NEBRASKAland's OWN

by Jane Sprague

YOU CAN SEE it for miles around, a soaring tower stretching upward to a clear Nebraska sky. Boldly it stands above all the rest, the Capitol of Nebraska. Sometimes cloaked in clouds, sometimes glistening silvery in the sunlight, or bathed in pink by the morning sun, it is the "Pinnacle of the Prairies", the proud symbol of the aspirations and ideals of the people who created it.

From a mass of stone, metal, and glass, an architectural masterpiece has been carved. The finest marbles, woods, stones, and mosaics combine into a picture of regal simplicity to make a capitol building that is among the most beautiful the world has ever seen.

Out of the Plains rises one of the worlds most beautiful buildings

Nebraska has had many capitols, both state and territorial. The present State Capitol building, the third to stand on Capitol Square, is by far the grandest of all. But preceding it came a lot of history.

In a tiny, two-story, 33 by 75-foot brick building in Omaha, the first territorial legislature met in 1855 FEBRUARY, 1962 3   to build a future state. This first Territorial Capitol was far from a proud structure. Instead of at massive walnut desks, the members sat at small school desks. Instead of a room surrounded by fine marble pillars, they used a room adorned with crude windows curtained in red and green calico. But humble as the building might have been, it was as distinct in the frontier city of Omaha as the present edifice is in Lincoln today. This was the only brick building found in Omaha in 1855.

NEBRASKAland's OWN continued

As Nebraska Territory gained stature, there was soon need for another, larger building. In 1858, the legislature moved to larger quarters in Omaha. With the granting of statehood, the capital was moved to Lincoln, at that time a city on paper only.

Plans were soon made to hold a competition for the building design, which many hoped would be the grandest in the young state. But no architects from Lincoln or Omaha answered the call. Finally, James Morris of Chicago submitted the only design. It was 4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   quickly accepted and state offices moved into the new structure in January 1869.

The building which was to have cost only $40,000 had cost $75,000 and was so poorly constructed that it had to be replaced after a dozen years of service.

The second structure was built on the same site and was ready for occupancy in 1888. It, too, began to deteriorate within a short period of time, and by the turn of the century there was some talk of building another new building. It was not until 1919, however, that the legislature made provisions for the present structure.

That year the legislature passed the bill authorizing the governor to appoint a commission to oversee the building of today's Capitol. The first thing on the commission's agenda was to lay the groundwork for a competition that would bring to them an architectural masterpiece, indicative of Nebraska spirit.

Two separate competitions were to be held. The first would be open only to Nebraska architects, FEBRUARY, 1962   the final one would be a nationwide competition in which the three winning Nebraska firms would compete with an invited group of nationally-prominent firms. The winner of this final competition would become the architect of the new building.

NEBRASKAland's OWN continued

When the competitors had been selected, they voted and chose three non-competing architects to act as a jury in selecting the final winning plan.

In June 1920, the jury gathered at the governor's mansion for their monumental task of selecting the winning entry. For three days, the jury deliberated over the numerous designs, all identified only by number, that were entered in this final, all-important 6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   competition. Finally, on June 26, the judges selected the plan.

When the sealed envelope holding the name was opened, Bertram Grosvener Goodhue was revealed as the winner. His highly unconventional design had captured the judges' imagination.

Goodhue's creation was a departure from the traditional domed building. Instead of a dome, a majestic tower reached toward the sky. He had studied the state. The rolling prairies and the life that went on there gave him his idea of simplicity and grandeur.

All art would display the ideals of Nebraksa people and the past, present, and future of the state. Vivid colors, beautiful marble, the very finest wood, all would combine to provide a building that was distinctly American.

Lee Lawrie was chosen to be the sculptor, Augustus Vincent Tack the mural artist. Hildreth Meiere was to be the tile-designing artist. Dr. Hartley B. Alexander, former faculty member of the University of Nebraska and world-renowned philosopher, handled the inscriptions and symbols used.

On April 15, 1922, ground breaking for the new building took place. Governor Samuel R. McKelvie plowed a furrow across the lawn and the work got underway. On Armistice Day of that year, the cornerstone was laid along with the one from the old Capitol. The tremendous job that would take 10 years had begun.

With work started, Nebraska's only state-owned railroad was built. A line seven blocks long was built to transport material to and from the grounds at a minimum freight rate. More than a mile of switching tracks were laid on the grounds.

For more than 10 years, the "Capitol and H" hauled over three carloads of material a day. These carloads carried a total of approximately 600,000 tons which a Capitol Commission engineer estimated would make a train 42 miles long.

During the initial stages of construction, the old building was retained for use as offices. This, coupled with the fact that Nebraska built the new Capitol on a pay-as-you-go basis, necessitated the erection of the new building in four separate sections.

State offices moved into the completed portions of the first section in December 1922. Construction of the second section, which included the inner cross except for the west wing, was finished in 1928. The third section, the tower, was opened in 1929, and the fourth and last section, the west wing, in 1932.

The finished building was immediately recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world. The FEBRUARY, 1962 7   base of the State Capitol, typifying the wide-spread, fertile Nebraska plains, and the tower, an expression of the aspirations and ideals of the citizens, combined to make one of the most balanced and unified buildings ever erected. In 1948, 500 of the nation's most eminent architects ranked the Nebraska State Capitol fourth on their list of the 25 best buildings the world has seen.

NEBRASKAland's OWN continued

The original estimate for the building of the new Capitol was $9 million, but by the time it was finished it had cost $10 million. If it were to be built again today, it would cost at least five times that amount.

The money for the construction of the Capitol was secured by a special levy and the building was completely paid for upon completion in 1932. Since it had been paid for as it was being built, the building was completed without the state incurring a bonded indebtedness.

Using stone, steel, glass, and wood, architect and artists have created a work of art that possesses not a single frill. Simplicity and unity are the keynotes of a building that is useful as well as beautiful.

When Goodhue designed the Capitol, he eschewed the use of a dome. The space in a dome could not be used, while a tower would contain much useful space. He first thought the state archives could be stored in the tower, but in later years it has been turned into office space for various departments.

Both interior and exterior of the State Capitol building have a definite pattern of art. The majesty of the law is the leading theme. Proceeding westward from the main north entrance, 18 great pictures in stone depict the development of the law from the earliest times. Three panels pierced in the great central pavilion facing south show episodes in the development of Anglo-Saxon freedom. Encircling the entire building, binding it all together, is a frieze including the names of the 93 counties.

High above the ground, carved in enduring stone, great lawgivers such as Moses, Solon, Justinian 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   Caesar, and Charlemagne stand guard. Four huge figures representing wisdom, justice, mercy, and power are above the north entrance.

Indians and their contributions to the Plains development are also honored. Passages from tribal rituals combine with huge Nebraska bison to show how the Indians developed in Nebraska. Also found here are the names of the 10 principal tribes which lived or hunted in the state.

Once inside the north entrance, vivid colors and beautiful marble give a sense of warmth and vitality to the stone building. The columns of red Verona marble from Italy in this hall are among the largest single-piece marble columns in America, each weighing over 30,000 pounds.

Directly in the center of the building beneath the tower is the rotunda. The 112-foot-high dome is equal to the height of a 10-story building. The bronze chandelier weighing over 3,500 pounds extending down nearly 80 feet from the dome is the largest FEBRUARY, 1962 9   of its kind in the world. The celestial rose design of the tile mosaic dome is predominantly in tones of blue and gold and is composed of a cluster of the eight virtues fundamental to civilized society.

NEBRASKAland's OWN continued

The floor of the rotunda, in black and white marble mosaic, shows the creative energies. Bringing these mosaics to the Capitol was an enormous job in itself. Miss Meiere worked on them in her New York studio, putting her ideas into drawings on heavy brown paper. Workmen then carefully chipped away small pieces of marble and placed the pieces to exactly fit the ones in the drawings.

When all the marble was pieced together, it was pasted on the design and the paper cut and shipped to Lincoln. Once in the Capitol, the paper was laid on the floor. When it was removed, the pictures were in their proper places on the floor.

Leading off the rotunda into the East Senate Chamber are the famed Indian doors. Carved by Keats Lorenz of Lincoln, the doors show the Indian Tree of Life. Bright colors, quite typical of Indian work, blend with rich Honduras mahogany to give warmth and beauty. Four inches thick, each door weighs 750 pounds but swings easily on one-inch steel bearings. Inside the East Senate Chamber, once again the Indians' contributions are shown. All styling here is purely American in nature.

Directly across the rotunda is the West Senate Chamber. Entry here is through doors symbolizing the white man's Tree of Life. Symbolism of the chamber shows the coming of the white man to the Plains and his contact with the Indians.

The law library, with its six miles of shelves containing over 150,000 books is dominated by a mural showing a pioneer mother on the Nebraska Plains. Included in the library are not only the current laws of each state, but those going back to colonial days as well. Federal reports are also here as well as books of laws of English-speaking foreign countries, the earliest one dating back to 1574.

