FRONTIER RESORT LAKE MALONEY on U.S. Highway 83 South of North Platte Cabins-Boats-Motors-Cafe Write for reservations Route 4, North Platte, Nebr.

AUGUST ROUNDUP

Where to go . . . What to see in NEBRASKAland RODEOS—HORSE SHOWS Alliance — Sunday evenings throughout summer—Alliance Roping Club team tying, roping, bull dogging Benkelman — August 9-10 — RCA Approved Rodeo, $1,000 purse Burwell—August 5-8—41st annual "Big Rodeo," $9,000 purse Chambers — August 26-27 — RCA approved rodeo. $1,000 purse Gordon—August 20-23—Sheridan County Rodeo Hastings—August 10-12—Oregon Trail Rodeo, $2,000 purse Hayes Center — August 8-9 — Hayes County Junior Rodeo Loup City—1st week in August—Sherman County Junior Rodeo McCook — August 5-8 — Little Britches Rodeo North Platte—August 20-23 — Annual Buffalo Bill Rodeo, $5,000 purse Ogallala—August 15-19—Keith County Rodeo O'Neill — mid-August — Holt County Rodeo Ord — August 21-23 —Valley County Junior Rodeo Republican City — August 30 — Republican Valley Quarter Horse Show Sidney—August 9-11—Cheyenne County Rodeo and Fort Sidney Days, $2,250 purse Wahoo—August 19-22—Wahoo Saddle Club Rodeo, $2,500 purse CENTENNIALS — COMMUNITY EVENTS Brownville—August 30—National Fiddlers Contest Macy—August 1 9-23 — annual Omaha Indian Tribal Powwow North Bend—August 19—41st Annual Dodge County Old Settlers Picnic Sidney—August 8-12—Fort Sidney Days Winnebago—late August—annual Winnebago Indian Tribal Powwow SPORTS EVENTS Alliance — August — Elks Golf Tournament Hastings—August 12-16—American Legion Little World Series regional playoffs Lincoln — August 22 — Annual Shrine Bowl Football game HORSE RACING Lincoln—July 27-August 18 (except Sundays) —5/8 mile track Madison—August 20-September 1 (except Sundays)—Vi mile track OTHER EVENTS Blair—each Wednesday throughout summer—tourist arrest days Grand Island— 1st week in August —Dairy Show Hemingford— 1st week in August—Hemingford Show Oxford—last of August—Turkey Days South Sioux City—each Friday—tourist arrest days

AUGUST IS rodeo month in NELBRASKAland. All across the state action will erupt from the chutes as the best in the business pit their stick-em know-how against some of the orneriest critters to hit the circuit.

Headlining the agenda of Wild West action will be Burwell's 41st annual "Big Rodeo", August 5 through 8, and North Platte's annual Buffalo Bill Rodeo and Old Glory Blowout, August 20 through 23.Both are big Rodeo Cowboy Association approved showdowns. Top hands from across the nation will attempt to take home a chunk of Burwell's fat $9,000 prize money and North Platte's $5,000 guaranteed stakes

4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland Where the comfort is...NEBRASKAland Motels

Stay in a motel and really enjoy NEBRASKAland. You can make a motel your vacation home while you fish, boat, or enjoy the many attractions of NEBRASKAland.

Motels give you the most convenient accommodations. Many motels offer food service or a fine restaurant is steps away.

Your motel manager can give you many helpful suggestions to make your vacation more fun. Ask him about traveling in NEBRASKAland and getting reservations at other motels in the state.

Enjoy NEBRASKAland more. Make NEBRASKAland Motels your vacation headquarters.

STAY AT THESE FINE MOTELS PLUM CREEK MOTEL Air conditioned—Wall to wall carpet — TV-Radios — Tile baths, Showers or Tubs — Room phones — Swimming pool—Kitchens—Daily papers __Playground—Vented heat. Highway 30 West Lexington, Nebraska Buck-A-Roo Motel South on Highway 81 Norfolk Frontier Motel Alliance Lee's Motel Highway 30 Lexington Rose-Ed Motel Norfolk Skinner's Motor Court 215 South Main Ainsworth Palmer House Motel 1918 J Street Auburn Redondo Motel East Highway 6 Hastings Motel New Town Republican City Nebraska Plains Motel 519 West 4th Avenue Holdrege Valentine Motel U S 20 & 83 Valentine Erin-Rancho Motel 2114 W. Second Street Grand Island Hollingsworth Motel East Highway 30 Lexington St. John's Motor Court U S Highway 30 West Kearney Fort Sidney Motor Motel Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge Best Western and AAA SIDNEY, NEBRASKA  

AUGUST ROUNDUP

continued

The rodeo got its start in North Platte back in 1882, when Buffalo Bill Cody staged the first such event to celebrate the Fourth of July. The tradition is carried on in grand style throughout the summer, when NEBRASKAland stages some of the nation's top shows.

Fans and competitors alike will like the rodeo action dished up at other shows. From Alliance to Wahoo, from Benkelman to Sidney, cowboys will try their luck at riding, roping, and bulldogging. And the meanest broncs and steers going will do their best to keep them out of the prize money.

Sidney will stage its ever-growing annual Fort Sidney Days in conjunction with the Cheyenne County Fair August 8 through 12. The three-day RCA approved rodeo last year drew a full house every night and this year the grandstands have been enlarged to handle the booming crowds. Other features at the Sidney blowout will be two parades, beautiful cow girls, a free barbecue, and loads of fun.

Back in the eastern edge of the state, "tenderfeet" will have an opportunity to see two Indian tribes pay tribute to the past in their annual tribal councils and powwows. Open to the public, the Omaha powwow will take place at Macy August 19 through 23. The Winnebagos will hold their big mocassin stomper the latter part of the month at Winnebago.

These age-old rituals of war, hunt, and harvest are repeated as hundreds of colorfully clad Omahas and Winnebagos keep in step to throbbing tom-toms. At Macy, comfortable grandstands and souvenir and concession stands are located on the beautiful new powwow grounds next to the Missouri. Visiting tribes come from many surrounding states to pitch their tepees 6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAlond and take part in the week-long dance fest.

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No sooner is the Omaha powwowover, than the Winnebagos break loose in their frenzy of fast flying feet. Members of this colorfully garbed woodland tribe will raise plenty of dust at Winnebago when their feet start stomping.

For a real, old-fashioned hoedown, historic Brownville, an old river town on the Missouri, will be the scene of the National Fiddlers Contest August 30. Top fiddlers from throughout the country will display their wares to determine the nation's champ. An ideal setting, Brownville has preserved its link with the past and gives visitors a glimpse of yesterday as they stroll the streets and visit the old homes.

If you prefer a little more modern action, the state's top high school athletes will compete in the annual Shrine Bowl football game at Lincoln on August 22 and the umpires will call "play ball" on August 12 for the American Legion Little World Series regional play-offs. Hastings will host the young baseballers August 12 through 16.

Practically every Nebraska county will be celebrating the harvest and displaying its best wares during August. Almost anywhere you go, there will be a county fair in progress or about to get underway.

As for the "sport of kings," NEBRASKAland has that, too. Horses will kick up track dust at Lincoln, July 27 through August 18 (except Sundays) and at Madison, August 20 through September 1 (except Sundays). If you want to take your chance on the daily double, NEBRASKAland is the place to try for the winning combination.

Tourists can get "arrested" in NEBRASKAland, but in a very pleasant way. Several cities across the state sponsor Tourist Arrest Days once a week and the lucky tourists "arrested" will have a great time as the guests of that community.

For a month of rip-roaring action, plenty of fun, and real western hospitality, visit NEBRASKAland in August. Whatever your tastes in entertainment, Nebraska can supply them in abundance. So, pack up your family and head for a real where the West begins vacation. It can't be beat. Check this column again next issue for September fun doings.

THE END Excellent-Duck and Goose Hunting Private man-made hunting spot All steel sunken blinds with covers Make reservations for early October now Ralph Kohler Tekamah, Nebraska Jufflyl, Javsuw. & Qo^sl Fishermen—Hunters—Sportsmen Rooms - Meals - Refreshments at reasonable prices 6 miles east of Elwood 5-9602 5-2233 NEBRASKAland is BEAUTIFUL Every litter bit Helps destroy that beauty! PHEASANT HUNTING! Come to NORFOLK this year and stay at HOTEL MADISON Hunters* Headquarters in Northeast Nebraska Dining room - Cocktail lounge M. L "Mike" Papineau, Manager Collins RESORT on Beautiful Johnson Lake • Lakefront cabins • Fishing tackle • Boats & motors • Free boat ramp • Fishing • Modern trailer • Swimming cour* • Cafe and ice • Boating & skiing • Gas and oil • 9-hole golf course • Live and frozen bait just around the corner WRITE FOR FREE BROCHURE or phone reservations 785-2298 Elwood, Nebraska AUGUST, 1964 7

NEBRASKAland Vacation Tips

Admission to Nebraska State Parks is free. Charges are made only for facilities at the parks. Rates are uniform at all parks and are on a daily basis.

Reservations for accommodations at any state park should be made in advance with the superintendent. Parks and their locations are: Fort Robinson, Crawford; Chadron at Chadron; Niobrara at Niobrara: Ponca at Ponca.

Cabin Rental Rates

Three-Bedroom, housekeeping units; $10 per day

Two-Bedroom, housekeeping units; $8 per day

Single Bedroom, housekeeping units; $5 and $6 per day

Lodge Rooms (Fort Robinson only); $3.50, $5, and $6 per day

Tent- and Trailer Camps

A fee of 50 cents to $1 is charged for tent-and-trailer camping at certain state park areas. No advance reservations are accepted. Space is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Maximum trailer camping at state-park areas is for two weeks, except at state wayside areas, unless otherwise posted, and the trailer must be occupied. Electricity, water, and sewage hookups are available at Two Rivers Recreation Area. Electricity only is available at Fort Robinson and Chadron.

Pets

Pets are permitted in state park areas, however, dogs must be on leash and under physical control at all times.

Horseback Riding

Supervised horseback riding is available at Fort Robinson, Chadron, Niobrara, and Ponca state parks. Fees are Chadron, Niobrara, and Ponca, $1.50 per person per hour; Fort Robinson, $2, $3.25, and $4.50.

