After traveling south across the scenic Nebraska Sandhills amidst a late afternoon driving rain, we arrived in Ogallala, the historic cattle town on the Platte River. Nebraska, a great state, but my memories of Ogallala are less than great. It was here, 60 years ago that, as a teenaged Marine PFC driving through Ogallala, I was fined 14 bucks for a minor traffic violation. But I guess it makes a good story.
Apart from my ancient brush with the law there, Ogallala has an interesting history. As routes west tended to follow river valleys, the Platte River was the route of a part of the old Oregon Trail. The Pony Express followed that route and the present site of Ogallala was a station for that short-lived transportation enterprise. The transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869, followed that route. U.S. 30, dubbed the Lincoln Highway, was a major east-west route, following the Platte River and through Ogallala. Later it was I-80 along that route.
The town gained its fame, or notoriety, as a terminus for cattle drives from Texas to the Union Pacific railhead. The only cemetery in Ogallala between 1874 and 1884 was Boot Hill. More than 100 people were buried there during that period, rather remarkable as the population was less than 130 permanent residents at the time.
Today, the town has 4,700 residents. I don't know how much of their revenue is attributable to traffic fines, but I'm cautious when driving through that berg. Those 14 bucks I left there 60 years ago are worth a lot more in today's money. I have long ago contributed enough to enrich that town.
We wave good bye to Ogallala as we cross the Platte, head south, then west in that corner of Nebraska's High Plains. It's early evening, the rain diminishes to sporadic drizzle, and the air is cool and refreshing.
We pass through the town of Grant (population 1,145). It was at DJ's Bar and Grill, north side of Central Avenue, where Tom and I had breakfast when passing through there last year. We had arrived a bit too late for breakfast but they still had biscuits and gravy. I don't usually order that dish, but it turned out to be excellent.
We especially recall their energetic zippy waitress, Angela, who could be a trainer for that profession. We enjoyed that breakfast so much while visiting the local patrons and kidding Angela that we really should stop there again. But it's early evening and we wanted to push on to Colorado. Maybe on the way back, we would make it a point to stop there.
The High Plains is a subregion of America's vast Great Plains, encompassing the western portion of the Great Plains before the region reaches the Rocky Mountains. The High Plains includes southeast Wyoming; southwestern South Dakota; western Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and south to the Texas Panhandle; and eastern Colorado and New Mexico.
With low moisture and high elevation, much of it 4,000 feet and more, the region experiences wide ranges in temperature. Low intensity agriculture, including wheat and cattle ranching, are suitable to the area. But the Ogallala Aquifer under much of the region enables some high value irrigated crops such as corn and alfalfa. As the water level of the aquifer is declining and is not replenishable at an economically significant rate, there is concern over the long term economic viability of irrigated agriculture in the region.
The High Plains have one of the lowest population densities of the nation. The small towns have an especially tough time maintaining viability. Exceptions are Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas. Amarillo's prosperity is due to oil and natural gas-related enterprises. Lubbock is a regional economic center to a vast portion of west Texas, and home to West Texas University.
It's evening as we reach the northeast Colorado town of Holyoke and turn south on U.S. 385, billed as the High Plains Highway. It is mostly a rural two-lane route that runs the entire north-south stretch of Colorado very near its eastern state line. South from Holyoke, we pass through the small town of Wray, and soon reach Burlington that is right off I-70 that connects Kansas City and Denver.
Of course, preferring roads less traveled, we want nothing to do with I-70. You don't get a feel for the country by traveling the Interstate routes. We catch a motel at Burlington.
The next morning dawns cool and crisp and we head south on the High Plains highway. The landscape alternates between dry range country and cattle, wheat fields, and some irrigated acreage. The wheat is headed out and just barely starting to turn. In several weeks, those wheat fields will be waving a rich gold instead of green with just a hint of gold.
Its south through the small towns of Cheyenne Wells, Sheridan Lake, and eventually to Granada on the north fork of the Arkansas River. The north fork of the Old Santa Fe trail followed the north fork of the Arkansas River to what is now Granada, Lamar, Los Animas, and La Junta, before turning southwest to what is now Trinidad, Colorado, and eventually south to Santa Fe.
The High Plains Highway briefly jogs west from Granada to Lamar, but then goes directly south to the Colorado border with Oklahoma. U.S. 385 reaches Boise City in the Oklahoma Panhandle, then south to Texas. We cross the Santa Rita National Grasslands to Dalhart, Texas and take U.S. 54 diagonally across the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle and into New Mexico.
