Pancakes to Prairies

Becky and Kevin volunteer periodically to make sheet pancakes for the church. We had the privilege of helping out, and were kept busy! We made like a kazillion pancakes; chocolate chip and blueberry. Both were very popular! I have no further pictures because we were busy cooking and serving…

Sunday afternoon we went with the church’s Birding Group to a place outside of Blair, Nebraska. This was our first outing with them, and we had a great time. Only six folks made the trip, so we all piled in our Suburban, which worked out well because we could all chat together.

We saw lots of waterfowl, but no new ones for us. However, the day was beautiful (but COLD) and we had a great time.

Linda is a Great Birder and seems to be in charge of the birding group

Here in the middle of the prairie, the wreck of a steamboat was found! I never would have guessed it, but steamboat shipping reached clear into Montana in the 1880’s. The Bertrand was a 161 foot ship, with a draft of only 18 inches when empty. They believe she only drew about twice that when fully loaded. In 1865 she headed north from St. Louis headed for the Montana Territory, carrying supplies for miners and settlers. She hit a snag and sank in 12 feet of water. Nobody lost their lives, but most of the cargo was lost. Over the years, the river changed course, and the remains of the steamboat were lost. It was discovered again in 1968, over one hundred years after the sinking. When it was found, they excavated over 150 tons of the original cargo. Some of this is in the Visitor’s Center, which was closed, so now I have to make another trip! I understand it’s a nice time capsule of what was important 100 years ago. Ok, over 150 years ago now…

Monday had us driving all over the place, in search of furniture. Somebody told us there was a great store in Beatrice, about a half hour south of our house. We found the store, and we ended up buying a headboard. Across the street was this interesting old store…

Created in 1887 by John and Anna Schmuck, the building is probably the most interesting in Beatrice. John and Anna lived in the top floor, while they rented out the other floors. The basement housed a saloon, the main floor a dry goods store, and the second floor had offices and apartments. At the time Schmuck built this “Schmuck Block,” three railroads served Beatrice and it was a thriving hub for merchandise. John and his wife died before 1920, but the fascinating building has been occupied ever since, and is now remodeled with “Every square inch in use.”

Tuesday morning we got going very early, to join a guided bird tour in the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center. I’d only thought Sunday’s trek was cold. This was COLD! But very beautiful! Just four of us went this morning, and there were about that many others there, so we had a nice group. Again, no great sightings for us, but we learned a lot and had a good time.

A major goal of the Spring Creek Prairie Center is to preserve the prairie in its natural state. With over 1,300 acres of natural prairie, this is one of the largest prairie grass patches. The grasses are amazing, providing sustenance and shelter for lots of wildlife. Like all the birds we didn’t see! (We did see one nice deer)

This land was once owned by Kathie O’Brien, who was quite a cowgirl. She raced in national competitions, and it says she was 1972’s World’s Champion All around Cowgirl. She was into birds and the prairie itself, and when she died over a thousand acres were donated for this conservation area. A couple of her famous horses are buried here, inside this rustic fence.

This sign talks about the Nebraska City – Ft. Kearny trail. It says in the late 1800’s thousands of tons of supplies were shipped over this trail, supporting gold miners, settlers, and army forts.

At one point our guide pointed out a Praying Mantis egg case on a bush. I figured it was dead (did I mention it was COLD?) but he said that Praying Mantises, like some spiders, have their young in these little cases, which lie dormant until the weather warms up. He told about one year when he was a kid, they got a Christmas tree, and didn’t realize it had a number of these cases hidden in the branches. After a few days in the warm house, they came alive. He remembers his mom’s blood curdling scream when she arose in the morning to see the entire wall covered with spiders! (I think that was the last real tree they got… maybe for us too!)

Ethel Abbott was born in 1895, and moved with her family to Lincoln as a young girl. She later married Raymond Page, who operated the Lincoln Aircraft Company – where Charles Lindbergh learned to fly! Her second husband was Christopher Abbott, who owned 7 ranches and was president of 9 banks. He operated Prairie Airways in Lincoln and Rocket Air Service in Omaha. His passion for flying ended up killing him, however, in a crash during a hunting trip. Mrs. Abbott established many charities, and when she died a substantial portion of her estate went to these causes. I think the Audubon society and this Center were a part of those donations.