Swimming

Supervised swimming is available for reasonable fees at Chadron, Niobrara, Ponca, and Two Rivers.

Boats

Rental boats are available at Chadron and Niobrara state parks, Fremont, Lewis and Clark, Victoria Springs, Memphis, Medicine Creek, and Two Rivers recreation areas.

Fishing Permit Fees

Nonresident annual permit; $5. Nonresident five-day permit; $2. Resident annual permit; $3.

Hunting Permit Fees

Nonresident small-game permit (necessary for varments); $20. Resident small-game permit; $3.50. Resident combination hunt and fish permit; $6.

All nonresidents, regardless of age, must have a permit to hunt. Nonresident fishing permits are required of all persons who are not residents of Nebraska, except those under 16 years of age accompanied by a parent or guardian possessing a valid nonresident permit.

8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland

BLUE RIBBON PACKAGE

Crystal Lake is the hub for big go-round of vacation pleasures

ONE OF THE smallest recreation areas in the chain of Game Commission developments, Crystal Lake Recreation Area makes a contribution to the NEBRASKAland vacation and travel scene all out of proportion to its small size. The secluded lake and its well arranged campgrounds make a convenient hub for a go-round of year-long enjoyment in south-central Nebraska. It is three miles north of Ayr.

Crystal Lake is ideally situated for close-by trips to such interesting cities as Hastings, Minden, and Kearney. Centered in the historical country of the Pawnee, the Oregon Trail, and the Pony Express, the 63-acre site makes a good base for retracing western pathways.

If museums, exhibitions, displays, and modern architecture make up your looking dish, there is plenty to AUGUST, 1964   be seen within a 50-mile radius. And if history is your forte, a bit of imagination will bring back the creak of prairie schooners heading West and the pound of flying hooves. Nearby bonus vacation features this month include Hastings' big Oregon Trail Rodeo August 10-12, plus a string of fun-loving county fairs.

BLUE-RIBBON PACKAGE Continued

For plain summer loafing, the cool greenery of the recreation area is hard to beat. Remote from the stresses of today's frenzied pace, Crystal Lake is a cool and inviting retreat for reweaving frazzled nerves. The site is equipped with drinking water, electrical outlets, fireplaces, free wood, and sanitary facilities. Trailer and tent spaces are available. A concession stand meets spur-of-the-moment needs and slides, swings, and merry-go-rounds are waiting for the small fry. Swimming is not permitted in the horseshoe-shaped lake that encircles the grounds.

West of Crystal Lake, Minden boasts Harold Warp's world-famed Pioneer Village. This "Top 20" national tourist attraction features a collection of Americana containing more than 30,000 fascinating items. The artifacts of civilization from ancient flail to modern jet are displayed and identified in a jam-packed 10 acres.

Important events in transportation, communications, agriculture, education, and illumination are represented in continuity from 1830 to today. The evolution of the Great Plains from frontier times to the bustling present is the basic theme of this unique and exciting attraction.

In December, Minden is transformed into the world-renowned Christmas City with sparkling lights, colorful pageants, and inspiring music. The festival attracts thousands from throughout the midlands.

A dozen miles to the north, Hastings offers its always popular House of Yesterday. Here 20,000 items depict the challenges and triumphs of mankind through the years. Another top tourist attraction is the J. M. McDonald Planetarium where human ingenuity has recreated the starry heavens. Colleges, schools, and the Crosier Fathers Monastery are well worth a visit. A city of hospitality, Hastings has accommodations for 10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland every taste. Parks, golf courses, municipal swimming pools, and a lake round out the vacation and tourist picture.

From Hastings west, dehydrators dot U. S. Highway 6. These drum-like devices extract the moisture from the lush alfalfa and turn the once-leafy crop into powdery meal. At night the glowing cylinders and luminous smoke are bright beacons along the highway.

To the north the growing city of Kearney beckons the history buff. Situated half way between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Kearney is "The Midway City". The city got its name from nearby Fort Kearny, the key Frontier post that protected restless pioneer and sod-busting nestor from scalp-hunting Indians. The site of the old fort is now a prime state historical park. Fort Kearny's log stockade that protected emigrants during the height of the Indian wars has been reconstructed. Today, it's one of the impressive sights on the vacation trail West. Restoration work continues at the famed site, with still other features of the post scheduled for construction and interpretation.

Railroad buffs remember Kearney as the point where the steel rails of the Burlington Railroad met the main line of the Union Pacific. Weekend athletes can swim, play golf and tennis, or hike in Kearney's well developed park system.

Almost due south of Crystal Lake on Highway 281 is Red Cloud. Princess Blue Cloud, daughter of famed Chief Red Cloud, is buried on a high hill overlooking the town and the Republican River. A stone shaft marks the spot where the Indian girl is buried. Each year in July the town holds a colorful Alice Blue Cloud Pageant which is a re-enactment of Indian life before the white man came.

For nature lovers, Crystal Lake is a living text. Bird watchers have identified 80 separate species of land and water birds on the 63-acre expanse. Deer and small game are numerous. In the fall, migrating waterfowl often peel off to spend a few days on the shallow lake.

Carp and bullheads are the stringer fillers at Crystal Lake. Though small, they are fine for beginning anglers and a delight to the kids. Catfish of two pounds or more are sometimes taken from the Little Blue River.

Come October, sleepers and station wagons of the hunters replace the tent and trailers of vacationers at Crystal Lake. More and more sportsmen are using the site as a command post for their annual campaign against John Q. Pheasant. The rolling farmland surrounding the recreation area conceals an almost unlimited number of raucous roosters and darting quail.

Accommodations and facilities at Crystal Lake are just right for the family that wants to get away from it all. After a fun-filled day of exploring all of the wonderful attractions of south-central Nebraska, the area can't be beat. This year, make it your headquarters while vacationing in NEBRASKAland.

THE END AUGUST, 1964 11

BOYS TOWN:the City of Little Men

Work started by Father Flanagan proves the saying, "As the twig is bent, so grows the tree by Henry V. Straka

CROWNING the crest of a hill overlooking more than 1,500 acres of fertile Nebraska farmland is Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Known the world over, it is a monument to a gentle Irish priest who believed that every boy deserves a good home, a good education, and sound moral, physical, and spiritual training to enable him to boldly take his place among men.

Boys Town, just 10 miles west of Omaha on U. S. Highways 6 and 30A, has attracted thousands of visitors to its beckoning doors. Here is home and school for some 900 homeless and underprivileged boys, regardless of their race or creed. But Boys Town is more than brick and mortar, or classrooms and shops. It is a monument of love, devotion, and dedication, projected into the hearts and lives of all the boys who call it home, and of more than 10,000 alumni, the men of Boys Town.

Contrary to an opinion sometimes held, the Boys Town program is not designed to deal with the delinquent boy. It is a preventive program, rather than a corrective one. Certain standards and qualifications are set up for admission. A child must be homeless, and one for whom his own community has no program to offer. The minimum age for acceptance is a 10-year-old boy capable of doing fifth grade work, and the maximum age is 16.

Initial contacts for admission to Boys Town come from many sources, such as relatives, friends, ministers or priests, juvenile courts, or social welfare agencies. The need for establishing standards and requirements for admission is evident from the fact there are nearly 3,000 applications each year. Since it is possible to bring in less than 10 per cent of these, it is necessary to insure that those boys accepted are the ones who can profit most.

The school and activity program of Boys Town is of a normal character. Every effort is made to prevent the home from having an institutional character. The program is a permissive one, and regimentation is at a minimum. Physical punishment is not permitted. There is no "lost privilege" cottage. Devices associated with 12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland corrective institutions are not allowed. Just as there are no barriers of race or creed to keep deserving boys out of Boys Town, there are no gates, no locks, and no fences to keep them in.

Since the program is basically an educational one, attendance at school is a requirement for all boys. The Boys Town school system is accredited by the State of Nebraska, and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The subjects are similar to those offered in public or private schools.

In addition to the well-rounded curriculum, there is an extensive program of vocational education which offers students training in one of several useful trades. These include tailoring, shoe repairing, barbering, baking, wood working and cabinet making, printing, ceramics, auto mechanics, machine shop, heating and air conditioning, radio and electronics, vocational agriculture, and cooking and catering. While a number of each year's graduates go on to higher education, others, having no one to help them become established in business or a profession, must be prepared to stand on their own feet.

Each boy must be ready to assume the obligations of manhood, and to help him, Boys Town offers training which prepares him to take up a useful place in his community. Before he graduates from the Boys Town high school, job placement or other arrangements are made for him, so that he does not go into the world without provision having been made for his future.

A wholesome program of athletics and recreation is provided for all the boys. This is conducted on an intramural as well as on an interscholastic level, along with regular classes in physical education. Hobby and craft activities, a Boy Scout program consisting of seven units, and cultural activities such as choral and instrumental music and dramatics, are made available to provide for the development of the entire man.

Boys Town was founded December 10, 1917, by the late Monsignor Edward J. Flanagan in a two-story   brick building at 25th and Dodge Streets on the fringe of the Omaha business district. Five boys were its first citizens. Father Flanagan had to borrow $90 to pay the first month's rent on the building, and Boys Town had its somewhat shaky start.

BOYS TOWN Continued

For several years Father Flanagan had operated a Workingmen's Hotel to care for the jobless men who came to Omaha. Although he enjoyed some success in rehabilitating these men, he felt it was not enough. As he talked with them, he learned that in their youth many had been homeless or neglected, it occurred to him that if he could take boys and provide them with a good home and a good education, they would grow up as useful citizens. It was then he decided to quit OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland trying to straighten the gnarled oaks, and to train the young saplings instead.

By Christmas of 1917 Father Flanagan had more boys, and the following year the original quarters were too small, so he moved his boys to the German-American Club on Omaha's south side. But again it was not long before facilities were crowded, and Father Flanagan decided that his next move would be his last. Accordingly, he purchased the 160-acre Overlook Farm, the present site of Boys Town. In 1921 he moved his boys, 150 strong, to their new home. The first buildings were temporary, barrack-type structures, but here was room for a boy to grow, and room for the Home to expand if the need arose and the means permitted.

These early years were difficult ones, but buoyed up by a deep and abiding faith and in the inherent goodness of his fellow man, Father Flanagan persevered. As the years passed, he was able to add to the facilities to make room for more boys. But as these increased, so did the demands upon the Home. Finally in 1946 an extensive building program was started which would increase the capacity of Boys Town to care for 900 boys.