I normally stay overnight at Tucumcari. It is too early to stop for the night, but it's always the right time to stop at the Pow Wow Inn on Tucumcari's main drag. Even though it's only mid-afternoon, I have to partake of those huevos rancheros with the green chile sauce.
Next week: To Mesilla and return.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
Apart from my ancient brush with the law there, Ogallala has an interesting history. As routes west tended to follow river valleys, the Platte River was the route of a part of the old Oregon Trail. The Pony Express followed that route and the present site of Ogallala was a station for that short-lived transportation enterprise. The transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869, followed that route. U.S. 30, dubbed the Lincoln Highway, was a major east-west route, following the Platte River and through Ogallala. Later it was I-80 along that route.
The town gained its fame, or notoriety, as a terminus for cattle drives from Texas to the Union Pacific railhead. The only cemetery in Ogallala between 1874 and 1884 was Boot Hill. More than 100 people were buried there during that period, rather remarkable as the population was less than 130 permanent residents at the time.
Today, the town has 4,700 residents. I don't know how much of their revenue is attributable to traffic fines, but I'm cautious when driving through that berg. Those 14 bucks I left there 60 years ago are worth a lot more in today's money. I have long ago contributed enough to enrich that town.
We wave good bye to Ogallala as we cross the Platte, head south, then west in that corner of Nebraska's High Plains. It's early evening, the rain diminishes to sporadic drizzle, and the air is cool and refreshing.
We pass through the town of Grant (population 1,145). It was at DJ's Bar and Grill, north side of Central Avenue, where Tom and I had breakfast when passing through there last year. We had arrived a bit too late for breakfast but they still had biscuits and gravy. I don't usually order that dish, but it turned out to be excellent.
We especially recall their energetic zippy waitress, Angela, who could be a trainer for that profession. We enjoyed that breakfast so much while visiting the local patrons and kidding Angela that we really should stop there again. But it's early evening and we wanted to push on to Colorado. Maybe on the way back, we would make it a point to stop there.
The High Plains is a subregion of America's vast Great Plains, encompassing the western portion of the Great Plains before the region reaches the Rocky Mountains. The High Plains includes southeast Wyoming; southwestern South Dakota; western Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and south to the Texas Panhandle; and eastern Colorado and New Mexico.
With low moisture and high elevation, much of it 4,000 feet and more, the region experiences wide ranges in temperature. Low intensity agriculture, including wheat and cattle ranching, are suitable to the area. But the Ogallala Aquifer under much of the region enables some high value irrigated crops such as corn and alfalfa. As the water level of the aquifer is declining and is not replenishable at an economically significant rate, there is concern over the long term economic viability of irrigated agriculture in the region.
The High Plains have one of the lowest population densities of the nation. The small towns have an especially tough time maintaining viability. Exceptions are Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas. Amarillo's prosperity is due to oil and natural gas-related enterprises. Lubbock is a regional economic center to a vast portion of west Texas, and home to West Texas University.
It's evening as we reach the northeast Colorado town of Holyoke and turn south on U.S. 385, billed as the High Plains Highway. It is mostly a rural two-lane route that runs the entire north-south stretch of Colorado very near its eastern state line. South from Holyoke, we pass through the small town of Wray, and soon reach Burlington that is right off I-70 that connects Kansas City and Denver.
Of course, preferring roads less traveled, we want nothing to do with I-70. You don't get a feel for the country by traveling the Interstate routes. We catch a motel at Burlington.
The next morning dawns cool and crisp and we head south on the High Plains highway. The landscape alternates between dry range country and cattle, wheat fields, and some irrigated acreage. The wheat is headed out and just barely starting to turn. In several weeks, those wheat fields will be waving a rich gold instead of green with just a hint of gold.
Its south through the small towns of Cheyenne Wells, Sheridan Lake, and eventually to Granada on the north fork of the Arkansas River. The north fork of the Old Santa Fe trail followed the north fork of the Arkansas River to what is now Granada, Lamar, Los Animas, and La Junta, before turning southwest to what is now Trinidad, Colorado, and eventually south to Santa Fe.
The High Plains Highway briefly jogs west from Granada to Lamar, but then goes directly south to the Colorado border with Oklahoma. U.S. 385 reaches Boise City in the Oklahoma Panhandle, then south to Texas. We cross the Santa Rita National Grasslands to Dalhart, Texas and take U.S. 54 diagonally across the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle and into New Mexico.
I normally stay overnight at Tucumcari. It is too early to stop for the night, but it's always the right time to stop at the Pow Wow Inn on Tucumcari's main drag. Even though it's only mid-afternoon, I have to partake of those huevos rancheros with the green chile sauce.
Next week: To Mesilla and return.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
