The Great Platte River Road Archway

How is it that we wound up at The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument? I'll have to rewind a bit and get to that in my next post. But for now, all you need to know is that the three of us had driven all day and were more than glad to stop and sleep in Kearney, Nebraska for the night. The Microtel didn't fail us. But morning came early since we had crossed time zones from Eastern Standard Time to Central Time. In the early morning hours, we assessed our travel timeline. We would have all day to drive 402 miles, so we had plenty of time to putz around Kearney before heading out. And the archway museum on the Interstate-80 overpass intrigued us.

We were The Great Platte River Road Archway's first visitors of the morning! The parking lot was empty (insert crickets chirping). While we waited for 9:00 to come, we cleaned the car of our travel crumbs and took a few pictures in front of the museum. Then we bolted with curiosity of what we would find inside.

The Great Platte River Road Archway. Location: I-80, Kearney, NE.

Due to the graphic nature of this image, buffalo censorship was used.

Once inside, we were were met by lively re-enactors who greeted us warmly and started us out on our tour. We were fitted with headphones that would guide us through 150 years of transportation across America to the unknown... the Great West.

Sound like something that only history buffs would enjoy? Not so. Every few steps, we were greeted with life-sized dioramas and characters sharing personal stories of their role in the westward expansion. We followed pioneers lamenting their uncertain migration by covered wagon, and the first trains making their way across the vast prairie. And in the end, we found ourselves in the middle of the first transcontinental highway -- the Lincoln Highway -- just exactly where we stood.

An escalator took us to the top of the overpass (left of characters).

Derek helping a pioneer girl. Her family's covered wagon encountered many problems along the journey west. The mountains and valleys and rivers were treacherous.

The characters were so life-like. We especially liked this diner's waitress.

Another shot of us at the diner.

After finishing the tour, there was more to see and do outside. A little bit bit of art...

and replicas of a Pawnee earth lodge, and a sod house like those built in pioneers' early years.









The Great Platte River Road Archway made for and unexpectedly awesome stop and a great history lesson. We've been to many living history museums, and this one ranks right up there as one of our favorites.

For more information, visit their website at http://archway.org