In the spring of 1947, Father Flanagan was invited by the U.S. Government to visit Japan and Korea on a youth welfare mission to formulate a program for homeless children in those war-torn countries. The following year he was asked to make a similar mission to Austria and Germany. It was while on this mission, on May 15, 1948, in Berlin, Germany, that Father Flanagan was stricken with a heart attack, and "his boys" were shocked and saddened to learn that their great champion had died.

For many years, friends of Boys Town had asked themselves what would happen to Boys Town when Father Flanagan died. The answer came with the appointment of his successor, Monsignor Nicholas H. Wegner. Father Wegner had been a close friend of Father Flanagan for many years. Born in Humphrey, Nebraska, he received his early education in that community. As a young man he was an outstanding pitcher, and his prowess attracted the attention of scouts who offered him contracts with two major league baseball clubs. He chose instead to devote his life to the service of his fellow men. Upon accepting the appointment to become director, he pledged that, so far as possible, he would follow in the footsteps of Boys Town's beloved founder.

It is a pledge which has been strictly kept. Father Wegner's first and most pressing task was the completion of the extensive building program. At the same time, he had to prepare for the increased enrollment, with its corresponding demands for an expanded program both in academic and vocational education.

Boys Town has grown, but the philosophy of its founder remains, and the spirit of Father Flanagan rests like a benediction upon the home which bears his name. Tens of thousands of visitors come every year to see this famed "City of Little Men." So well is Boys Town regarded that leaders from the four corners of the world have come to study the program so they might return to their own countries and set up similar institutions modeled along the same lines.

During the intervening years since Father Flanagan opened the doors, more than 10,000 boys have profited from the sound training they have received at Boys Town. To Father Flanagan, and since his death, to Father Wegner, have come the homeless and unwanted from city streets and crossroads hamlets. At Boys Town they have found new hope, new promise, and most of all, the love and care which is the heritage of every boy.

THE END AUGUST, 1964

CHUCK WAGON CHAMPION

YOU WOULD know Henry Peterson anywhere. Big as the West and twice as friendly, he's America's answer to making the Canadians eat dirt in the wildest of all rodeo events, chuck wagon racing. Competing in a sport that has already killed two drivers, Henry has racked up a string of wins that make him one of the hottest drivers south of the Alberta plains.

The Kimball driver is the only chuck wagon racer in Nebraska and one of only a few in the entire country. The Canadians have long held a strangle hold on chuck wagon racing, the event almost a national sport at the big rodeos in the north country. With years of know-how under their belts, they've pretty much discouraged all comers—all, except Henry Peterson. He was just man enough to take them up on their boasts when they first invaded the states in 1952.

Henry got into the game on a fluke. Up until 1952 he made a comfortable living solely as a trucker and rancher. Then two Wyoming friends entered him in the first American chuck wagon showing at Cheyenne only five days before the Wyoming shindig cut loose. Henry had rodeoed off and on when he was younger, so he figured chuck wagon racing couldn't be too tough.

With only five days to round up a wagon, two teams, and a couple of outriders, Henry had to go some to be on hand in time to plunk down the $20 entry fee. He owned one fast team of horses, but finally had to settle for a couple of speedy mules to round out his outfit.

The 20,000 rodeo fans who attended that first Cheyenne showing were on their feet during most of the race. Henry had a part in America's hair-raising introduction to chuck wagon racing, and since he's been a booster and participating member of the wagon clan.

Henry chuckles about that first wild and woolly showdown now, figuring he helped get the event off to a roaring start. One thing for sure, neither the Canadians nor the crowd would forget Henry Peterson. Henry is making sure that they won't for a long time to come. With a dozen seasons under his belt, he has become mighty salty at the sport.

Right after that first season Henry replaced his mixed outfit with thoroughbreds right off the big-time racing tracks. He started searching the countryside for the right size wagon to convert to a racer and hit many a farm and ranch auction to pick up needed harness gear.

16 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland by J. Greg Smith Kimball's Henry Peterson shares seat with death in this wildest of rodeo sports AUGUST, 1964  

The outfit he and other racers use is a far cry from the cumbersome rigs of yesterday. The 10-foot-long wagon can weigh no more than 1,325 pounds and ball or roller bearings are not allowed. The poorest excuse for a canvas top graces the rig, the low-slung design Dffering the least amount of wind resistance. Old-time ramrods would die at the way the outriders handle the "stove". It's not a stove at all but a wooden box that's thrown into a wire basket at the back end of the rig at the start of the race.

CHUCK WAGON CHAMPION Continued

Before his second year on the circuit Henry had put together a real combination. Once equipped, he headed for the edge of town for hours-long practice sessions making Figure 8's around the barrels. In an actual race, barrels are placed alongside the track headed into the arena. Each set is placed so that every wagon has an even distance to travel during the over-all run. The drivers farthest up the track, however, have to depend on real horsemanship to make the tight turns around the barrels. It's in this position that Henry's skill and experience really show up.

One outrider holds the lead team while the other stands ready to throw the stove into the basket. When the starting gun goes off it's a wild scramble of outriders and outfits. When all four entries are seasoned racers it's a sure bet that there will be a traffic jam when they hit the track. Once the rigs are on the track, they head out on the half-mile oval in the run for heat money.

With four teams of thoroughbreds pounding the turf, the race is guaranteed to be a wild one. If you make the Figure 8 and the half-mile oval in a minute's time you could be the winner, that is if you don't pick up any penalties along the way. Ten seconds are added to the total time for missing a barrel; five for knocking one over. If the outrider fails to get the stove in, you lose another four seconds. If he's late coming across the finish line, there's another one-second penalty to be added.

Henry's long practice sessions on the barrels have been worth the effort. He's racked up many heat wins at Cheyenne and has hauled away heavy championship purses at North Platte and Deadwood, South Dakota. His winning ways and showmanship are so respected that some rodeos now pay him to appear.

Chuck wagon racing isn't a poor man's game. It's easy to see why when you add up the cost of seven or so thoroughbreds at close to $1,000 a head, a couple of top-shape wagons, the trucks and crew to haul the rig, entry fees, and other expenses. The excessive cost is one reason why so few Americans are competing. The Canadians overcome some of this by being sponsored by commercial companies.

Henry is the first to admit that his isn't the safest of sports, but he gets his 280-pound frame worked up into a lather at those who argue that the event should be dropped from rodeoing. He has his share of battle scars from all the years of competition, and there have been those "close ones" that he would rather not talk about. But as far as he's concerned, racing's just as safe as breaking broncs or brahmas.

There have been times, though, when Henry would have been better off aboard a maverick bronc. He came the closest to checking in his chips at the big Buffalo Bill Blowout at North Platte in 1958. He had completed his Figure 8 in good shape and was just coming on the track when another outfit roared out of its eight and smashed into him broadside.

One of the first tricks a successful driver learns right away is to hold onto the reins, no matter what. Henry did just that, and when his four hot-bloods broke away from the wagon, the big man went sailing. The spooked team tore on down the track, dragging Henry under the wagon that hit him. But because Henry held on, he was finally hauled clear of the deathtrap.

The screaming crowd expected the worst, but when the dust cleared and Henry came into view, you could hear one big sigh of relief. He wasn't the prettiest sight to look at, but at least he was alive. His plow-playing bit in the track had left him a bloody mess. No bones were broken, however, and once he'd washed up and got the blood and dirt scrubbed off, he looked human again.

Getting dumped on the track in the middle of outriders, wagons, and teams is something everyone dreads. Henry first ate dirt at one of his early Cheyenne showings. A Canadian outfit rolled over him before he could get clear, and again the crowd was on its feet. This time Henry came up looking like one big scratch.

Though he's as tough as a range bull, you can't help but wonder how long Henry can keep going at this man-killer sport. His grandkids think he's the greatest, but even they are beginning to realize that a man can take only so much. Still Henry figures he has some more good seasons on the circuit left.

Henry's best friend was pretty well torn up at Greeley, Colorado, and this preys on his mind. The Wyoming driver's horse went down, throwing him in front of the onrushing teams. Hauled off of the track in critical condition, the Wyoming cowboy took a long time healing.

Accidents or not, Henry will be sporting the NEBRASKAland colors again this season. You'll see his orange-colored rig in action this month at North Platte and he'll be making appearances in shows all over the West. You can bet your boots that he'll be running to win, especially when it's him against the best of the Canadians.

THE END 18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland

NAME YOUR GAME

Rifleman, shotgunner, archer all find a happy hunting ground in NEBRASKAland, where mixed bag opportunities await them

UNMATCHED VARIETY turns the hunter's horn into a horn of plenty in NEBRASKAland, home of the finest mixed-bag shooting in the nation. Scatter-gunners, rifle-toters, and archers, be they resident or out-of-stater, find a happy hunting ground where a day in the field offers an abundant reward of game birds and animals.

The gaudy pheasant, colorful king of the uplands, holds cackling court over most of the state. A sprawling 45,000 square miles are considered good ringneck range. Hunting success is high with nearly 1.5 million long-tailed roosters killed during the season. This adds up to better than nine birds per hunter.

Thanks to the longest ringneck season in the nation, generous bag and possession limits, low nonresident fees, hospitable landowners, and equal hunting opportunity for visitor and native alike, NEBRASKAland takes a back seat to no one in the pheasant league. But your hunting permit does more than open the door to   exceptional ringneck merriment. It unlocks a treasure trove of gunning action, with bobwhite quail, sharptailed grouse, prairie chickens, snipe, ducks, and geese up for bagging.

NAME YOUR GAME continued

Mr. "Bob", that stubby-winged bombshell of the fence rows and weedy draws, is plentiful in the south-eastern, north-central, northeast, Republican, and Platte River areas of the state.

The generous quail hunt overlaps the pheasant season and many hunters end their day afield with a brace of ringnecks spicing a limit of bobwhite. For a first-rate crop of hunting kicks, walk in ahead of a pointing dog, uncertain whether you'll cause an explosion of quail or face up to the raucous eruption of a sky-climbing pheasant. Here is sport for the steadiest, most seasoned of gun hands.

