year-old daughter on a dangerous trip like that. But she was strong and not only survived but went on to outlive three husbands – but not without hardship and loss along the way. Her story is a tale for another day.
If you’ve wondered what it might have been like, you can step back in time and walk along these trails at a wonderful tribute to the pioneer spirit at The Archway, in Kearney, Nebraska.
Spanning across all lanes of Interstate 80, you can’t miss it. We know, it’s not a backroad, but we want to honor heritage wherever we come across it. We just happened to go through the area on our way to an event in Grand Island, Nebraska. We had traveled back roads most of the way but hopped on the freeway for the last 20 miles, to get there in time. However, we kept thinking about the Archway and decided to go back to see it when our event was over.
It was very easy to get to with signs clearly marking the way. Parking is easy and plentiful.
Our little journey began outside, admiring the bronze statues (we’re suckers for bronze statues) and reading the stories on the plaques.
We often read the journals of adults but don’t always think about what the children thought and felt about the whole adventure. But with these statues, we learn what a girl named Elizabeth thought. “Mother says that the quicker we finish the chores, the more time we have for learning my letters and numbers. Ester and Joseph can already read and write well enough to help me some. Papa says that when more people move here if we all work together, we could build a church and a real schoolhouse someday. I can’t wait to go to a real school. So, we’ll stay.”
Next, we headed inside and found ourselves greeted by characters in costume, as well as a display of books about all the different trails – Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail, etc., by the author William E. Hill and his lovely wife, Jan. Of course, we picked up several copies of his books and enjoyed an in-depth conversation with the couple since we shared a love of history.
We went to purchase our tickets to go into the exhibit and to our pleasant surprise we found the tickets were only $5.00 because that day they were celebrating the 25th anniversary of their opening.
We showed a gentleman in mountain-man clothing our ticket and began our ride up the escalator to the second floor. It’s not a boring static ride up, as you can see “people” along the sides and a movie scene of pioneer days playing at the top as you enter the display.
We were given devices to listen to recordings of narrations, many of which were from diaries of pioneers who made the trek. Poignant, scared, sad, happy – they felt it all. Hearing the words from the actual travelers was emotional. Thunder and lightning raged overhead and accentuated the scene as the stories were told of harsh days.
The display doesn’t stop with the pioneer days. As you walk through the hallways, presentations of time and progress brought us up to the more recent times from the creation of national parks to the beginning of road trips and roadside diners.
The Archway is a heartfelt tribute to the pioneer spirit and the stories of bravery, hardship, despair, and triumph, along the various trails that these adventurous souls chose to cross in search of a better life and more opportunities.
In addition to the exhibit and displays inside the building, there is a pretty little lake and a historic bridge that leads to a sod house, as well as a hiking/biking trail, and picnic shelter. Be sure to check them out as well.
The Archway is located at 3060 E. 1st Street, Kearney NE 68847 at exit 275.
Hours are 9am-5pm Monday-Saturday and 12-5pm on Sundays.
Tickets for the historic exhibit area are (all other parts of the campus are free):
- $15 for adults
- $13 for seniors
- $12 for military
- $7.00 for ages 6-12
- Free for 5 and under.
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