The Great Plains
Posted by: 
NevaP
N 40° 40.256 W 099° 07.307
14T E 489707 N 4502235
This marker gives a description of the vast geographical area just west of here and a general account of its settlement.
Waymark Code: WM1C7N
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 04/01/2007
Views: 42
The marker, located in a westbound I-80 rest area just past Kearney' alerts present day travelers to the history and appearance of the area they will soon be driving through.
The marker text reads:
West-bound travelers will leave the prairie regions of eastern Nebraska and enter the Great Plains within the next fifty miles. This semi-arid region stretching from Canada to Mexico and westward toward the Rockies was long known as the Great American Desert. Most early explorers and travelers thought the region to be of little value except to Indians and ranchers. Thousands of overland travelers followed this, the Great Platte River Road, to the Golden West, but it was not until the establishment of Nebraska Territory in 1854 that pioneers could legally settle here.
Even so, it was more than a decade later, after the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, that settlement of the Plains could succeed economically. Since the Interstate highway follows the verdant Platte River Valley, travelers will recognize the change in geography only gradually. Valley farmers were among the first to recognize the importance of irrigation, which has now spread to the upland Plains. Today this is one of the richest and most productive areas in the Great Plains.
This marker #202, placed by the Department of Roads and the Nebraska State Historical Society
Marker Name: The Great Plains
Roadside: yes
Web Address if available:: [Web Link]
City: Not Listed
Other: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post Pictures:
1. Close up of historical marker
2. Picture of surrounding area (would prefer to have the marker in the picture also). Thanks!