If your tastes run to crisp dawns and waterfowl feather-etching the graying sky, NEBRASKAland is your cup of tea. The state plays host to the honking hordes of migrating ducks and geese that funnel down the Central Flyway. The shooting gets off to a fast start when the first flights of teal move out of the north and continues at a lively clip as pintails, gadwall, shovelers, widgeons, scaup, and the sassy mallards OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland wheel and pitch into lowland fields rich with Nebraska grain.

Wild geese drive their wedges into the river valleys and freckle the surface of the many lakes and streams. Snow geese, blue geese, Canadas, and whitefronts are popular and plentiful targets.

The rolling, pitching 20,000-square-mile sea of grass known as the Sand Hills contains a strong population of sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens. Nebraska is one of just a few states offering a regular season on the greater prairie chicken. It has one of the largest flocks remaining in North America. Ample seasons and bag limits afford plenty of opportunity to try your hand at slamming a load of chilled shot into a horizon-headed sharptail or chicken.

Like feathery phantoms, waves of jack snipe slip into Nebraska to provide outstanding hunts for those expert enough to match lead and swing with these long-billed, erratic-flying shore birds. NEBRASKAland snipe shooting has attracted national attention with some parties flying in from as far as New York City to join the fun.

This year NEBRASKAland gunners will pull on their jackets, oil up the shotgun, and set out to bag one of the majestic wild turkeys strutting in the Pine Ridge and along the Niobrara River bottoms. Progressive game-management practices have made possible the issuance of a steadily increasing number of special permits with seasons held in spring and fall last year.

If you're in the market for a trophy-size set of deer antlers to mount over the fireplace, NEBRASKAland can supply your needs. And, you have your choice of species. Brawny whitetails claim the eastern half of the state while thick-necked mule deer abound in the west. A wide central belt supports a good population of both species.

A big NEBRASKAland bonus is the chance to bring home two deer during the season. After a pre-determined date, holders of deer permits may apply for a second license and thus bag a pair of handsome bucks. Decisions as to which species of deer to bag are made easy in Nebraska.

Set your sights on an antelope in NEBRASKAland where the hunter success ratio is above 80 per cent. There will be 1,250 special permits issued for the September hunt. The newly opened portions of the Sand Hills will offer additional hunting area. Until this year, pronghorn action was limited to the panhandle.

Archers are offered one of the most liberal deer seasons in the nation. This year, for the first time, antelope will be up for taking. An unlimited number of deer and antelope archery licenses are available.

Rounding out this hunter's world is an untapped small-game population. Cottontail rabbits and fox squirrels are common and for the most part, unhunted throughout much of the state. Lengthy seasons and large bag limits make these sporty animals available during the major hunting periods.

Varment hunting presents an array of opportunities. There is no closed season on bobcats or coyotes and hunters stand a chance of taking home a unique fur rug as a reminder of their trip to NEBRASKAland. Prairie dogs and jack rabbits offer plenty of plinking action. Nonresidents must have permit for these targets.

Here, indeed, is a gunner's paradise where the main problem is one of deciding which game bird or animal will be the target of the day. Variety, it has been said, is the spice of life. And, for the outdoorsman, life is good in NEBRASKAland.

THE END AUGUST, 1964 21

RED CLOUD A Chief's Namesake

LEGEND HAS it that an Indian princess is buried on Ba high bluff overlooking the Republican River Valley. Her name was Blue Cloud, daughter of Red Cloud, the last great warrior chief of the Oglala Sioux. According to tradition, Blue Cloud died in 1873 as the Sioux roamed south for one of their final buffalo hunts. Concrete slabs now mark the graves of the princess and her pony, which was buried beside her.

The town below the bluff is Red Cloud, Nebraska, the only city in the United States named in honor of the famous chief. Red Cloud supposedly held two war councils on the townsite prior to the platting of the community in 1872. The town was laid out by Captain Silas Garber, an early settler who later became Nebraska's third governor.

A lot of water has swept beneath the Republican River bridge south of Red Cloud since these events took place. Today the busy town of 1,500 is the county seat of Webster County and the shopping center for a large area of south-central Nebraska.

The stories of Blue Cloud and her chieftain father have left deep imprints on the community. Each Fourth of July the Alice Blue Cloud Pageant is given by residents to commemorate the death of the princess and the passing of the Indian era. Near Red Cloud's main street is Norman Pierce's Sioux Village, where guides show visitors authentic tepees, weapons, and many other objects used by the Plains Indians. Tourists can even spend a night in a tepee, sleeping on buffalo robes.

Red Cloud also remembers her most famous daughter, the authoress Willa Cather, whose novels of pioneer life captured readers around the world. The Willa Cather Museum is housed in one of the town's original buildings, and is open daily from 1 to 5 p.m. from May 1 to October 1. The displays may be seen by appointment during the winter months.

Located on U. S. Highways 281 and 136, Red Cloud is one of NEBRASKAland's many bastions of history and the traditions of the town's pioneers live in close harmony with the progressive spirit of her residents today.

THE END AUGUST, 1964 23

LAND OF TORMENT

Color Photography by Lou Ell

WHEN SATAN details his subordinates earthside for on-the-job training he probably billets them in the NEBRASKAland Badlands. The apprentices would feel right at home in the tormented geography of this unique spot in the northwestern part of the state. At day's end the neophytes could meet in Toadstool Park and discuss their accomplishments.

But you don't have to be the devil's advocate or even an imp to enjoy this weird landscape. You'll discover this unique scene when you travel 20 miles north of Crawford on State Highway 2. The next 12 pages of color photography should prove the tempter to encourage you to see the real thing.

Nebraska's Badlands and Toadstool Park are concentrated in a small area that's right for a day of leisurely exploring. If your eyes are stronger than your legs, there's still plenty to see from the picnic grounds on the east side of the park.

A short trail leads from the picnic flat to a scarred hill overlooking the fantastic toadstool formations. The picnic site is furnished with sheltered tables, fireplaces, drinking water, restrooms, and trash containers. A well-kept prairie trail branches off Highway 2 and snakes across the plain to the park. A sign marks the turnoff.

A strange interruption in the beauty of the surrounding Pine Ridge, Toadstool Park is a remnant of nature's violent past. The folded hills erupt from a barren expanse of clay and rock. Hills are scarred and gouged by centuries of wind and rain. Patiently the years have shaped and polished many of the hills into sharp pyramids while rounding off others.

24 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland            

Debris-filled valleys and pockets add to the lunar-like landscape of this unusual spot. Toadstool Park is in a natural amphitheater at the base of the jagged hills.

Slabs of sandstone suspended on narrow pedestals of clay give the park its name. Wind and water have eroded the pillars until only narrow stems of sun-baked soil support the rocky caps. The "toadstools" grow in infinite variety. Some weigh hundreds of tons while others are mere pebbles perched on slender stems. The park is cluttered with the remains of toadstools that gave up and collapsed. Others are in the making, since nature both builds and destroys.

The hills to the south are flecked with red while those to the north are trimmed in gray. The rocks are marbled with various colors, and the base soil veined with shards of white and purple rock. Orange lichens paint cabalistic symbols on the larger rocks.

Timeless erosive chisels are sculpting the rocks into fantastic shapes. Shrouded mummies gaze in stony silence at the gargoyle faces across the valley while nightmarish animals guard the pueblos of imaginary cliff dwellers. When light and shadows are right, the hills and rocks change character. In morning light they seem almost gay. At twilight the mood changes to foreboding and menace.

Fossil hunters find happy hunting grounds. Buried in the hills and outcrops are the bones of strange animals that roamed Nebraska long before the coming of man. Extensive diggings and explorations have uncovered fossilized remains of such stunners as the titanothere, a huge rhinoceros-like animal that lived in the Oligoncene Period. Other animals include the prehistoric camel, the three-toed horse, and the ancestor of all deer. Paleontologists are positive that more will be found as exploration continues.

LAND OF TORMENT Continued

Geologists love the place. Revealed in the strata of eroded rock and sheer-sided canyon are the chronicles of ancient earthquake and flood, desert and lake, glacial cold and tropical heat spread over 4 million years. Geologists believe the original soil of the Badlands was laid down about 39 million years ago. Layers of ash indicate that it was once the playground of active volcanoes.

Change is the only constant factor in this unusual area. Experts claim that some have occurred in the last 30 years. Records prove that the Badlands is less arid and barren now than it was in the 1930's. Plants are slowly edging into the channels and gouges of the hills. Possibly in a million years, the weird area will revert back to the lush garden of the past when the land was a fertile plain above a quiet lake. Locked in the rocky caps of the toadstools and the scarred faces of the hills are the secrets of the past and clues to the future.

The Badlands and Toadstool Park are storehouses for the testaments of the ages. Even if most of us can't read them, there is something reassuring in knowing that they are there. Why not visit this area which is so out of step with the rest of NEBRASKAland and find out for yourself?

Next month OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland will take its readers on a colorful tour of the state's most scenic highways. We invite you to ride along.

THE END AUGUST, 1964 37

CLOUD TALK

Learn to read the book of weather prophecy that's scrawled across the sky. It's easy and fun

CLOUDS ARE the words of weather prophecy written in the volume of the sky. To those who can read them, they reveal more clues than a mystery thriller. What's more, you don't have to be a meteorologist to do the job.

Plenty of information on basic types of clouds and their significance in weather forecasting is available at public libraries. You'll learn still more from personal observation. Cloud study is a fascinating pastime and a valuable skill, since weather changes affect us all.

The high flier of the tribe is cirrus, a delicate, silky strand of cloud that roams the sky up to 30,000 feet. Isolated wisps or "mares' tails" are usually indicators of continued fair weather. When they fuse into layers or join the lower cirro-stratus or cirro-cumulus formations, they herald bad weather.

Two other dwellers of the high sky are cirro-stratus and cirro-cumulus. The first is a thin white veil that spreads a milky film over the whole sky. Composed of ice crystals, it produces halos around the sun and moon and confirms the storm hint of cirrus.

Cirro-cumulus is the low-level member of the tall trio. It is responsible for that delightfully evasive proverb, "Mackerel sky brings wet or dry". Easily identified by the regular pattern of white flaky cloudlets, it presages a soon-to-come change in the weather.

Sliding downward is alto-stratus, a translucent sheet of gray or blue cover. It is dense enough to blur the sun and if it continues to thicken, dig out the raincoat in summer or the snow shovel in winter. Things are going to happen.