In the tower, 247V2 feet above the first floor, is Memorial Hall. Dedicated to the forms of heroism called for in public service, the inscription surrounding Memorial Hall is the closing words of Lincoln's second inaugural address. Eight marble pilasters rise 47 feet up the 70-foot-high room.

From the balcony surrounding the tower the huge thunderbirds directly under the tower dome can be clearly seen. Red, blue, and gold mosaic, the colors are such that they show more clearly on rainy days.

The dome itself is covered in a gold-dipped tile. It was decided that gold leaf or metal would wear too easily. Each tile is anchored to the adjacent tiles with brass dowels to prevent possible detachment.

High over the dome, on a double pedestal of a shock of corn on top of a sheaf of wheat is the symbolic Sower. The statue is a one-inch-thick bronze shell weighing over 8 tons. He stands barefooted wearing an Egyptian hood.

From its wide-spread base to the top of the magnificent tower, the Nebraska State Capitol is a masterpiece. One of the most unusual and beautiful capitol buildings in the world, it has departed from tradition and brought a new concept in architecture. It stands today, a proud building gracing a proud state, a reminder to all the state's citizens of the ideals and aspirations that have been attained since the first pioneers found a new life in Nebraska.

THE END 10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

MORE WATER AHEAD

by Wayne Tiller Hold on to your hats. Nebraska's on way to becoming West's water wonderland

PLANS ARE now on the drawing board that will turn NEBRASKAland into a paradise for today's water sportsman. From federal and state agencies comes word of the tremendous boom in outdoor recreation that will take place here within the not too distant future.

All over Nebraska, huge lakes will come into being, bringing with them their boating, fishing, camping, and other recreation potential. Nebraska now possesses 3,350 natural lakes and many manmade impoundments. Proposed projects could boost this total by 50,000 surface acres of water.

Some day soon, Nebraskans and visitors from all over the country will be relaxing and enjoying all these reservoirs can offer. It has been said that more recreation can be concentrated on one acre of water than on 1,000 acres of land. At the rate the water surface acres are growing in the state, recreation seekers can look forward to a supply of elbow room.

Right now, Bureau of Reclamation work is going on at sites like Sherman, Red Willow, and Merritt FEBRUARY, 1962 11   dams to bring more water and recreation to the state. Soon other dam-building sites like these will be springing up in other sections of the state. Where they will be, and their recreational value is of the utmost importance to Nebraskans.

MORE WATER AHEAD continued

Sherman Dam, now taking shape in the Oak Creek valley five miles northeast of Loup City is scheduled for completion late this year. When finished, the 119-foot-high, 4,580-foot-long, earthen-filled dam will impound a beautiful reservoir covering a surface area of more than 2,850 recreation-packed acres.

At Sherman Reservoir, anglers can find plenty of sport and take advantage of endless outdoor recreation opportunities. Boaters will find plenty to satisfy them, too, as will any lover of the outdoors. Plans call for land surrounding the lake shore to be placed under the management of the Game Commission.

Planning of state projects on the area is well advanced. Recreation facilities will include a boat-launching ramp, a picnic and camping area, sites for private cabins, a group camping area, and a fishing bridge over the mouth of the inlet canal. To provide good fishing, a complete kill of the fish presently in the canal and streams will be made before the reservoir is stocked with bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and walleye.

The newest addition to southwest Nebraska's great lakes area is Red Willow Reservoir, 10 miles north of McCook. Red Willow will increase the water surface in the region by 1,628 acres. The 128-foot-high, 3,150-foot-long earthen dam is going in just upstream from where U. S. Highway 83 crosses Red Willow Creek.

Red Willow is the fifth large lake to be constructed in the nine-county Republican River drainage region. Aside from providing irrigation water for the agricultural area between McCook and Cambridge, the big reservoir will also control and detain some of the gushing waters which periodically flood the creek.

Outdoor recreation will thrive at Red Willow. Fishing, boating, hunting, camping, and other activities will provide plenty of sport for visitors. Fishing will probably draw the biggest crowds when walleyes, catfish, bass, northerns, and other big fish start hitting.

Already fisheries technicians have started getting ready for the new lake. The 50 miles of flowing stream above the dam site have been rotenoned to execute a complete fish kill. Bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and smallmouth bass have been stocked in the treated waters. And northerns and walleyes will be stocked in the spring—rounding out the preliminary program to provide topnotch angling in the future.

To make the most of the natural recreation spots surrounding the lake, considerable shore line will 12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   most likely be purchased and turned over to the Game Commission for management as public recreation areas. Two boat-launching ramps plus a large day-use area are planned for the lake under this management arrangement.

The twisting and at times wild Snake River in the northern Sand Hills will soon be harnessed by Merritt Dam, 26 miles southwest of Valentine. Construction started on the approach road and the 140-foot-high, 3,100-foot-long earthen dam this past summer. It should be completed in mid-1964 to send valuable water down the 53-mile-long canal to an irrigation area close to Ainsworth.

The 2,700-surface-acre Merritt Reservoir will extend about 10 miles up the winding Snake River valley and will stretch about a mile up Boardman Creek to the south. This area of deep blue water close to the picturesque Snake River Falls could become a major tourist attraction and could easily become one of the more popular vacation areas in the state.

After a complete fish kill and restocking program, angling in this new deep-water lake should merit a top rating with fishermen. Trout, both browns and rainbows, could take hold in the crystal-clear, cold water above and below the dam as well as in the lake proper. If unexpected high water temperatures exclude trout from the lake, walleyes, pike, bass, and other warm-water fish will offer rousing action. Trees and brush in the deeper lake areas will be left to provide food and habitat for the new reservoir's fish population.

Wildlife will also benefit from the lake. A constant flow of water down the remaining stretch of the Snake to where it joins the Niobrara is expected to increase the number of animals along the stream. Merritt Reservoir should serve as a stopover for migrating waterfowl and probably as breeding grounds for native-nesting ducks.

Another trio of expected future lakes for NEBRASKAland is now in Congress for appropriations for construction by the Bureau of Reclamation. These projects on the Calamus River, Davis Creek, and Little Blue River, have been planned with the cooperation of state and federal agencies to be sure that recreation and natural resource values are properly considered.

On the Calamus River, bVz miles northwest of Burwell, the federal agency is planning a lake to cover 4,635 surface acres of the river valley. The dam will be 81 feet high and 6,300 feet long. In a preliminary survey the Park Service said the reservoir will provide opportunities for boating, fishing, hunting, picnicking, swimming, overnight camping, organized camping, seasonal cabins, and club sites.

Another impoundment is planned on Davis Creek, 5% miles south of North Loup. The reservoir will only cover an estimated 880 acres, although the proposed dam will be 94 feet high' and about 2,700 feet long. This structure will hold water for irrigation as well as recreation.

The last but possibly the most important of the proposed projects is Angus Dam and Reservoir on the Little Blue River, three miles northwest of Angus. It is closer to the Lincoln-Omaha metropolitan areas than any other large-water area in the state. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that public use of the area will run over 50,000 man-days a year or an average of more than 136 visitors per day.

Sprawling up the Little Blue, Angus Reservoir will offer 4,500 surface acres of water giving plenty of elbow room for all kinds of sport. The earthen-filled dam is planned to be 131 feet high and about 9,900 feet across the crest—big enough to control the river's occasional floods.

A series of smaller lakes near Lincoln is also important, due to their location in a heavily populated area. Three of the nine Salt-Wahoo projects located in Lancaster and Seward counties are now ready to be built by the Corps of Engineers and some of the projects are scheduled to be developed into special fishing lakes by the Game Commission. The total water-surface area of the lakes will provide 2,443 acres of recreational space.

The Norden project on the Niobrara River west of Valentine is still in the planning stage and also must go to Congress for appropriations before becoming a reality. It will provide 6,100 surface-acres of water area and stretch 15 miles up the river valley, almost to the base of Smith Falls. With preliminary planning congressional (continued on page 32)

POST WITH A PAST

by J. Greg Smith After raw, gusty career as lively frontier garrison, Fort Robinson lives again

FROM EVERY direction they came, and some still straggled in from nearby Red Cloud and even Spotted Tail Agency, driving their horses or running to join the mass that surrounded the lone man like a sea. The roar of their voices was like that of the north wind, and only he seemed calm in the face of the storm.

But a few of the thousands that crowded into every available open space of the small frontier army post gave a sign that they backed him. And even they seemed helpless against the mounted mass of warriors lined up behind Red Cloud and American Horse.

He stood alone, waiting to parley with the post commander. He wasn't a big man. Nor did he wear the decorations of a chief. Only a lone feather pierced his light brown hair and his dark blue shirt and buckskin leggings were unadorned. But he was a chief, nevertheless, a Sioux shirtwearer who led many of those thousands who now encircled him to their greatest hour only a year ago.

The Little Big Horn, Rosebud, and the earlier battles—these were but shallow victories now. For the great Sioux nation was split by fear and jealousy and hate. The old ways and the old life were gone, in their place, the reservation and plow.

