This original Lincoln Highway bridge near Overton has been preserved. It sits between US 30 and the Union Pacific tracks.
In Gothenburg, they have moved an old Pony Express Station to a park in town so more people can visit it. The man inside told me about the year-and-a-half in which the Pony Express operated. He said that stations were set up every 10 miles or so, and that riders rode about 100 miles at a time, switching horses at each station. The coming of the telegraph ended the need for the service.
In North Platte, I saw the Buffalo Bill Ranch. This is where Buffalo Bill Cody would rest in between tours of his Wild West Show and entertain guests. Cody is famous for working with stagecoaches, railroads, and of course touring the country with his Western act. Within site of the house was a huge modern rodeo stadium, and the biggest rodeo of the season was set to begin there the next day.
West of North Platte is the Union Pacific's Bailey Yard. It's the largest railyard in the world, measuring about 8 miles long by 2 miles wide. Trains go up and down these tracks all day and night, and they are all processed here in one way or another. There's a diesel garage, a place to put sand in the engines for ballast, tracks on which to sort and connect cars, and a fueling station. They have built a tourist tower called the "Golden Spike Tower" which is eight stories high.
Ogallala, Nebraska, had a restored canopy service station which served as a visitor center. The statue of the friendly attendant is called "Hugh."
Ogallala was famous as a "Wild West" cowboy town. Many of the undesirables who met their end there in shootouts, as well as early innocent settlers, were buried in a place called Boot Hill. The name comes from the fact that so many were buried "with their boots on," often in a canvas sack. Most of the bodies were moved by their descendants when a city cemetery was established, but the cemetery here remains with the typical wooden "headstones" and a statue of a "trail boss." These men led the cattle drives from Texas to this part of Nebraska, trying to get cattle onto trains headed east or west.
Kimball, Nebraska, not far from Wyoming, has a really wierd piece of playground equipment. It's actually part of a ballistic missle, now made into a kid's play set.
Finally made it into Wyoming! Cheyenne, the capital, is only about 30 miles across the border. That's where I spent the night.