38 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland  

A neighbor of alto-stratus is alto-cumulus. It covers the sky in a rolling spiral design. Fully developed, this formation often wears a turretted crown that resembles the towers of ancient castles. It is the threatener that prepares the trail for the storms to follow.

Three cloud types hover relatively close to the earth's surface and none of them are very cheerful. Topping this dour group of sky travelers is strato-cumulus. Ropy layers of this lumpy shroud hang in the sky with depressing monotony. It is the running mate of nimbostratus, the performer that sheds a steady rain or snow until it grates nerves and frays tempers with its maddening persistence. Nimbo-stratus is dense, shapeless, and often ragged.

Stratus is the uniform cloud that settles close to the earth, often preceding and following the moisture from nimbo-stratus. If the base of stratus rests on the ground it is described as fog. Drab and colorless, this ground-hugging shroud brings us the gray and featureless days of late fall. When sun, wind, and pressures dissipate the cover, periods of good weather usually follow.

All of these harbingers of weather are horizontal clouds with more length and width than depth. One other type has a special niche in the cloud family. Cumulus is a vertical developer and usually follows two paths to its final destiny. It either lives as fair weather cumulus or grows into a towering cumulus or thunderhead.

The fleecy cloud that sails under a blue sky on calm summer days is the fair weather variety of cumulus. If it's brilliant whiteness and serene demeanor evaporate into nothing by late afternoon, good weather usually continues. But innocent as it appears, cumulus harbors the seeds of violence in its ivory heart. If it joins other clouds, expands in diameter, and begins to tower, the possibility of an approaching thunderstorm is very good.

Cumulus may be denied its opportunity to be a thunderhead if wind drifts it away from the columns of warm, moist air it needs to nurture its growth or if its ascending billows fail to find a strata of cold air. Meteorologists name this transition cumulus congestus. A rapid disintegration of this formulation is an indicator of cool and pleasant weather.

It is said that cumulus congestus must have ice on his brow to form fire in his heart and rain in his veins. Besides that he has to change his name to cumulonimbrus, the thunderhead. The thunderhead is the easiest cloud in the firmament to identify. Sometimes towering to 80,000 feet, its base is black and menacing while its crown is white as snow. Its middle bulges with the force of unseen gales and fire dances around its shoulders. Sometimes its peak becomes an anvil when the rising water vapor hits an invisible but obdurate layer of air. Ancients claimed the god of 40 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland thunder was forging his bolts of fire on these anvils and they weren't very far from wrong.

CLOUD TALK continued

A thunderhead actually ranges through a gamut of temperatures as it forms. Its base is rooted deep in the almost tropical heat of July and its crown pierces the near zero of January. The sun shining on this cargo of ice gives the thunderhead its glistening summit.

Its energies are spent in an extravaganza of lightning, thunder, and drenching rain. After the thunderhead is exhausted and breaks up, periods of cooler, dryer weather can be expected until the cycle renews itself.

There is another cloud that is all too familiar in the Plains, the dread funnel of the twister. A tornado is the most violent manifestation of nature this side of the sun. Fortunately its fury is shortlived. Forecasts are issued when area conditions are ripe for spawning a twister, but the exact time and place of the funnel's descent cannot be predicted.

Warm humid afternoons with a bank of thunderheads brooding in the west and an unnatural calm upon the land are tornado breeders. Rain and hail often precede a twister and almost always follow it.

A tornado on the ground is fearsome. Its whirling, whipping trunk sweeps over the earth like a giant vacuum cleaner, sucking up everything in its path. Houses and barns literally explode when the screaming wind tears away the outside air.

The funnel writhes and curls in a black moaning of a thousand demons. The sky behind it is blue black and the air itself assumes a lemony sheen that is swallowed up in the midnight of the spiraling cloud. Intensive lightning and drenching rains crowd its heels as it spins along. The path of its destruction is mercifully narrow.

Odds against even seeing a tornado are about one in 2,000, but if your luck runs out, a ditch, culvert, hollow, or any other depression is your personal island of safety. It won't protect you from a soaking or the sting of hail, but it can save your neck.

The actions of clouds foretell the weather to a degree. When separate strata move in different directions, look for a storm to follow. The movement reveals opposing air currents that will soon collide and precipitation invaribly results. In winter, dark, hard-looking clouds are the advance guard of bleak winds. If clouds bank up on the horizon when they should be moving, look for a major shift in the wind.

Clouds are living things, sensitive to every nuance in temperature, humidity, and pressure. Each tiny change has a significant link with the past, present, or future weather. All you have to do is recognize and understand the message they portray.

THE END AUGUST, 1964 41

CREEKING SQUIRRELS

For a boatload of fun, try floating the Big Blue for bushytails. We did and found a cargo of exciting action by Fred Nelson OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland

OUR TRIP started with a bang and ended with a bang, the last shot dropping a squirrel almost in our boat. Once my hunting partner, Gary Kotyza, had scooped the floating squirrel into the boat, we were ready to head for home. His prize was the climax of a fantastically successful late-fall float trip on the Big Blue River of southeastern Nebraska. Targets of the day were plump corn-fed squirrels that are found across most of the state.

Only seconds before Gary and I had fired the final rounds of the trip at two husky bushytails making a climbing get-away on a towering cottonwood. When they tumbled out of the tree at the blasts of his little .410 and my side-by-side 20-gauge, our self-imposed limit of four each was filled. Nebraska game laws permitted a daily bag limit of seven and 21 in possession during the season which opened on September 1 and continued until January 15. The season was about half over when we tried our float-hunt excursion down the Big Blue.

The idea of a float trip for plume-tails was born the week before when I took a day off to hunt squirrels near Crete. When I broached my plans for a float hunt down the ordinarily placid Blue to Gary, he was ready to go. Before we could try the unique hunt, however, we were sure to advise landowners on the stretch we planned to work and quickly got their permission without difficulty.

Our craft was a 14-foot aluminum square-bowed boat. Its shallow draft and rugged construction was just the ticket for the meandering river. The launch site was just north of the bridge on State Highway 82 near Crete and the pick-up point three road miles east where the Blue crossed a county road. We spotted one car at the county road, then drove back to the take-off point in the other.

Minutes after we began the five-mile float down the murky river, Gary's sharp eyes picked up a crouching fox squirrel high in the branches of a live oak. Alerted by his sharp hiss I twisted around in the bow and sighted along his pointing finger until I saw the half-concealed animal. Unused to danger from the riverside, the squirrel paid no attention as we eased the boat to the bank.

With his eyes on the squirrel, my partner grabbed the single shot .22, racked a long hollow point into the chamber, rested the rifle over a piece of driftwood, then squeezed the trigger. A sharp splat and the squirrel plunged downward in the limp free fall of an instant kill. Gary picked him up, pointing to the between-the-eyes bullet hole.

"That suit you?" he grinned.

"Not bad," I needled back, "but that squirrel was sleeping so soundly you could have swatted him with a canoe paddle."

Reworking the boat into the middle of the river, Gary watched the right bank while I scanned the timber on the left. A movement on the bank caught my eye, but it was several seconds before I could identify it as a foraging squirrel.

Spooky, he dashed for a towering willow as I reached for the 20-gauge. From the willow he jumped to an even bigger elm and flattened out on a limb high over the water. Protected by the limb and the heavy foliage, he was a tempting but difficult target. Steep banks prevented us from beaching the craft, so at Gary's suggestion, I elected to try for the bushytail from the boat.

Thrusting a paddle into the silty bottom, Gary swung the boat broadside to the current. As the metal hull rocked on the choppy ripples, it seemed that I could never swing the muzzles across the target. Finally the barrels lined up and my finger slapped the waiting trigger.

Bark and leaves cascaded in a small explosion against the Indian summer sky. Seconds later my first bushytail of the day hit the ground with a clearly audible thump.

"Not bad for a writer, and an eastern one at that," complimented my companion, as he swung the boat downstream to retrieve the squirrel.

We were using three guns on the float trip. A 22/410 over and under, a .22 single shot, and my own light Spanish-made 20-gauge that was loaded with high brass No. 6's. All three weapons were to get a good workout before the day ended.

After picking up the squirrel, Gary suggested that we do a little still hunting in the woods away from the channel. Pulling the boat well up on a sand bar to save it from the nagging current, we Indian filed through the grove so that we could watch for ground-feeding squirrels.

After 10 minutes we separated, Gary skirting the far edge of the timber while I cut through the middle. Resting under an almost leafless walnut, I heard the AUGUST, 1964 43   soft pow of the 410. Seconds later it was followed by the sharp crack of the .22.

CREEKING SQUIRRELS Continued

"This guy is going to be troublesome," I mused. "First he nails one with the shotgun and then adds another with the .22."

Heading toward the river I intercepted my companion. He was empty-handed.

"Just scaring one to death," he answered my raised eyebrow query. "He was running through the trees when I moved him along with the first shot. He stopped long enough for me to get a crack with the .22 but I missed him by six inches and he denned up. Let's get the boat."

"Quiet," alerted Gary as we drifted under a canopy of overhanging branches. Here the river choked down to a narrow channel. Try as I could, I was unable to see my target. Finally I handed the shotgun to my partner. He clicked off the safety, raised the gun, then lowered it.

"Rascal moved on me," he breathed, studying the overhanging branches. A minute later he raised the gun, sighted over the rib, and pulled. A very dead squirrel whirled out of the sun and rolled down the bank to the river's edge.

The timber petered out and we forgot about squirrels, as we fought the metal boat through a particularity rough stretch of high wind and open water.

"This wind will probably knock the hunting if we can't find a sheltered spot," puffed Gary, guiding the boat around the partially submerged skeleton of an ancient cottonwood. Squirrels don't like the wind."

Suddenly realizing that my early-morning breakfast was getting mightly skimpy, I called for a halt to the shootdown. We anchored near a sand bar and waded ashore to sprawl out at the base of a huge elm that offered some protection from the howling wind. As we munched on sandwiches, I got a briefing on Nebraska's superb squirrel hunting.

"Nebraska's a wonderful place for hunting of all kinds," Gary said, "but I believe our squirrel shooting can equal any state in the nation. Squirrels are concentrated in the eastern third of Nebraska and along the watercourses. They get mighty fat on corn and milo and some of them will go well over two pounds, live weight. Wherever you find timber here, you're apt to find squirrels. The trouble is not very many people hunt them," he continued. "I imagine we are the first to disturb some of these squirrels since the Pawnees roamed the country. The biggest problem on a float trip is getting permission from all of the adjoining landowners. Most of them will let you hunt if you ask, though."