It was too late to talk, the officer said, and he accepted it. His enemy, Little Big Man, the officer, and two troopers with bayonets marched him to the small building, and he accepted it. Only when he was inside the door and saw the men chained with leg irons did he rebel against all that had taken place.

He spun outside the door, his hidden gift knife now flashing the rays of the setting sun. Little Big Man screamed in anger, his hand gushing blood. The officer yelled his command and a bayonet rammed the guardhouse door. Twice more the trooper lunged, and the bayonet found its mark.

It was over. Done, his vision true. All hands were off of him. He staggered backward, turned half around, then sank to the ground, his shirt and leggings already drenched with blood.

The September moon cast strange shadows through the window of the adjutant's office, past the guard walking his post outside, past the two Indians hunched up on the floor. But he could neither hear nor see them. The stars shown brilliantly against a 14 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   midnight sky when he awoke from his drugged sleep. He opened his eyes, saw all for a moment, then saw nothing.

Crazy Horse was dead, betrayed by his own people. And because he was dead, because those that followed him did not strike back in revenge, the Sioux's long war was coming to an end. The time, September 5, 1877; the place, Fort Robinson, Nebraska, in the heart of the Pine Ridge. A new era had come to the Plains.

The death of the famed war chief was only one in a series of dramatic events that took place at Fort Robinson. Born by the Indian War, then made permanent by its long, drawn out aftermath, the post was Page 1 news throughout the 1870's.

Here 13,000 Plains Indians wavered between friendliness and hostility toward the whites. Here a major battle with the Cheyennes was fought in the very confines of the post. Here troops rallied to "Boots and Saddles" to follow such men as Crook, Sheridan, Mackenzie, and Merritt to battles at the Rosebud, Warbonnet, Cheyenne Outbreak, and Wounded Knee. Here Red Cloud and other agency 15   chiefs sold the Sioux's beloved Black Hills to the white man. Few posts can match the part Fort Robinson played in winning the West.

POST WITH A PAST continued

Fort Robirison is no longer a military post. The sprawling fort was declared surplus after World War II. But many buildings remain. The original adobe officers' quarters where Crook, Sheridan, and the others once trod are cabins for tourists as part of the Game Commission's state park program. And a huge brick barracks has been converted to a comfortable lodge.

The post headquarters now houses the State Historical Society's well-displayed collection of Indian War items. An impressive array of fossils taken from Nebraska's nearby Badlands are now on permanent display at the post theatre, now the University of Nebraska's Trailside Museum. And prized cattle feed where cavalry chargers once stood, part of the U. S. Department of Agriculture Beef Research Station.

Soldier Creek, the playground of the officers during the heyday of the fort, offers today's angler plenty of exciting action as do Hat, Sowbelly, and Monroe creeks on up in the butte country. And on the buttes themselves where troopers once kept watch for hostiles, sight-seers now climb. Horse trails now lace Red Cloud Buttes, offering the visitor an exciting panorama of Indian country.

But the past lingers on. You can feel it at every turn. Each site has its story—the White River where eight of Dull Knife's Cheyenne braves held off the entire garrison while the rest of his tribe made good their escape, Soldier's Grave Butte where enlisted men once sang and drank on its treacherous slopes, Comanche Hall named after the lone horse to survive the Custer massacre, the Wheelwright Shop where Custer supposedly drank with his non-coms.

The Cheyenne's bid for freedom is among the greatest epics of the frontier. Sent to Fort Reno in Indian Territory in 1877, the tribe escaped and fought its way through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska before being caught again near Fort Robinson.

When told that his people must return to Oklahoma, Dull Knife replied, "We are home. You may kill us, but you can never make us leave our land again."

Dull Knife's 149 men, women, and children were imprisoned in log barracks at the southeast end of the post for three months. On January 9 they made their second heroic bid for freedom. Using their few concealed guns, they opened fire on the soldiers guarding the barracks, overpowered them, and took their arms and ammunition. While the women and 16 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   children fled across the river, eight warriors fought off the alarmed garrison. Many Cheyennes fell between the barracks and the river but most escaped to the buttes where the battle continued for two weeks in Warbonnet, Smiley, Hat Creek, and Sowbelly canyons.

The Cheyenne Outbreak Battle is one of the ironies of the frontier. Many of the Cheyennes had been fighting for, not against, the army only two years before. General Crook considered them "among the bravest and most efficient" of those who fought under him and Mackenzie against the Sioux in 1876 and '77.

But all was not war and tragedy at the post. As in any other generation, enlisted men had their share of sport. The serenade at Soldier's Grave Butte is only an example of some of the devilment.

Taps had long since been played when singing came from the top of the steep butte. Awakened by the racket, the commanding officer investigated and found that a group of soldiers had hoisted themselves and several cases of beer to the top. When ordered to come down, they refused, instead throwing clods at the officer and members of the guard.

The commanding officer called off the guard, leaving only a few men to identify the revelers when they finally came down. The next morning the red-eyed participants were brought before the CO. Amazingly, the officer let them off with no more than a tongue lashing.

"After all," he said, "they did have some pretty good voices, and it's not every night one gets serenaded by good American youth."

But there were other occasions when the troopers weren't so lucky. One cavalryman was sentenced to a year at hard labor for riding his horse into a Crawford saloon. And at nearby Camp Sheridan at Spotted Tail Agency, a musician was court-martialed for disobeying an order relative to the key in which he played "First Call".

Surgeon McGillycuddy and later, the famed Walter Reed, usually had their work cut out for them. More than one soldier was brought back from Crawford with a bullet in his back or his head bashed in. Three soldiers from the post, one a holder of the Congressional Medal of Honor, were murdered and their crimes went unpunished. Another trooper was credited with drawing out on one of the town's marshals.

Trouble with AWOL soldiers, Indians, and hombres was almost a daily occurrence at the frontier post. Red Cloud Agency was a favorite hangout of many bad men. Such hard characters as Doc Middleton, Black Doak, Kid Wade, Lame Johnny, Paddy Simons, Tom Reed, and Herman Leisner stopped at the agency between raids. One stage holdup occurred within three miles of the fort, and the gold hasn't been found to this day.

Crawford was and is a true western town. Men from the surrounding cattle spreads still walk the streets in high-heeled boots and broad-brimmed hats. Come July, they and the whole town turns out for FEBRUARY, 1962   the annual rodeo and frontier days. Crawford is proud of its history—the days of Fort Robinson, Red Cloud Agency, the Deadwood Stage, Chisholm Trail —all are a part of its rip-roaring past.

POST WITH A PAST continued

Named for Captain Emmet Crawford, the town came into its own after the post was established. And the post was the direct result of the transfer of the Red Cloud Agency from the North Platte River to the White River.

The Oglala were boiling mad over the 1873 agency move. It was made while the majority of the Sioux were away on a summer hunt. When they returned in the winter, Indian Agent Saville had his hands full of trouble. At first, the army was afraid to send troops into the hotbed, believing that an all-out war would result. But they could hold out no longer, and in March 1874, the Sioux Expedition was launched.

Some 547 cavalrymen and 402 infantrymen began the business of keeping this shaky peace at both Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, the Brule Sioux's reservation near present-day Chadron, Nebraska. Continuing trouble prompted the construction of permanent camps at both agencies.

All was fairly quiet until the 1874 Custer Expedition reported gold in the Black Hills. The rush was on. The garrison at then Camp Robinson was directed to stop the influx, an impossible task.

Having grabbed off more of the Indian's land, the government was now eager to buy the Black Hills, the last straw as far as the Sioux were concerned. A treaty conference was held at Red Cloud Agency in September, but the Indians refused to touch the white man's pen. Another meeting was held 10 miles east of the agency. This time the members of the Peace Commission barely escaped.

The inevitable followed. Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe rode as one and Robinson became the springboard for the army's campaign. The Battle of the Rosebud, the Custer Massacre—victory was sweet but short lived. Crook, Mackenzie, and Miles had campaigned well, and with the surrender of Crazy Horse at Camp Robinson in May 1877 the war had ended. Over 5,000 once-warring hostiles were crowded into the two Nebraska agencies. During the height of the campaign, 53 companies of troops were at Fort Robinson.

The Sioux's spirit was completely broken following the murder of Crazy Horse, and in the fall of 18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   1877 both the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies were moved to the Missouri. Ultimately the Sioux moved to the present reservation in South Dakota.

Camp Robinson became Fort Robinson in 1878, and with the coming of the railroad to Crawford, eventually replaced Fort Laramie as the army's post to guard the frontier. After the ghost dance outbreak and the battle with Sioux Chief Big Foot at Wounded Knee, garrison life settled down to normal.

Cavalrymen at the now permanent post were called out to fight against the Spanish in Cuba and the Philippines. World War I passed the famed post by, being over before it could become organized as a Signal Corps training center. Following the war, the fort became a Quartermaster Remount Depot. It eventually developed as the world's largest station, with thousands of horses and mules. During these years, fort personnel gained fame for their feats of horsemanship and polo.

