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Shannon Trail still offers attractions after Lewis & Clark’s 200th anniversary expedition
The Shannon Trail in Northeast and North Central Nebraska traverses 240 miles of lush farm ground and dedicated rural residents – and traveling it can be done in a day.
A trio of trail supporters – led by Laurie Larsen of Bloomfield, who is the Shannon Trail president – recently searched the byway for coffee drinkers and local personalities.
The group talked to the characters of the rural byways and updated photographs for a photo display at the upcoming Shannon Trail and Northeast Nebraska Tourism fundraiser, “Dancing with the Radio Stars,” at the DeVent Center in Norfolk on April 18.
“They have developed a niche,” said Wausa photographer Bill Wiese. “These rural people have recognized a need and the small communities are taking care of business.”
Even though Pvt. George Shannon won’t get lost again on the trail in Northeast Nebraska – as historians indicate happened during the original Lewis and Clark expedition more than 200 years ago – rural Nebraskans all along the trail have created stopping sites that demonstrate their determination to stay alive.
They include the Heimes couple who recently purchased a small convenience store north of Hartington and also a Minnesota couple who discovered life in the center of Knox County was just what they had been looking for. The simple life is appealing to more visitors every day.
At the St. Helena Store owned and operated by Loren Bender for 38 years, you can buy a bag of crisp apples, shovel handles, work boots, fan belts and hot dogs.
Over a cup of coffee, Bender will pass along historical facts about the 150-year-old town like the building that houses his business. It was built in the 1930s with creosote lumber from the abandoned roundhouse in Wynot.
Even though the coffee probably also was hot at home, many area residents visit their local corner convenience stores for a fresh cup while driving by, morning and afternoon.
In Wynot, the Farm Store not only sells feed, generators, dressy watches and smoke alarms, but also has the owners – brothers Brian and Eric Pinkelman – repair a local farmer’s International tractor in their roomy backroom shop. They fill a need from a bygone era and take great satisfaction with their specialty.
For the local businessmen and residents, it’s not about wanting more but looking at what there is and making it work.
Donavon and Jeanne Schmidt near Crofton began their collection of antiques 41 years ago. The antiques don’t go out the door as fast as they used to, so they tighten the belt and make do.
Less than 10 percent of their vast stock can be viewed Online, but they do still have dealers who call regularly for items with specific antique value.
Only two years ago, Valorie and Terry Zach built the Whitetail River Lodge in Niobrara under the direction of an Amish neighbor because they saw a need for good lodging in the area and an expert hunting guide.
It works for the couple who not only saw hunters this past winter but also area women visited the lodge for a tea party during the long winter months.
When you enter Jack’s Qwik Stop in Verdigre, the distinct aromas drifting out the door is a calling card for small town diversity. Only in Nebraska can you buy genuine Bohemian home-made wieners and bologna as well as freshly-made pizza carry-out, kolaches, beer and gas – all in one stop.
The Lindy Country Club welcomed several coffee drinkers who talk about the beautiful Nebraska spring day and add ideas for a Lindy town reunion being planned in June.
Small towns are making the move back to basics and striving to make a comeback. The owner of the Cozy Corner Cafe in Verdigre has purchased the vacant hotel building next door and she will offer catering just a hop, skip and a jump from her kitchen in a quaint atmosphere in the old rooming house.
The simple life and friendly personalities entice visitors to think about the rural life. They are committed to the rural life style and dedicated to invite everyone to sample a taste.
SHANNON TRAIL RELIVES THE LEWIS & CLARK ADVENTURE IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA
Welcome to Private Shannon Country! Shannon Trail invites you to relive the adventure in scenic Northeast Nebraska where in the late summer of 1804 Private George Shannon, the youngest member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, was lost for sixteen days.
Shannon Trail Promoters was created in 2001 in an effort to make Lewis & Clark history come alive, to promote tourism, and to unite area communities in a common effort. The Nebraska communities involved are Bloomfield, Bow Valley, Center, Creighton, Crofton, Hartington, Lindy, Niobrara, St. Helena, St. James, Santee, Verdel, Verdigre, Wausa, Winnetoon, Wynot, and the Ponca and Santee Sioux Nations. The Trail encompasses an area steeped in history, dotted with pioneer cemeteries and ghost towns. Jesse James reportedly hid out in the rugged wooded terrain known as the Devil’s Nest, where a curious formation of trees and brush on a hillside forms the word, “DEVIL.”
A National Park Service grant and donations from local banks contributed to the placing of sixteen wayside signs commemorating the life of George Shannon. Following the Expedition, he was wounded in a battle with the Arikara in a failed attempt to return the Mandan chief, Shekeke, to his village; his leg was subsequently amputated above the knee. He helped Nicholas Biddle prepare the first narrative account of the Expedition for publication. Shannon then became an attorney and circuit judge, served in the Kentucky and Missouri state legislatures and ran against Thomas Hart Benton in a bid for the U.S. Senate. He died at age 50.