While we ate I asked the Nebraskan about his preference in firearms for squirrels.

"Well, on a hunt like this, I would recommend a shotgun loaded with high brass No. 5 or 6's and a .22 Magnum equipped with a good 6 X scope," he replied. "Still we are doing fine with our present hardware."

Back on the river, we continued our discussion of squirrels and their habits. Gary pointed out that squirrels are pretty active in the morning and again in the late afternoon. During mid-day they rest in leaf nests or sprawl out on a limb. He figured the only ones we would see in the next hour or so would be sunning themselves in the trees.

We cleared a little bend just in time to see the biggest squirrel of the day hightail it up a towering elm tree. Pulling ashore we landed and circled the tree watchin^ for the p]umetail, but he was too well hidden. Returning to the boat, Gary walked downstream to check the channel and then beckoned to me.

"See that squirrel?" he asked. I looked around until I saw a wavering spot of rusty red in the crevice of a stunted willow well up on the bank. Trading my shotgun for the single shot, I eased up the bank and maneuvered until I could just catch a glimpse of the squirrel's head.

The first shot was too high. The next was about an inch from the animal's head. Gary advised me to take a finer bead and to hold a little lower since the rifle was sighted in at 75 yards. At the third shot, the squirrel finched and a second later, tumbled unceremoniously down from his perch.

A light two-man canoe is the ideal craft for this type of hunting. Our boat was a little too big and too noisy 44 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAIond for perfect float hunting. Still it offered a fairly stable platform and was probably as safe as any rig for this type of hunt.

I was watching the banks when all of a sudden Gary grabbed the over and under, horsed a shell in the chamber, and fired. A plump squirrel splashed into the river spending a spray of brown water cascading into the boat.

A few minutes later I got my chance at a dozing squirrel. He never knew what hit him. Close to the lift-out point we figured that our squirrel-hunting foray was about over. Relaxed and tired, neither of us saw the three squirrels that dashed along the opposite bank, raced up a cottonwood, and dived into a hole. By the time we spotted them, it was too late for a shot. Mildly chagrined at being outfoxed, we were griping when Gary interrupted with a sharp hiss.

A trio of squirrels streaked along the near bank. I snapped the 20-gauge shut, swung past the middle one, and fired. He staggered, recovered, and made for the tree. I fired the second time as he reached the first limb. He rolled down the bank and into the water.

I was reaching for him when the 410 blasted. Gary's fourth squirrel pitched into the river, spun around, and floated into a swirling eddy, his long tail looking like a piece of rusty moss in the brackish, coffee-colored water.

Driving back to Crete, Gary turned to me with a wolfish grin.

"Did you like that? Bet you never had squirrel hunting like that back East?"

"No to your second question; yes to your first," I replied. "Maybe I'll even invite you to go with me just to retrieve my squirrels."

THE END AUGUST, 1964

INDUSTRY ON THE GROW

Labor, power, transportation, and a great water resource—this is the stuff Nebraska's industrial progress is made of by David Osterhout Director, Division of Nebraska Resources

NEBRASKA IS acquiring a new economic "look." Traditionally dependent upon agriculture as its chief source of income, the state is seeking, and achieving, a better balanced economy. One of the major elements in Nebraska's move forward is a drive for increased industrialization. Coordinating this campaign at the state level is the Division of Nebraska Resources, a division of the state's Department of Agriculture and Economic Development.

Established by the legislature in 1947, the Resources Division is geared to help the various communities throughout the state plan and implement all-around civic improvement programs. It stands ready to help existing industry within the state develop its full potential and is anxious to persuade new industry to move into Nebraska.

In seeking to attract new industry, Nebraska finds itself in hot competition with all other states. In talking to prospects, staff members travel more than 200,000 miles a year to sell the state.

A prime selling point is Nebraska's central location. Bounded on the east by the Missouri River, the state lies squarely in the heart of the nation. Approximately 50 million people already live within a 600-mile radius of Nebraska. With the center of population steadily moving westward, the state's location is destined to become of even greater importance.

Harried industrialists from crowded metropolitan centers like the relaxed way of life which everyone enjoys here. Nebraskans are unhurried and uncrowded. It's only a matter of minutes from home to the shop or office. All work hard, but when the work day or week is done, they find unlimited recreational opportunities practically at their doorsteps.

Boasting an almost unlimited water supply, Nebraska has plenty to offer any industry. With some areas AUGUST, 1964 47   of the nation already suffering a water shortage, and other areas anticipating a shortage within the next few years, the state is literally "sitting pretty" on top of a huge store of water.

INDUSTRY ON THE GROW Continued

In addition to millions of acre-feet of surface water in running streams, natural lakes, and man-made impoundments, Nebraska has a tremendous underground water supply. It has been estimated by authoritative geologists at 547 trillion gallons. That's enough to cover the entire state to a depth of 34 feet if it were all pumped to the surface at one time.

This huge reservoir of water lies at medium to shallow depths so that it can be reached and pumped economically. Little of the water pumped needs treatment.

The state's highly favorable business climate is most appealing. State government operates strictly on a pay-as-you-go plan. Nebraska has no state debt. Bonded indebtedness on the state level, in fact, is prohibited by Nebraska's constitution. At the same time, residents pay the lowest per-capita state tax in the nation. Nebraska has no sales tax, no individual or corporate income tax, and no nuisance taxes.

Executives from relocated industries attest to the broad welcome mat spread out for them by Nebraskans. Four years ago voters overwhelmingly approved an industrial development amendment to the state constitution. This act permits counties or municipalities to issue revenue bonds for the construction of buildings to be leased to industry. Practically all of Nebraska's major communities and many of its smaller ones have formed industrial development corporations to lend assistance in the acquisition of sites and buildings. As a result, a number of well-planned "industrial parks" now dot the Nebraska landscape.

Major rail, truck, and airlines fan out from Nebraska's central location to give shippers quick access to all parts of the nation. Interstate 80 traverses the state in a thin ribbon of concrete. When completed it will be a principal east-west route. Thanks to eight barge lines on the Missouri River, Nebraska is also the western terminus for inland waterways leading to the Atlantic Ocean (through the St. Lawrence Seaway) and to the Gulf of Mexico.

The low cost of Nebraska's ample utilities is another reason more industries are moving here. The state enjoys an abundance of natural gas (some of which is produced within the state) and electric power at rates that are among the lowest in the nation. And Nebraska is pioneering in the production of electricity from nuclear energy with a plant that incorporates the world's first commercial-scale sodium-graphite power reactor.

Nationally known manufacturers who have established plants in Nebraska are also helping sell the state. These, as well as Nebraska's own "home grown" industrial plants, report excellent results from Nebraska's highly productive labor force.

With these many assets, Nebraska has made real progress, even though the competition has been stiff. The number of plants and employees and the size of the industrial payrolls in the state have shown a steady growth over the past 15 years. In a study of economic conditions and trends in the United States since 1959, a New York investment counseling firm ranked Nebraska first in the growth of durable goods production.

This is the kind of report that every Nebraskan likes to read. More graphic, however, is the construction of still another new plant or factory. And, as every Nebraskan has noted, there's more construction all the time.

THE END 48 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland

BONNY BONNY BLUEGILL

Tough slab-sided brawlers at Red Willow slug it out in a fishing free-for-all by Don E. Keller

CLOYD CURRANS stared at the mountain-sized pan of bluegill with relish. Fresh off the stringer from recently impounded Red Willow Dam, they were the result of a one-day fishing spree at NEBRASKAland's newest reservoir hot-spot.

"Yes sir, that's the best mess of bluegill I've seen all year."

My neighbor's comments made even the job of cleaning the day's catch seem a little more agreeable. He told me about the "sniveling four-pound walleye" he'd taken at the lake that morning, then turned back once more to the heaping pan of freshly-cleaned bluegill fillets.

"Yes sir, think I'll try to get some of them tomorrow," he muttered as he ambled off.

The day started for Fred Van Epps, my fishing partner, and me some 12 hours earlier. Fred had worked late Wednesday night getting the paper he publishes, The Trenton Register, in the mail so he could join me on the fishing trip. Since my days off from my railroad job are Thursday and Friday, it's sometimes a little tough to find an angling partner.

We had hitched up my 14-foot runabout at eight a.m. and headed for the lake, some 10 miles northwest of McCook. For a week we'd been hitting good runs of bluegill in the new impoundment, which had been getting heavy angling pressure all spring.

An hour later I was running the little motor flat out toward the west end of the lake. Fred uncorked the Thermos and poured two cups of steaming coffee as we settled back for the 15-minute ride. The coffee hit the spot since the weather had turned unseasonably cool. It had rained the day before and the scuddy clouds looked like they might try to repeat the same performance.

Once at the west end we cut south into a small cove and dropped anchor near a grove of dead cottonwoods. After measuring the water's depth with the anchor rope, we set the floats on our spinning outfits to hold the bait about a foot above the weed bed below. Fred hurriedly stitched a No. 6 hook through a big worm's mid-section AUGUST, 1964   and tossed the rig out 15 feet toward one of the barren trees.

BONNY BONNY BLUEGILL Continued

Before I could follow suit, Fred was pulling in the first keeper of the day, a plump bluegill that measured nine inches.

"Don, I don't think there's another fish in the world that's more fun to catch than these devils. If they grew to five pounds they would pull a guy into the lake," Fred grinned as he slipped the scrapper on a stringer.

After a glance at Fred's take, I lost no time in flipping my offering out. By the time I'd rigged my second outfit, the float on the first had skidded across the water and taken a quick dive. A flip of the wrist set the hook. My light, eight-foot spinning rod quivered for a moment, then bent sharply. Darting back and forth in short runs, the bluegill did everything to shake the hook. After playing the plucky bluegill a few minutes, I jerked him into the boat and matched his size with the one Fred had just taken. They were the same, both running better than average.

Each of us was using two spinning outfits, and at times we could have used another pair of hands to bring in the little gamesters. Another boat with two bluegill anglers pulled into the cove and they, too, were having good luck.