Fort Robinson was prepared when World War II rolled around. Thousands of horses and mules were ready for service. But the fort eventually served a triple roll. In 1943, a war dog training center was established there. That same year 3,000 German soldiers were housed in a Prisoner of War Camp only a short distance from the sight of the Red Cloud Agency.

The later years of the post's existence were exciting and important ones, but they could never match the 70's when the entire frontier was afire with the threat of war with the Sioux. It is for those years that Fort Robinson will always be remembered.

Fort Robinson stands on the threshold of an even more exciting era. With its tremendous history and the added attractions of Red Cloud Agency, Toad Stool Park, Agate Fossil Beds, breathtaking scenery, and outstanding hunting and fishing opportunities found nearby, it can't help but be considered one of the state's finest attractions. The people of Crawford and the State of Nebraska are now working toward making it just that.

THE END FEBRUARY, 1962 19

DESIGN FOR A DECADE

by Bob Morris

FOR NEBRASKA OUTDOORS, 1961 was a top year. It was a year that saw many records broken, new game bird and fish species introduced, and many improvements made in park and wayside facilities. It was a year of advances the state's outdoorsmen could take advantage of immediately, but it was also a year when the groundwork was laid for even more expansion in the future.

Passage of the .30 mill tax levy for state parks by the 1961 legislature was probably the most significant development in the last decade. The action makes possible a 10-year state-wide capital improvement program that will bring Nebraska up from an also-ran in tourism and recreation potential to one of the leaders in the country. Although the program will not get fully underway until 1963, when income from the levy becomes available, much work and planning has already started. Funds will enable the Game Commission to acquire and develop much needed land for state parks and wayside areas.

Six lakes are assured in the first 25 miles of highway in the Platte River Parkway with considerable planning completed in 1961. Eventually lakes and other facilities will dot the length of Interstate 80. Acquisition and restoration of Buffalo Bill's Scout's Rest Ranch at North Platte was assured in 1961. Development of this area into one of the state's great historical attractions will be started early this spring. Agreements with the U. S. Corps of Engineers for development of the Salt-Wahoo lakes will add 2,400 more recreation-packed water acres.

The number of people using and enjoying Nebraska recreation facilities greatly increased in 1961 with all park attendance and income records broken, pointing up the need for even more funds.

A modern swimming pool was finished at Chadron State Park and four additional cabins were completed at Ponca State Park. The sand beach at Fremont Recreation Area was finished. One-hundred-forty-five acres were acquired at Long Pine Creek for development as a wayside-recreation area.

Six additional public use areas went into operation last year, and four others were acquired for future development. Access on the Missouri River 20 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   for boating, fishing, and recreational use was obtained at Dakota City, Nebraska City, and Brownville, with facilities to be completed as soon as possible. In addition, a badly needed concrete boat-launching ramp was constructed at the Santee area at Lewis and Clark Lake. Additional work there is planned this year.

Last year was great, but it was only a sneak preview of things to come

After a relatively mild 1960-61 winter, Nebraska's game population continued to rise, offering some of the most diversified sport in the nation. For the first time in 56 years, the entire state was opened to deer rifle hunters. In spite of adverse weather conditions during the rifle season, hunting success improved over 1960. Archers did even better during their long state-wide hunt, setting a new state record and marking Nebraska as a top bow-and-arrow deer-hunting mecca.

Nebraska's quail population increased as it recovered from the severe winter of 1959-60, and climbed 30 per cent over a year ago. Going hand in hand with the population rise, there was a marked increase in hunting success. Prairie grouse also showed a pronounced increase with a good breeding season.

Nebraska's duck population, found mostly in the Sand Hills area, had a normal breeding season with teal and mallards making up most of the native population. Large flights of ducks and geese spent much of the fall in Nebraska, giving sportsmen many excellent hunting opportunities.

The state's hunters can look forward to more game-bird hunting opportunities following the introduction of the Rio Grande turkeys. These, plus the existing flocks of Merriam's turkeys which have already been successfully introduced, add up to plenty of future sport. Merriam's did so well that some were live trapped in the Pine Ridge and moved to other locations in the state. Population increases give promise of an open season on Merriam's in a few years.

Another transplanting experiment that has shown great success was moving part of the panhandle's antelope herd to the Sand Hills. Great promise is seen in bringing the pronghorn population to the point where it will make up a significant portion of NEBRASKAland big-game hunting. During 1961, antelope hunters had exceptional success with 87 per cent bagging bucks.

A new game bird species was added with the introduction of chukar partridge. This import from Turkey is now being raised in an experimental program. Over half the eggs received hatched and are now being reared.

Additional scaled quail were introduced in select areas in the state. Initial planting began in the spring of 1960 in the Sand Hills and other appropriate sites.

A banner year was enjoyed by the state's fishermen. Three new species, Sacramento perch, striped bass, and Kentucky spotted bass have been brought to Nebraska on an experimental basis. Additional numbers of these fish are expected. If successful, they will add to Nebraska's fine sport for anglers.

Hatchery production of fish increased in 1961, particularly in the production of walleye and northern pike. Over one-half million fingerlings of desirable game fish were planted in Red Willow Reservoir, promising good fishing at the new impoundment within a year.

Five fishing records were topped in 1961, with an 8-pound, 5-ounce sauger caught in the Missouri River setting a new world record. State fishing records were broken with a (continued on page 30)

FEBRUARY, 1962 21

THE GREAT TRAIN WRECK

by Dave Jones Fishery Technician

ACROSS THE Nebraska prairie raced the Union Pacific train, headed for California. In a special car, 300,000 living fish from New Hampshire and Massachusetts were on their way to a new western home. This was 1873 and the West and the East were being drawn closer together by the long chain of rails stretching across the nation.

In the special fish car, tautog, striped bass, American shad, brook trout, channel catfish, American eel, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass, and even some lobsters and oysters had been carefully loaded for the long trip.

Through the night the train raced along, its lonesome whistle echoing through the darkness. Steam poured out as the engine pulled its cargo onto a bridge over the Elkhorn River. Suddenly there was a splintering and grating as old wooden beams gave way under the weight of the iron horse. With a grinding and moaning, the fighting, hissing train plunged into the tranquil river below. With it went the precious fish cargo.

The first fish stocking in Nebraska had taken place. Needless to say, some of the species didn't fare too well in the unfamiliar waters. But some of them took hold, and 1962's fisherman is still creeling some of these same species.

From the earliest days, anglers have been reaping the rewards of Nebraska's waters. And since the days of the earliest visits of the white man, there has been a certain inquisitiveness as to what species the Nebraska streams held.

In 1804, Lewis and Clark's expedition journeyed up the Missouri into what is now Nebraska. Naturally, they fished the river and adjoining streams and 22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   lakes for food. They made records of their catches, many of which are familiar today. From the Missouri, they took catfish, buffalo, and others which were possibly sauger, northern pike, or walleye. Their catches in adjoining waters were also recorded and were familiar species.

Nebraskas first fish stocking poured from cars toppling from the collapsing Elkhorn bridge

The Nebraska streams abounded with fish. Though the white man had always relied on fish for food and sport, the Plains Indians apparently didn't make great use of them. However, excavations at five Indian village sites in the Medicine Creek Reservoir area uncovered fish remains. One particular site containing remains of a catfish, a minnow, and sucker dated back to the period 630 to 1030 A.D.

Reports made by the early settlers on Indian life and customs contained very little mention of the Indians using fish for food, though it was noted that the Omahas occasionally ate buffalo fish, sturgeon, gar, and northern pike.

Though the Indians didn't make extensive use of fish for food, some species did have a ceremonial significance to the tribes. For instance, Pawnee Indians in southeastern Nebraska used a gar in their purification ceremony.

Many of the early pioneers recorded their catches in their diaries while crossing Nebraska on the Oregon Trail. In 1852, a party tells of catching shad and catfish from the Big Nemaha River and of catching "great quantities of catfish and a few pike" from the Big Blue River.

Back in the 1800's, when Nebraska was being settled, there were many reports of spectacular catches. Nebraska newspapers often listed these.

Catches of catfish weighing over 100 pounds were reported more than once. The Central Union Agriculturist in Omaha tells of a wild 1879 fishing experience.

"The bulkhead of the mill race (Elkhorn River) at West Point went out last week. About 500 pounds of fish, principally catfish, were captured, some weighing as high as 70 pounds. One huge catfish carried a full-grown man on his back into the river and then threw him off. The man was unable to swim, and it was with great difficulty that bystanders succeeded in fishing the man out."

Even hunters had fishing luck. Another story in the same Omaha paper tells of a party of hunters shooting two catfish, one weighing 40 pounds, and the other, 50.

But catfish weren't the only ones in the limelight because of their size. In 1880, August Kolterman caught a northern pike from the north fork of the Elkhorn River that was so big that after it was cleaned and cut into pieces, it was said to have filled a 20-gallon cider barrel.