A local artist, the late Joe Serres, created thirteen life-size wooden chainsaw statues of Private Shannon, each in a different pose, one complete with a horse. These are located in participating communities along the 240-mile trail, artfully displayed among native plantings, wildlife carvings, national and state flags and the distinctive Shannon flag with artist Ray Kelly’s drawing of Shannon on a yellow background. The Lindy display also features a Nebraska Department of Roads historic Lewis & Clark Campsite sign.
In 2008, Shannon Trail will be sponsoring motor coach tours of the Trail to coincide with the Knox and Cedar County Fairs and other local events. Geocaching sites are available along the Trail and the Heartland Experience Group offers agritourism on-the-farm experiences. The Kreycik Elk Farm is noted for its hospitality. Craftsmen Town & Country Woodworkers Creations of Crofton built a miniature version of the Expedition keelboat, which is now on display at the Niobrara Museum.
A Shannon Trail volunteer compiled weekly articles on Lewis & Clark for area newspapers. Trail volunteers give talks at area schools and distribute information about Lewis & Clark. Shannon Trail brochures are displayed at participating businesses. To date, more than 40,000 have been distributed.
Shannon Trail has received grants and funding from the National Park Service, the Peter Kiewit Foundation, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Nebraska Arts council, the Nebraska Division of Tourism, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Greenspace Program, the Knox County Visitors committee, Great Plains Communications, local banks, a private donor, and in-kind contributions from the communities involved.
Shannon Trail has also sponsored special fundraisers.
- 1) Concerts by the Discovery String Band.
- 2) A concert and dance featuring area native Joanie Keller of Nashville fame.
- 3) Original Shannon musicals written by a local playwright and songwriter and performed by local talent. Robert Shannon Anderson, a collateral descendent of George Shannon, made guest appearances at the plays. Wearing his period costume, he mingled with audiences and displayed his exhibit of historical pieces, which includes a copy of the Harper’s Ferry rifle similar to the one his famous ancestor may have been using.
- 4) Sales of prints featuring artist Ray Kelly’s drawings of Private Shannon, with the original poetry of Edward R. Cook.
- 5) Sales of T-shirts with the Shannon logo. These were also distributed to a different school each month to inspire student interest in the rich history the area has to offer.
- 6) An auction of Lewis & Clark paintings by a local artist.
- 7) Ongoing sales of a CD entitled “Voices Of The Trail,” which incorporates special sound effects and music by the Discovery String Band and Calvin Standing Bear, with narrations by Hal Stearns portraying Meriwether Lewis, Mel Hankla as William Clark, Darrel Draper as George Drouillard, Hasan Davis as York, Joyce Badgley Hunsaker as Sacagawea, Bob Anderson as Shannon and Rudy Thomas as Thomas Jefferson.
Shannon Trail has become a certified National Park Service Trail. The organization has received three awards from the Nebraska Tourism Industry: 2002 Outstanding Tourism Awareness Campaign, 2003 Outstanding Regional Organization and 2006 Outstanding New Event. The Trail also received the 2004 National Community Improvement Award.
In 2006, the Northeast Nebraska Resource and Development Agency in Plainview nominated Shannon Trail as a presenter at the 2006 National Tourism Extension Conference. In September of that year, four members of Shannon Trail were honored to represent Nebraska at the conference in Burlington, Vermont, which included twenty-four states and three countries.
Although the final selection in 2007 was “Discovery Bridge,” “Private Shannon Bridge” won the popular vote as a proposed name for a new bridge spanning the Missouri River between northeast Nebraska and South Dakota at Yankton.
Karla V. Sigala, Interpretive Specialist, noted, “The George Shannon Trail organization has been monumentally effective in bringing together people from 16 communities and two American Indian Tribes in a combined effort to tell the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the eyes of Pvt. George Shannon. This is an example to other communities across the country and they should be recognized for their efforts.”
A sign at the junction of U.S. Highways 81 and 84 invites travelers to Visit Shannon Trail Country. Shannon Trail Promoters continues to explore new ideas for attracting visitors to the largely-undiscovered historic and scenic treasures of this portion of the Lewis & Clark trail. They are currently seeking funding for extended newspaper and magazine advertising, as well as 30-second television commercials for the Outdoorsmen Adventures markets.
Shannon Trail President Laurie Larsen may be reached at
The Shannon Trail PromotersC/O Laurie Larsen, President
Box 489Bloomfield, Nebraska 68718
Phone: 402-373-2663
lklarsen_72@gpcom.net