From about 10 o'clock till noon, Fred and I added scrapper after scrapper to our bulging stringers. We missed several nibblers and threw back many that had some more growing to do. Still, when we reeled in our lines at lunch time, we had a stringer of 20 bluegill that weighed almost 15 pounds.

As we headed back to shore for sandwiches and coffee, we took a good look around the perimeter of Hugh Butler Lake. The stoop-shouldered hills were cloaked with lush prairie grasses. Near the outcrops where rock protruded from the hills, colorful Plains flowers showed their bright colors.

In the short time it has been around, the lake has turned into one of the top impoundments in the state. A few years ago, Red Willow Creek was a muddy stream, loaded with rough fish, that roamed aimlessly through the hills. On occasion, when swollen by heavy rains, the creek became a hellcat. But all this is changed now.

In September of 1961, right after Red Willow Dam was closed, the creek was treated with rotenone from the headwaters into the forming reservoir to eliminate all the rough fish. Once void of the undesireables, the lake was stocked with more than a million game fish, including channel catfish, bluegill, largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, walleye, and northerns. All the species have shown good growth in the clear waters.

After lunch Fred and I again chugged across to the bluegill cove. The sun had broken through the overcast and the temperature had climbed. The bluegill now took the bait at a slower pace, but the action was still steady.

The energetic bluegill still were snapping up worms with almost monotonous regularity. By three o'clock 50 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland we counted 29 keepers, about all we could hope to get cleaned that evening. Fred had also hooked a foot-and-a-half channel cat and a couple of nice crappie.

Just as we were ready to head back to the boat landing, I noticed another small cove just west of the one we were fishing. The little inlet looked good for bass.

"Want to try it for a half hour?" I hopefully asked Fred.

"Well, I guess we have room in the boat for maybe a few bass," he replied, already busy rigging one of his spinning outfits with a shallow-running plug.

I pulled the boat into the mouth of the outlet just far enough to enable us to work the weeds near the steep banks on both sides. Fred slipped the anchor into the water and started working the spoon. I dug through my tackle box until I found my favorite bass lure, a long, ugly strip of black pork rind.

I tossed the eel-like lure into the weeds toward the head of the inlet and started horsing it with a series of short, quick tugs. A second later a largemouth grabbed it and shot for deeper water in a boil of spray. Fearing he might get back to the weeds and snarl the line, I landed him quickly.

With the pound bass on the stringer, I tried the same spot again. Another bass struck, but I missed him. Again I flipped the eel into the weeds and brought it home with another good bass. Fred took the hint and hooked on a black plastic worm. He hooked a pounder, and I netted one more before we headed the runabout out of the cove and across the lake for the boat landing.

Scaling and filleting almost 40 fish that evening seemed like a pretty long job until my neighbor Cloyd Currans, walked over to see the catch. When he left, Fred looked at the supply of bluegill fillets. "Yes sir," he smiled, "They're my favorite fish, too."

THE END 51

LEWIS and CLARK

by Harry Fey Explorers western trek blazed a trail for millions to follow 52 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland

THE TWO men carried the future of a young nation with them when they pushed off up the untamed Missouri into the heart of the wilderness. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark had begun their great adventure. Almost 2V2 years later they would return to civilization, their trail breaking opening up a vast new land for the taking.

President Thomas Jefferson, a man of dreams and practical ideas, had long viewed the northwest territory as a new source of revenue and future expansion. When the opportunity to purchase the Louisiana Territory presented itself, Jefferson moved swiftly. Conflicting claims had been laid to the northwest by Spain, England, and the United States. It was the hope of Jefferson to substantiate our claim to the vast northwest by establishing a route from St. Louis to the Pacific Coast.

Jefferson chose Captain Lewis, his personal secretary, to head the exploration party, In turn, Lewis tapped Clark, an infantry officer with five years of experience including action against Indians, to share the responsibilities of leadership. Clark had been Lewis' commanding officer, and the two were very close friends.

The winter of 1803-04 was spent in St. Louis. While Lewis handled supplies Clark recruited and trained Army volunteers and hardy frontiersmen who would make up the exploration party.

The 1,600 mile ascent of the Missouri River was begun May 14, 1804, from a point near St. Louis. The powerful current of the river made progress difficult, and it wasn't until July 21 that Captain Clark recorded the arrival at the mouth of the Platte, near the present city of Plattsmouth, Nebraska.

"Set out early under a gentle breeze from the southeast. Arrived at the mouth of the Great River Platte at 10 o'clock. This great river, being much more rapid than the Missouri, forces its current against the opposite shore. The current of this river comes with great velocity, rolling its sands into the Missouri, filling up its bed. We found great difficulty (continued on page 55)

AUGUST, 1964 53

LEWIS AND CLARK

(continued from page 53)

in passing around the sand at the mouth of this river.

"Captain Lewis and myself with six men in a pirogue went up this great river Platte and about two miles, found one current very rapid, rolling over sand, passing through different channels, none of them more than five or six feet deep. The Otoes, a small nation, reside on the south side 10 leagues up this river, the Pawnees on the same side of the river about five leagues further upstream."

The explorers had their first formal meeting with the Indians of the area on August 3. Clark named the meeting ground Council Bluff. The historic site was about 25 miles above Omaha on the Nebraska bank of the Missouri.

Clark was impressed with the area, and made a note of it in his journal:

"The situation of our last Camp Council Bluff or Handsome Prairie appears to be a very proper place for a trading establishment and fortification. The soil of the bluff is well adapted for brick, great deal of timber above in two points, many other advantages, and I am told central to several nations. One day's march from the Otoe town, IV2 days from the great Pawnee village, 2 days from the Omaha towns, 2Vi days from the Loups village, and convenient to the country through which the Sioux hunt. Perhaps no other situation is as well calculated for a trading establishment."

Ready to serve hunters all season CORKY'S PLACE On Beautiful Strunk Lake (Medicine Creek Dam) For a successful hunting trip come to Corky's place; many acres to hunt, modern motel units, plus the enjoyment of home-cooked meals. To serve you better we provide guide service plus cleaning and freezing birds. Come by car or use the landing strip nearby. Cambridge, Nebr. Phone: 697-3774

The Indians were introduced to white man's justice and customs on Captain Lewis' birthday, August 18. Then a party sent to capture deserters returned to camp with M. B. Reed and the three principal Otoe chiefs.

After a short meeting with the chiefs, the officers tried Reed. The prisoner confessed he had deserted and had stolen a "public rifle, shot-pouch, powder, and ball." Reed requested the two captains be lenient. Clark noted they were, and "only sentenced him to run the gantlet four times through the party and that each man with nine switches could punish him. Reed was no longer considered a part of the expedition.

All three Indian chiefs petitioned for pardon for Reed. However, after Clark explained the nature of the crime and the customs of the army, the Indians were satisfied the punishment was just.

Death came to only one member of the party during the two-year trip. This occurred near South Sioux City when Sgt. Charles Floyd died of natural causes on August 20, 1804.

The first buffalo was killed August 27, the first antelope spotted September 5, and the first prairie dogs noted September 7. On October 26, 165 days after leaving St. Louis, the expedition reached the Mandan villages, a short distance north of the present site of Bismarck, North Dakota. On the left bank of the river, Fort Mandan was erected. It was in this structure the 54 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAIond party spent the winter of 1804-05 without accident or illness to any of the group.

At the nearby Minnetaree village the services of Charbonneau, a half-breed interpreter, were acquired. Charbonneau's Shoshone wife, Sacajawea, and their infant son accompanied him. Lewis and Clark desired to use Sacajawea's knowledge of the Shoshone Indians and their language to gain passage across the Rocky Mountains.

In the spring, Lewis and Clark sent Corporal Warfington and a party of 13 back to St. Louis laden with dispatches, letters, and natural history specimens. On the same day, April 7, 1805, the main party of 30 men plus the Charbonneau family left Fort Mandan to continue their exploration of the unknown territory which stretched before them.

The upper Missouri offered many challenges, one of the greatest being the long portage around the Great Falls. Beyond the falls the party relied upon Sacajawea's recollections of childhood for guidance.

Feeling sure they would meet members of Sacajawea's tribe of Shoshones the explorers pressed on. However, no Indians were contacted. Two months passed before they reached the headwaters of the Missouri River at the present Idaho-Montana boundary.

After passing the Continental Divide on August 12, the expedition came upon a group of Indians well supplied with horses. Sacajawea recognized them as her tribe. The Shoshones offered the group 38 horses and served as guides for several days.

Although horses made travel somewhat easier, the party faced many hardships traversing the Lolo Trail through the Bitterroot Range to the Nez Perce country on Clearwater River in northern Idaho.

The Nez Perce welcomed the group with food and had the answers to many questions. Lewis and Clark spent several days with the tribe while the men rested, felled trees, and built canoes. In exchange for two guns and a keg of powder the Indians agreed to care for the expedition's horses until they should return.

Six log canoes were launched October 7, 1805, for the last leg of the trip down the Clearwater and Snake Rivers, and then into the Columbia. On November 14, after more than 600 miles of river travel, the expedition caught its first full view of the Pacific Ocean from a point near the present site of McGowan, Washington.

On the Pacific shore, near the mouth of the Columbia River, the Americans erected Fort Clatsop. After spending the winter there, the party began the return journey in late March, following much the same route traveled westward. Save for a skirmish with a band of Blackfoot Indians, the trip was uneventful. The explorers reached St. Louis, September 23, 1806.

The Lewis and Clark expedition spanned two years, four months, and nine days. Accomplished with the loss of but a single life, the exploration had a profound effect on subsequent political acts of the United States concerning the Oregon Territory and international boundary lines. It provided geographers with much new information and brought to light many previously unknown species of animals, such as antelope, mule deer, prairie dog, sage grouse, Clark's crow, and the Louisiana tanager.

All along the path Lewis and Clark traveled, the states and the federal government have established parks, game refuges, public hunting areas, boating facilities, camp grounds, historic shrines, and state and national forests. Often, the only feature lacking is a series of markers calling the public's attention to the significance of a site as related to the Lewis and Clark Trail.