Many books and pamphlets were written to attract settlers to Nebraska during the 1880's. In these publications mention was often made of the fish that abounded in the state's waters. One such booklet, published in 1878, describes the fish of Nebraska in the following manner.

"The brook trout is never found here. Catfish, sunfish, a good variety of the sucker family, black bass, pickerel, walleyed pike, and others of the common species of fish are abundant in most of the streams and easily taken."

When the first fish were accidentally stocked in 1873, there were many native species in the state. About 100 fish species are native to Nebraska. In 1875, two years after the Union Pacific train wreck, the United States Fish Commission tried an introduction of Atlantic saimon into the Missouri River at Omaha. In 1880, Chinook salmon were stocked by the Nebraska Fish Commission, forerunner to the present Game, Forestation, and Parks Commission, in Salt Creek, Big Blue River, Big Papillion Creek, Rawhide Creek, and Four Mile Creek.

The try at establishing Atlantic salmon and Chinook salmon was a failure. Atlantic salmon couldn't survive in Nebraska waters (continued on page 32)

FEBRUARY, 1962 23

BANK FOR BIRDS

by Vern Feye District Land Management Supervisor

NEBRASKA IS fast becoming known as one of the prime pheasant-hunting states in the nation. Ringnecks have been on the increase here since 1957. Thanks to modern management techniques, the gaudy birds have provided tremendous hunting opportunities, with long seasons and liberal bag limits being the rule rather than the exception.

But while the birds have increased, the amount of agriculture land in production has decreased. Landowners here have received payments for taking land out of production through the various federal land-retirement programs. Though these have proved a boon to birds, they can't take sole credit for the increase.

Of the three federal projects, only the Conservation Reserve of the Soil Bank provides year-round cover. It is on a semi-permanent basis, with lands taken out of farm production under 5 and 10-year contracts. When lands in agriculture areas are retired, their pheasant-carrying capacity increases.

The Acreage Reserve and Feed Grain federal retirement programs may be beneficial, but aren't as effective as the Conservation Reserve. Both operate on a year-to-year basis. When seeded to permanent cover, land in agriculture areas under these programs meets some of the pheasant's cover requirements during the summer, fall, and winter.

Adequate cover at all seasons is vital. It is the key to pheasant abundance in Nebraska. And the ringneck has a variety of cover needs.

Cover is generally at a minimum during early spring months, making the going tough for the 24 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   birds. Food supplies are running low, and plant growth just starting. The flocks break up with cocks establishing crowing territories and hens searching for suitable nest sites. During this spring dispersal, more cover, distributed over a greater area, is needed for pheasants.

We'll never be in the red if we cash in on our idle acres. They pay off in ringneck blue chips

Unless there is cover for spring movements, there will probably be little satisfactory nesting cover. Grasses and legumes which' remain erect throughout the winter and into the spring provide nesting cover. This type of habitat can be found in Conservation Reserve acres. If this type of cover isn't present, most hens will find nesting sites hard to come by. When this situation arises, pheasants will too often head for alfalfa fields where early spring growth has already developed. The hens move in and establish nests, just in time to become victims of the first mowing operation.

Many ringneck nests are destroyed on intensively farmed areas. Pheasant productivity studies conducted in 1958 in southeast Nebraska showed that farming operations and burning destroyed approximately 56 per cent of the nests in the study area. Of 64 nests found in alfalfa, 59 were destroyed in farming operations.

To prevent this kind of destruction, safe nesting cover should be developed on field borders, irrigation laterals and canals, waterways, roadsides, and other undisturbed areas. Delaying mowing operations until after June 30 would prove tremendously beneficial. The optimum situation, of course, would be to leave more of this cover standing erect the year-round, as occurs in the Conservation Reserve acres.

The importance of permanent upright cover is demonstrated by other pheasant studies. Almost 23 per cent of all pheasant nests on a study area in south-central Nebraska were found in roadside cover. The surprising fact is that these areas comprise less than IV2 per cent of the total acreage. Roadsides have become important to the birds because they offer the major part of the residual cover in the area.

Since roadsides are in permanent cover, these findings may also apply to retired land with year-round cover. This type of cover also fulfills most or all other cover requirements. Winter, escape, loafing, roosting, and nesting cover, plus an available food source are found in retired land with permanent plant growth.

Conservation Reserve acres are usually good hunting areas. Farmer co-operation is good since there is no danger of hunters knocking down unharvested crops. Hunting success is generally as good, and most of the time, better than in other cover.

Food and water are generally not limiting factors in the production of pheasants and other upland game in Nebraska. Cornpickers, combines, and other harvesting equipment usually leave adequate amounts of waste grain to meet wildlife requirements. Food is provided by insects and grass, legumes, fruitshrub, and tree and weed seeds that are produced annually. Water is usually present in many forms. Pheasants and other upland game here seldom if ever show signs of stress due to an inadequate water supply.

Obviously, cover is the key factor in pheasant abundance here. Barren fields, naked fence rows, and denuded stream banks will neither harbor nor produce ringnecks. Land retired under the Conservation Reserve has proved a real boon to the birds. But such a program, though tremendously beneficial, is not the entire answer. The development of all cover areas, no matter how small, and a better understanding of year-round pheasant requirements will go a long way toward assuring that the ringneck will ever be Nebraska's No. 1 game bird.

THE END FEBRUARY, 1962 25

DOG TALK

Three little words are makings of real hunter

ASK ANY HUNTER—he'll tell you that a stylish dog afield will make any outing a better one. But you'll bring home a bagful of headaches instead of birds if you turn a young or untrained dog loose in the field. Fortunately, all this can be prevented if you train your pup to obey three simple commands—whoa, come, and fetch. Once he masters these, he'll be on his way toward becoming a real bird-getter.

Training takes time and patience, but it's well worth the effort. You'll need a 75-foot light rope, a regular six-foot leash, a force collar, and a pheasant, quail, or pigeon wing for training. Although the force collar is used by many who believe it speeds the learning process, it's not an absolute necessity for young or partially trained dogs.

Since control is the main object of training, start off by teaching your dog to stop or freeze on command. For this first lesson, tie the 75-foot light rope to a tree and snap the other end to the dog's collar with a swivel snap. Also fasten the six-foot leash to the collar. Measure out from the tree and make a mark where the dog will stand at the end of the rope.

Stand by the tree with the dog at your side and make sure the rope is not wrapped around his leg or knotted in any way. Then say "Come on, boy," and start running toward the 75-foot mark. When you reach a point about three feet from the mark, stop and yell "Whoa."

The dog may hit the end of the rope the first few times, but it won't hurt him. Step in front of your dog, holding the leash tight to keep him in position. Then repeat "Whoa" in a firm voice. After he is positioned, say "Come on, boy" so he'll know to follow.

After completing the run, halt and repeat the command, return to the tree and go through the maneuver again in a different direction. After several runs, walk him around the yard on a leash without the long rope. Say "Whoa" and stop. If he doesn't stop, or if he hesitates and goes on, return to the long rope. A slower run or fast walk might be advisable for extended periods on the long rope and for smaller dogs.

If, when you stop and yell the command, he stops and sits down, stand him up, jerk the leash, and say 26 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   "Whoa." Then make him stand for several seconds. Don't work on this lesson for long periods. The dog will tire and may resist future training.

Try your dog on the leash during the second session. If he fails to stop on command, run him with the rope again. It may take several days for the dog to fully master this simple command.

As you walk him around the yard on the leash, say "Whoa" and stop as usual. After he responds favorably, step a few feet away. If he follows, prop him back into position, give the leash a jerk, say "Whoa," and step away. Keep repeating this until he understands that whoa means to stay in one spot. Remember to always say "Come on, boy" when you walk off and expect him to follow after the exercise.

Never give the command for your dog to stop when you're not in a position to make him obey unless in an emergency. If he's chasing a cat or another dog, don't expect him to react favorably. "Whoa" him on his food, getting into a car, or going in and out of a door.

If you follow these rules for four months, the habit of obedience will be so strong that he will respond from as far away as he can hear. If you try to stop him at a distance and he disregards your command, bring him back to the spot where he was when you yelled, switch him two or three times while repeating "Whoa," and make him stand there for several minutes.

When a dog fully understands and demonstrates a knowledge of whoa, it is a simple process to teach him to come when you want him. Again attach the long rope to his collar, but leave the other end free. Walk him around the yard, then stop him. Walk to the other end of the rope while he is still stopped. Command "Come" and give the rope a jerk.

During training to this command, let him trail the long rope around the house or in the yard. When he is lying down or interested in something else, pick up the rope and say "Come." If he fails to come, give him a jerk, and draw him gently toward you.

When he comes in, just as when he obeys your other commands, show your appreciation. Call him in occasionally when it's time for him to eat, but don't let him become accustomed to expecting any reward other than affection for responding to your commands. Never call your dog in for punishment.

Teaching your dog to retrieve is the next step. With the long rope tied to his collar, entice him with the wing of a pheasant, quail, or pigeon. Toss it back and forth and tease him with it. Then throw the wing 20 or 30 feet away. He'll most likely run and pick it up. Pick up the rope and say "Fetch."

If he tries to run off with the wing, draw him gently but firmly in as you repeat the command. If he drops the wing or shows lack of interest, encourage him by putting it in his mouth. Never work more than five minutes a day on this exercise. He may lose interest.

When your dog runs out, grabs the wing, and returns to you, he may not want to let go. Take his chin in your left hand, slap him lightly across the shoulders with the leash, and repeat the command "Give." Never hit a shy or nervous dog. You may destroy his desire to be your hunting companion.

Some dogs acquire the knack of retrieving more rapidly than others. If yours gets the idea and constantly retrieves and brings the wing back without incident, add the important step of requiring him to whoa before starting the retrieve. Always be ready to enforce the whoa command by stepping on his leash if he breaks before the fetch command. When this is mastered, have another person throw the bird or wing from some distance.

After learning these three basic commands, your dog will be ready for planted birds if they are available, and then for his debut in the field. Training a hunting dog is both enjoyable and rewarding. It requires time, patience, and much coaxing. By starting with these basic commands, you will always be in control, at home or in the field.

THE END FEBRUARY, 1962 27

GROWING UP WITH CONVERSATION

by Cassie Fuller Game worker in skirts pushes better land use

WHO SAYS WILDLIFE work is for men only? It's something everyone can take part in, including girls, and I can prove it by taking you on a quick tour of the wildlife area on our farm outside of Ogallala.

Of course, I haven't done all the work by myself. I'm a member and an assistant leader of the Keith County 4-H Wildlife Conservation Club. Each of the 10 members does his part. When we began our wildlife restoration project, I was a sophomore in high school. Now I'm out of school and working for the 28 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   police department, but I'm still just as enthusiastic about the program.

Wildlife club members decided to see what they could do to help improve conditions for the wildlife in our area in 1958. Each of us is from a farm home and wants to see quail, pheasants, rabbits, and deer on our land. We all like to hunt, too. But farmers have to make a living, which was why so much land that would have made ideal habitat for wildlife was being plowed under. Our problem was to find a way to improve wildlife conditions without affecting crop production. The Game Commission gave us the answer.

My mother, the club leader, wrote to learn what we could do. It wasn't very long before a habitat technician visited the group in the clubroom we've fixed up in our basement, and outlined a plan. This project comes under the department's Youth Education Project.

Club members discovered that wildlife work isn't something you can jump into and finish in a set period of time. A person can't plant a tree or a shrub and think he's done his part. There's a lot more to it than that.

The Game Commission furnished booklets explaining basic wildlife principles. None of us really knew what wildlife required in the way of food, water, and shelter until we got that booklet and began studying it.

Finally, the 10 of us were ready to begin the actual work on our project. But we couldn't just go out and pick a spot. Fortunately, my dad gave us four acres to use for the planting area, the place to apply what we had learned. About two acres was in wheat, so some land would be taken out of crop production. But the way dad and the club figured, wildlife was a crop, too, and could be produced and harvested just like any other.

The habitat technician visited us again to help draw up a development plan which specified the type of plants to be used and where they should be planted. For example, we would use one part of the four acres for trees and shrubs. These would serve as winter cover for pheasants. Most of the trees would stop drifting snow, and the shrubs, which would be relatively free of snow, would provide quite a bit of seed. Both the trees and the shrubs would offer protection during blizzards.

Food and nesting areas had to be considered, too, so one part was planted in legumes and native grasses. Another was used as a food plot. Actually, food isn't much of a problem in Nebraska since combines and corn pickers usually leave enough waste grain in the fields for game birds. But you never know when there's going to be an emergency.

Although it wasn't necessary, we did put in a small pond, since quail and pheasants drink water if it's available. Actually, they can get enough water from dew on grass or from moisture-laden seeds. But the water is here for them if they want it, and other wildlife can use the pond, too.

Planting was finally begun in the spring of 1959. We received 2,475 trees and (continued on page 30)

FEBRUARY, 1962 29

GROWING UP

(continued from page 29)

shrubs from the Game Commission, including eastern red cedar, ponderosas, Chinese elm, chokecherry, honeysuckle, Hansen's rose, and many others. Enough fencing material was also furnished to enclose the area.

We didn't do too much of the actual planting ourselves. Since there were so many trees, we contacted the Soil Conservation Service. Its tree planter really did the job. The trees and shrubs are now over three years old and are beginning to provide cover.

Pheasants have increased in the area from only 18 to 57. Cottontails are getting more plentiful, and we even had a fox for a while. Two hen pheasants nested in the area this spring. Each had 14 chicks.

Every once in a while a deer comes into the grounds. Right now there are three adults and two fawns. One of the fawns was born here, so he's pretty special. The deer population should increase as the trees become larger. The technician has also told us that as the trees mature, quail might come.

Our four acres has become quite a show place. Boy Scout troops, rural school classes, Future Farmers of America chapters, and several individuals have visited the site to see what has been done. We hope our "show me" project will encourage others to put in their own areas.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS 10 cents a word: minimum order $2.50 PAINTING—Water-tower cleaning. Smokestacks, interior, exterior, and sign painting. Call BIG AL. Phone 436-4097 or write Albert Hamburg, 2065 Sixth Street, Gering, Nebraska. AKC REGISTERED POINTERS for sale. Whelped October 27, 1961. Just right for 1962 season. Best blood lines available. Bill Hodgens, Falls City, Nebraska. Phone 2411. ICE FISHERMEN—Fast, practical, compact Bait Dispenser. 150 bait size—D/2 oz. (Nothing beats live grubs for winter panfish.) Self adjusting, nonrusting, sturdy red plastic. No hinges, caps, or corks. Safer than tin cans or glass jars. Keeps bait off ice and livelier. Instructions on care of grubs. FREE ice-fishing tips in each dispenser. Money back guaranteed. Introductory offer—Dispenser and 50 golden grubs, $1.20; 100, $1.35. Prepaid. PHIL'S BAIT DISPENSER, Ericson, Nebraska.

Now that the plot is well on its way, the club has taken up other projects. My mother recently received her certification as a National Rifle Association Hunter Safety Instructor, so we'll be having gun-safety courses before long. Most of the members have had some training, but now we'll get the full course. The Game Commission has already presented each of us with Conservation Award Scrolls for the work we've done.

I know that if we had it to do over again, we would do exactly the same thing. The project has done a lot for all of us. We've had fun, we've learned a lot, and, most of all, we've begun something that will continue to grow. Everytime we see the area, we know that it will get better as time goes by. In truth, our project is growing up with us.

THE END

DESIGN FOR A DECADE

(continued from page 21)

1-pound, 12-ounce perch; a 29-pound carp; a 72-pound paddlefish; and a 59-pound flathead catfish.

Boating is becoming a major sport in Nebraska. Registrations were above the 1960 figure, and while there is still much room for improvement, boating accidents, resulting in injury or death, decreased over 1960. Three additional law-enforcement boats were added in 1961.

The transistorized mobile radio system for law enforcement officers and others of the Game Commission, partially paid for by Civil Defense funds, is expected to be completed this year. Additional relay towers were constructed last year, extending the range and coverage of the system.

The forward strides taken in 1961 have done much to improve Nebraska's standing as a recreation center as well as a hunting and fishing mecca for the nation's sportsmen. These advances, added to plans for the future, put Nebraska on the threshold of great expansion in all forms of outdoor recreation as well as dramatically increased revenues from the ever-growing tourist industry.

THE END 30 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE

Fishy Private Eye

IDAHO . . . Members of the fish-tracking research unit of the Fish and Wildlife Service have turned private eye—with the help of electronics. They've been observing the behavior of adult migrant salmon in the Brownless Reservoir on the Snake River in Idaho, and have tracked some of the fish for as long as 106 hours. Tracking is done by attaching a small transistor to the back of the salmon and picking up its "beeps" on a receiving apparatus. The research is part of an investigation on how to get migrating fish around stream obstructions.

Industrial Wastes Guilty

WASHINGTON, D.C. ... A recently-released federal-state fish-kill project bulletin has shown that industrial wastes discharged into lakes and streams were guilty of killing more fish than pollutants from any other source during 1960. Poisonous and oxygen-depleting substances from all sources killed more than 6.3 million game and rough fish in 1960, according to the bulletin which summarized findings in 36 states involving 286 cases of pollution-caused fish kills.

What Old Days?

BRITISH COLUMBIA ... A 21-year-old man, returning home from a hunt empty-handed, passed through a British Columbia check station. He was heard to remark that the hunting just wasn't what it was in the "old days". Later, two middle-aged ladies, both with their bag of one moose, passed through.

"We left our husbands at home so we could enjoy a hunt in peace," one of them explained. Guess it just goes to show, you're only as old as you feel.

For Kids Only

FLORIDA . . . When Miami says there's something for everyone, it's not kidding. Vacationing youngsters can now try for grown-up catches from a new fishing pier for small fry only. The city-constructed pier extends 70 feet into Biscayne Bay from Dinner Key in nearby Coconut Grove. To make sure the kids have the pier all to themselves, a big sign greets visitors telling them "No adults allowed unless accompanied by children".

Long Walk Home

SASKATCHEWAN . . . Twenty-nine Canada geese, a species renowned as extremely intelligent navigators, took a 12-mile hike through Saskatchewan recently. The three families made up of 6 adults and 23 young, began their long stroll directly outside of the Magee hay flats where the young had probably been hatched. One adult female led the convoy with the 5 other adults bringing up the rear. When they finally reached their destination at the Gull Lake project, 12 miles away, the geese unconcernedly entered the water and paddled away. It's strange that birds that are so intelligent where navigation is concerned could be so silly as to hatch their families so far from water.

What's the Answer?

WASHINGTON, D.C. . . . Scientists in the Atomic Energy Commission and other federal agencies are searching to find if Americans would be able to utilize wildlife as emergency sources of food in the event of a nuclear attack. They are also looking for what the likely effect upon wildlife would be from the present level of radioactive fallout due to nuclear testing. But the answers seem to be pretty hard to come by.

Despite the wide variety of surveillance and research projects being carried on, comparatively little is known about the effects of radiation upon reproduction rates and possible mutations, accumulation of radionuclides in bodies of wild animals, or the result if people eat them.

Romantic Raccoon

PENNSYLVANIA ... A kiss from a raccoon doesn't necessarily mean he has romance on his mind, according to a Pennsylvania barber and one of his customers. The barber was telling his story of a sneaky raccoon who kept stealing crayfish out of his bait can while he was fishing. The customer had also recently had a run-in with a raccoon. He had fished the same spot as the barber later the same day and had fallen asleep. Twice he awoke with the feeling that someone had kissed him on the cheek. The third time he awoke, there was the raccoon licking his face.

The two fishermen decided this was probably the same raccoon, just coming back for a little salt to season the meal he'd had earlier that day.

Insecticides Fatal

OKLAHOMA ... At least one report weekly of fish losses in farm ponds and small lakes in vicinities where insecticides have been used has been coming into the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Department. And the reports have been increasing. According to the head of the fisheries division, fish losses generally occur when big rains have followed application of insecticides for crops or cattle.

FEBRUARY, 1962 31

THE GREAT TRAIN WRECK

(continued from page 23)

at all, and Chinook were reported to have survived only up to one year after their initial stocking.

Rainbow trout were introduced into the state by a private individual in 1879. These trout were put in Rock Creek in Dundy County on the property of the Oak Creek Cattle Company. The first stocking, other than the train wreck, of brook trout was made in 1882.

Carp were first brought into Nebraska in 1881. They had been cultured in private ponds in Europe for commercial purposes and the fishery workers in the United States felt that farmers could raise carp in small ponds for a supplemental source of income. That year, the United States Fish Commission supplied seven Nebraska pond owners with a total of 120 carp. During the first few years the carp were only stocked in private ponds. But they soon found their way into streams as many dams washed out.

The lake trout which entered the state in 1886 showed limited success for a short time. They were stocked in 1886 and a report made to the Nebraska Fish Commission showed some to still be alive in March of 1888. Lake trout cannot be found now.

Among other exotic fish which have been released through the years are brown trout in 1889, the golden ide in 1894, tench in 1895, and smallmouth bass in 1898.

new SK]TTER SNAGGER WEIGHTS FISHERMEN; FIELD TARGET SHOOTERS BOWHUNTERS VARMINT CALLERS!

As well as bringing in new varieties, native species were also stocked in the early days. In 1884, the Nebraska Fish Commission began its walleye stocking program. These walleye were planted in several creeks and lakes in eastern Nebraska.

In 1885, largemouth bass were first officially released in nine places in eastern and central Nebraska. Pumpkinseed, black bullheads, and bluegill were planted in Sand Hills lakes that same year.

In 1888 the Commission began stocking channel catfish. Along with all the species planted the previous year, in 1889 the Commission began stocking crappie, perch, white bass, sunfish, buffalo, and northern pike. During the next few years, most of these species were released with the addition of rock bass in 1893, and black crappie in 1897.

In more recent times, additional new species have been tried. Arctic grayling were introduced in 1939 in a few streams. The redear sunfish was first tried in a few lakes and ponds in 1957. Kokanee salmon were started in Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala in 1958, and the muskellunge tried in Lake Minatare in 1958. Striped bass were introduced into Lake McConaughy in 1961, and spotted bass were also brought into the state and stocked in a pond in Lincoln County last year. A western species, Sacramento perch, was introduced into three lakes in Cherry County in 1961.

Fisheries administration and management has progressed considerably since the early 1800's. Where formerly harvest regulation and stocking were the only fish-management tools, today the emphasis is shifting to management based on results of investigations. Experience has proved that unwarranted widespread stocking of fish is of little value and undue harvest regulation is unwise.

Since the first Nebraska law concerning fish was passed in 1875, many new laws have been added and old laws changed to provide today's sportsman with the best fishing the state can provide.

Nebraska's fishery has come a long way since Lewis and Clark made their way up the Missouri, and many new species have been added since the first accidental stocking. It all points to one thing. In the years to come, improvements will continue to be made, more species added. All this adds up to more and better sport for Nebraskans.

THE END (This article is based on information from the author's soon-to-be-published booklet, "History of Nebraska's Fishery Resources".)

MORE WATER AHEAD

(continued from page 13)

authorization, and detail engineering still in the future, construction is not likely before the late 1960's.

Fairfield Creek, a popular trout stream that will flow into the proposed reservoir will get special treatment. Preliminary plans call for a barrier dam on the creek to keep rough fish from invading the 32 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   trout waters. Access roads to the barrier dam are planned.

One of the really big proposed projects is the development of the Mid-State Reclamation District proposal west and north of Grand Island. The project's waterways would have a combined storage capacity of over 600,000 acre-feet with an additional 100,000 acre-feet available for flood-water storage.

The recreational value of the 25,000 surface-acres of public water could turn the region into an outdoorsman's paradise. The Game Commission considers it to be one of the most important and significant developments yet proposed in the state. The anticipated visitors to the area would total close to 136,000 man-days per year.

If constructed, water would be taken out of the Platte between Lexington and Overton, transported through a series of 26 reservoirs, and finally emptied into Prairie and Silver creeks and Warm Slough in the Central City vicinity.

Mid-state lakes, when combined with the already existing Tri-County System, would offer a string of reservoirs 246 miles long. At present the proposal is in the form of a bill before Congress.

Another series of lakes is closer to reality—those in the Platte River Parkway. Six lakes have already been assured along the first 25 miles of Interstate 80 adjoining the Platte River. The first, the Grand Island Interchange, will feature a 40-acre lake and facilities to adequately handle up to the anticipated 5,000 daily visitors during the peak tourist season. This nationally unique project is designed mainly to provide resting stops for travelers, but will offer many recreation possibilities for area residents.

Projects under construction at the present time will raise the state's total surface-acreage by almost 7,000 acres. If the proposed projects are accepted and built to their present specifications, the total area would be boosted by about 50,000 acres. This adds up to a water wonderland.

THE END

SPEAK UP

Send your questions to "Speak Up", OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, State Capitol, Lincoln 9, Nebr. Is It An Automatic?

"I have just received and read the November issue of OUTDOOR Nebraska. Another fine issue, as usual. One thing, however, struck me as a somewhat careless inexactitude.

"I could be wrong, but in 'Yesterday's Guns Today', the gun in the picture on page 15 is called a 'light, sure automatic'. From the little bit of the gun that's visible, I believe it's a 12-gauge pump shotgun. Is it, or have I drawn too fast a conclusion from too little information?

"Your magazine is one to be appreciated by all."—Marvin Schulger, Quincy College, Quincy, Illinois.

The firearm shown in the picture is a pump-action shotgun, and, as you indicated, it is not the type of firearm commonly referred to as an "automatic". In this instance we were comparing the easy loading procedure connected with the old muzzle-loading muskets.

As an interesting side light to the question, the definition of an "automatic" weapon is one that continues to fire as long as the trigger is depressed and as long as there are shells in the magazine. Under this definition none of our present-day sporting firearms are "automatic", although that is their popular name.

All this does not mean we are trying to avoid the issue, but only showing where we erred.—Editor.

Rattler Striking Power

"Having had years of experience with prairie rattlesnakes, I wish to advise you not to have any doubts about their striking power (October OUTDOOR Nebraska). Just hold one end of a stick and let a rattler strike the other end a few times and you'll be convinced they can bite through several thicknesses of clothing."—Floyd Moran, Alliance.

The striking power of a rattlesnake is definitely quite forceful, especially when aggravated by a stick or similar probe. Under normal conditions the slightest amount of clothing might mean the difference between a fatal bite and a slight puncture.

One of the most important factors determining the severity of a snake bite is the depth of the wound. The thickness of a trouser leg could keep the fangs from penetrating an important fraction of an inch. A second and sometimes more important value is that the cloth may deflect the strike, thus decreasing it's momentum and the depth of the resulting puncture. There is no substitute for heavy boots in snake-infested areas.—Editor.

Fish For Fun

"When I lived in St. Edward, I subscribed to OUTDOOR Nebraska, but here at Soldier's Home I read someone elses. The Game Commission keeps the pond here at the home well stocked with fish. Recently Mr. Ervin Fielder caught two large carp and William Deidlack caught a good-sized largemouth bass. Many carp and bass are caught in :he pond to the enjoyment of members of the home."—D. W. Flory, Grand Island.

FEBRUARY, 1962 33

notes on Nebraska fauna ...

SHRIKE

by Wayne Tiller

DEAD BIRDS, mammals, insects, small frogs, and reptiles impaled on the spines of thorny bushes and sharp points of barbed wire are sure indications a shrike has been at work in the area. This songbird of prey possesses vocal organs, but catches much of his food like hawks, owls, or eagles.

Often called butcherbird or grasshopper hawk because of his feeding habits, he is a member of the family Laniidae. The loggerhead shrike, Lanius lodovicianus, is the most common Nebraska shrike, although the northern, Lanius borealis, is seen occasionally throughout the state during the winter months. Although there are numerous shrikes in Europe, these are the only two kinds found in North America.

The shrike, either sitting on a telephone pole or flying a few feet above the ground, is very easily recognized with his hooked bill, short, rounded wings, and rounded tail about the same length as the wing. He is light gray over most of the head and shoulders with mostly black wings and a tail with a white rim on most feathers.

The two varieties found in Nebraska differ in that the loggerhead has a black eye-stripe continuing over the all-black bill, while the northern's eye-stripe is not continuous, the lower mandible is white, and the breast is faintly barred.

The plumage of the young of both kinds is always barred or transversely streaked, which helps them blend into the twigs and branches of the thickly branched trees that are favorite nesting sites. The bulky nest is usually placed among thorny twigs or intertwining vines and is lined with feathers.

The eggs in a normal shrike nest number four to seven, are spotted or freckled with olive-brown 34 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   on a whitish, buffy, or pale greenish ground color. After hatching the young are fed a variety of insects, although small frogs, spiders, and worms may be offered the young if insects are not plentiful.

Strange feeding habits plus an unearthly voice mark this songbird of prey as one of states strangest fauna

During the latter parts of March thru April the loggerhead may be heard making his effort at singing. It consists of a series of squeaky whistles, strangling gurgles, and high-pitched pipings—all produced with the greatest effort and labor. The song is not loud and usually can be heard only a short distance.

When hunting from one of these high watchtower sites he sits alone, erect, and immobile, like a hawk, scanning the surrounding ground below. From his perch the sharp-eyed shrike can detect and evaluate the movement of an insect more than 100 feet away on the ground.

After spotting a suitable prey, the sharp-eyed butcher drops like a plummet, rarely missing his target This drop is different from others in that he may gain considerable altitude before plunging on his prey. Sometimes he will leave his perch and hover over his prey a few seconds, copying the unexplained hesitation of a marsh hawk.

The largest category in the shrike's list of acceptable food is a variety of insects ranging from grasshoppers to wasps and the smaller houseflies and scissor bees. Occasionally he will eat small frogs, reptiles, small mice, and shrews when there is not an adequate supply of insects available.

When all other food sources have proved unsuccessful the shrike will turn on his own kind. He will attack birds as large as himself and even larger, and has crashed against windows and into houses in an effort to attack caged birds.

Starlings, English sparrows, and other gregarious birds are usually caught on the wing, with the shrike either rising above a flying group and plunging swiftly downward on a selected individual, or waiting for one to become separated from the group before chasing it down. In the final plunge on the target, the victim may be killed instantly by the force of the falling predator.

In pursuit of a single bird the shrike follows every twist and turn of his intended victim. The only successful methods birds use to escape is to outrun their pursuer, climb higher and higher to exhaust the pursuing predator, or dart in a thicket that is impenetrable for the larger shrike.

Starlings and other birds that travel in groups may flock around the intruder in an effort to confuse his intentions. Blue jays will battle and harass a shrike preying on smaller birds in an area. But the undaunted butcher usually carries off his selected target.

After knocking a bird out of the sky or off a perch, the shrike falls with it to the ground. Immediately it is killed by a few sharp blows of the beak to the.head. Mammals are killed in the same manner while frogs are usually killed by the initial blow. Smaller insects are usually eaten instantly, but the larger ones may be taken back to the perch to be consumed.

Unlike hawks, owls, and eagles, the shrike does not have the strong talons needed to carry prey to a more suitable spot for the feast. Usually this problem doesn't bother the butcherbird because he feeds mainly on insects. However, when he must depend on birds and small mammals for food, he is sometimes observed fluttering and laboring while using both the bill and feet to carry a dangling bird or mouse carcass back to shelter.

The bird's habit of impaling prey has been the subject of considerable speculation with some observers maintaining that he gibbets his victims alive for the pleasure of watching their death struggles. Others believe that the shrike slaughters more food at a time than he can eat and hangs up the surplus to provide for the day when food may not be so abundant.

Most observers now agree that the shrike is again looking for help when he hangs his victim up on a thorn, barbwire spine, or similar sharp object. His feet are not strong enough to hold his food, so he has to pin it down while he tears the meat off with his beak.

In large numbers shrikes can play an important service by destroying huge quantities of grasshoppers and other harmful insects. Their food includes mostly damaging insects and those mammals and song birds that have been proved detrimental to man's interests. He is a welcome attraction in the outdoors and truly one of the more interesting of Nebraska's avian fauna.

THE END FEBRUARY, 1962 35

THE RECORD BREAKERS

Meet the champs. They blasted the tally sheet during 7967 angling spree LARGEMOUTH BASS: 9 pounds, 14 ounces—by Phil Cornish, Lincoln, \n sand pit near Louisville, June 16, 1959. SMALLMOUTH BASS: 3 pounds, 9 ounces—by Jim Haggard, Ogallala, In Lake McConaughy, May 1, 1960. WHITE BASS: 4]/2 pounds—by Barbara Hombach, Grand Island, in Lake McConaughy, 1952. BULLHEAD: 3 pounds, 3 ounces—by Mrs. Garnet Fanning, Alliance, in Spade Ranch Lake, May 18, 1958. BLUEGILL: 2V2 pounds—by party of Walter Beckman, Carl Buck, Bill Adams, and Ervin Krueger, all of Garland, In Monroe Power Canal, 1949. BLUE CATFISH: 58 pounds—by O. P. Nielson, Bloomfield, in Missouri River near Bloomfieid, 1 954. BROOK TROUT: AYi pounds—by Vernon Zimmerman, Ovid, Colorado, in Lake McConaughy, 1953. BROWN TROUT: 1 1 14 pounds—by L B. Eby, Sidney, in Otter Creek, 1950. CHANNEL CATFISH: 2\Va pounds— by Bob Nuquist, Broken Bow, \n Lake Ericson, 1 944. YELLOW CATFISH: 59 pounds—by Ralph "Tuffy" Adair, Macy, in Missouri River, November 30, 1961. CRAPPIE: 3 pounds, 5 ounces—by Charles "Pat" Reed, Kearney, in sand pits south of Kearney, 1960. FRESH-WATER DRUM: 19 pounds—by Barton L. Andrews, Omaha, in Carter Lake, 1959. NORTHERN PIKE: 2534 pounds—by Tom Kinder and Larry Reid, Goodland, Kansas, in Enders Reservoir, 1959. BUFFALO: 32 pounds—by L. Ashbaugh, Wilber, in Blue River near Wilber dam, 1944. Record tied by Morris Sweet, Crete, in Blue River, 1959. WALLEYE: 16 pounds, 1 ounce—by Don Hein, McCook. off Martin Bay in Lake McConaughy, June 13, 1959. YELLOW PERCH: 1 pound, 12 ounces—by Richard E. Scott, Mitchell, in Ryan's sand pit near Mitchell, June 15, 1961. RAINBOW TROUT: 1214 pounds—by J. D. Wickard, Brule, in Sportsmen's Service Bay in Lake McConaughy 1953. SAUGER: 8 pounds, 5 ounces—by Mrs. Betty Tepner, Plainview, in Missouri River near Niobrara, October 22 1961. (New World Record.) STURGEON: 26 pounds—by Richard L. Jobman, Norfolk, Gavins Point, November 21, 1960. PADDLEFISH: 72 pounds—by Lyle Sawatzke, Crofton, in Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam, July 6, 1961. CARP: 25 pounds, 2 ounces—by Bernard Carter, Lincoln, in East Oa,k Creek Lake, 1957. Bow-and-Arjrow Records CARP: 29 pounds—by Ron Meyers, Lincoln, shot by bow and arrow in Alexandria Recreation Grounds Mav 30, 1961. GAR: 15 Vi pounds—by Ron Meyers, Lincoln, shot by bow and arrow at Linoma Beach near Ashland Julv 1 1960.