The exploration of the Louisiana Territory by Lewis and Clark is, without doubt, one of the most important events in the history of America. These two men and their band opened the way for the westward growth of the infant United States. It is fitting that their feat should be memorialized by development of the Lewis and Clark Trail project, a plan as sweeping and grand in its concept as the hardy explorers' trek from the mouth of the Missouri to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

THE END AUGUST, 1964 55

RANCH REARED BOBWHITE QUAIL CHUKARS RINGNECK PHEASANTS GERMAN SHORTHAIR POINTERS Bourn's Game Farm LEXINGTON, NEBRASKA Stop itching fast with ITCHY- ITCH Sure fire relief of chigger, mosquito and tick bites. Relieves sunburn like magic. MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! Mountain Folk Remedy Co, P.O. Box 3452 Lincoln, Nebraska 68503 MOVING? Make sure your OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland is delivered to your new address. Please notify circulation department of your new address. Allow four weeks for your change of address. Use this handy coupon OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland State Capitol Lincoln, Nebraska Name Old address New address.

OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE

A Believer. A Texan, hunting in Colorado, informed a rancher that he had shot one of his horses by accident and asked to pay for it. The price agreed on was $300, and on payment, the hunter left. The rancher then decided to go drag his dead horse in from the timber. He found instead the dead "horse" was really an elk. He's now a firm believer in hunting seasons. The rancher's $300 richer, still has his horse, and his freezer was loaded with elk meat.—Colorado Outdoors.

Women Drivers, Ha! Men drivers accounted for 86.6 per cent of the fatal accidents and 78.8 per cent of the nonfatal accidents with autos recorded in 1963.—The Casualty Count, accident data produced by The Travelers Insurance Co.

Dial Tone. For the convenience of Olympic visitors, the Tokyo Telegraph and Telephone Corporation will issue about 150,000 copies of a 200-page directory in English, French, and Japanese.—Travel Weekly.

Bombs Away. While patrolling in a California desert state park, a ranger noticed three small airplanes circling overhead and concluded that the flyers were enjoying the scenery below. As he watched, a small object was dropped from one of the planes and landed near him. Going over to check, he found an empty beer can. Litterbugs are everywhere.—Izaak Walton Magazine.

Home Sweet Home. A Little Rock, Arkansas, woman was more than a little disgusted with the nesting habits of an Oklahoma squirrel. After visiting relatives near Norman, she found she couldn't get her car started. Some ingenious squirrels had decided to build a nest beneath the car's hood and had stripped wiring and pulley belts, shredding them to fine bits and mingling the material with leaves for a nice cozy nest.—Oklahoma Wildlife.

That's a Switch. There was a rescue all right, and there was a St. Bernard involved, and a shot of whisky was administered to the victim. Only, in this case, the victim was a St. Bernard who was caught in the icy Maunee River in Toledo, Ohio. Rescued after two hours in the water by a volunteer fireman and a Humane Society agent, the two-year-old, 180-pound "Gina" was wrapped in blankets and given a slug of whisky before being taken to the vet. —American Humane Association Newsletter.

Nary A Scent. A skunk took over a dog's house while the pup was attached to leash fastened to the house. The owners proceeded very carefully to remove the dog from the leash and move him to a safer place. After several hours, apparently Mr. Skunk decided that he didn't care too much for his new abode and moved out without so much as leaving a scent for the time he spent there.—Pennsylvania Game News.

Pint-Sized Protector. "Cotton", a courageous Chihuahua-fox terrier, fought off two prowlers who broke into a home and attacked a bed-ridden woman in St. Petersburg, Florida. The seven-year-old dog held the two men at bay until the woman could escape from the house. The pooch received a silver medal for her heroism from the St. Petersburg Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. — American Humane Association Newsletter.

56 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland

NEBRASKAland TRADING POST

ANTIQUES ALL MAKES CLOCKS REPAIRED. Missing parts made. All work guaranteed. We buy and sell old clocks—antique or otherwise. City Clock Company, 1642 "O" Street, Lincoln, Nebraska. Telephone 432-1169. GENERAL LINE ANTIQUES to please beginners and advanced collectors. Through the Years, Sprague, Nebraska. Open Wednesday and Saturdays, 2 to 9 pm. Telephone 432-6038, 423-8950, 477-1681. CAMPING FOR OVERNIGHT parking and camping stop at Mobil Manor Trailer Court in West Chadron. One block off Hiway 20. Warm showers and clean modern restrooms. Laundry facilities. Lyle & Bernice Kubo, proprietors. DOGS BRITTANY SPANIEL pups vaccinated, weaned and ready to go. Rudy Brunkhorst. Telephone 563-0011, Columbus, Nebraska. A.K.C. German Shorthair Pointers. Whelped January 1, vaccinated. Champion bloodlines. Show and field prospects. C. E. Brillhart, D.V.M., Madison, Nebraska, telephone 454-3307. PLATTSVIEW KENNELS. Pa pillion, Nebraska. Dogs trained for hunting and field trials. A.K.C. Labradors for sale. Contact Joe Vampola, Jr. Telephone 339-8454. REGISTERED Magyar Vizsla pups. Started dogs. Stud service. Excellent hunters for pheasants, ducks, and quail. Frank Engstrom, Grey Eagle, Minnesota. AKC BRITTANY SPANIELS. Natural hunters, loyal pals. Pups and older dogs. Dual-champion bloodline. Alamo Tic Toe Joe at stud. Field-trial winner as well as gun dog. C. F. Small, Atkinson, Nebraska. Telephone 925-8041. FOR SALE: Vizslas, pups F.D.S.B. registered champion bloodlines. Whelped August 21, 1963. Ed Scott, 1332 17th Avenue, Mitchell, Nebraska 69357, Telephone 623-5011. GERMAN SHORTHAIRED Pointers, Bourn's Game Farm, Route 2, Box 190, Lexington, Nebraska 68850 FISHING LURES FISHERMEN: Catch all the white bass you want and your limits of sauger, walleye and northern. Use a white or yellow SKITTER JIG. Send $1.00 and receive two V^-oz. jigs postpaid. SKITTER PRODUCTS, 205 South 15th Street, Norfolk, Nebraska. GUNS GUNSMITHS, hobbyists. Blus your own. Get the "Bluing Handbook," 35 formulas including hot, cold, browning, grey, mottle, and bronzing of steel and brass. Send dollar to Jim's Gunshop, Blount Street, Whitehall, New York. HUNTING CAMPS HUNTERS: Good pheasant and quail hunting. Lodging and food. Reservations and information. Write to: Riverside Ranch, Mary Williams, Parks, Nebraska. Telephone Benkelman 423-2880. INSURANCE ALL RISK INSURANCE on boats, motors, equipment. $2 per $100 valuation per year, reducing to $1.60 if claim free. Boat Liability $5. Write for free brochure. Gene Schaffer Insurance Agency, 700 Anderson Building, Lincoln, Nebraska. Telephone 477-3754 or 423-4034. MISCELLANEOUS SPORT-VAC. World's most compact, lightweight portable vacuum cleaner. Plugs into cigarette lighter outlet of your car, boat, or trailer. It's light, only 5 pounds. Measures 15" x 9" x 5l/2". Stores easily Full warranty against defective construction. $29.95. Send your money order to Machado Imports, 4187 Adam Road, Santa Susana, California. Allow 2 weeks for delivery. TRAPS COLLAPSIBLE Farm-Pond Fish-Traps; Animal Traps, postpaid. Free information, pictures. Shawnee, 3934-A Buena Vista, Dallas 4, Texas. BOX TRAPS. Fifteen easy to make box traps. Catch game alive, chipmunks to bear. How to make baits, scents. Eliminate sparrows, starlings. Pictured blueprints. Complete, $2. Hiawatha Traps, 9026 Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 53222 FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR FOR SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE They meet in NEBRASKA! Pages Only OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland offers you a state-wide active, buying audience. More than 27,000 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland readers make your ad work overtime. At 15 cents per word, $3 minimum, it is the most economical way to advertise yet. For Fast Results Use OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland's Classified Page WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED WANTED TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY TO BUY OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland of the Air SUNDAY KGFW, Kearney (1340 kc) 7:05 a.m. KTTT, Columbus (1510 kc) 7:30 a.m. KVSH, Valentine (940 kc) 8:00 a.m. KXXX, Colby, Kon. (790 kc) 8:00 a.m. WJAG, Norfolk (780 kc) 8:15 a.m. KLMS, Lincoln (1480 kc) 9:05 a.m. KIMBf Kimball (1260 kc) 9:45 a.m. KBRL, McCook (1300 kc) 9:45 a.m. KODY, North Platte (1240 kc) 10:45 a.m. KMNS, Sioux City, la. (620 kc) 12:00 noon KOGA, Ogallala (930 kc) 12:30 p.m. KFOR, Lincoln (1240 kc) 12:45 p.m. KMMJ, Grand Island (750 kc) 1:00 p.m. KCNt, Broken Bow (1280 kc) 1:15 p.m. KUVR, Holdrege (1380 kc) 2:45 p.m. KHUB, Fremont (1340 kc) 4:45 p.m. KNCY, Nebraska City (1600 kc) 5:00 p.m. KTNC, Falls City (1230 kc) 5:45 p.m. KRVN, Lexington (1010 kc) 5:45 p.m. MONDAY KGMT, Fairbury (1310 kc) 1:00 p.m. KSID, Sidney (1340 kc) 6:30 p.m. TUESDAY KJSK, Columbus (900 kc) 1:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY KCOW, Alliance (1400 kc) 4:30 p.m. FRIDAY KRFS, Superior (1600 kc) 1:00 p.m. SATURDAY KCSR, Chadron (610 kc) .................6:00 a.m. KOLT, Scottsbluff, (1320 kc) ............11:45 a.m. KAWL, York (1370 kc) ....................12:45 p.m. KWRV, McCook (1360 kc) ................ 1:45 p.m, KBRX, O'Neill (1350 kc) ..............„.. 4:30 p.m. KRGI, Grand Island (1430 kc) .......... 4:45 p.m. KLIN, Lincoln (1400 kc)................. 6:00 p.m. KHAS, Hastings (1230 kc) ................ 6:15 p.m. WOW, Omaha (590 kc) .................... 9:30 p.m. DIVISION CHIEFS Willard R. Barbee, assistant director Glen R. Foster, fisheries Dick H. Schaffer, information and tourism Richard J. Spady, land management Jack D. Strain, state parks Lloyd P. Vance, game CONSERVATION OFFICERS Chief: Carl E. Gettmann, Lincoln Albion—Wayne Craig, 395-2071 Alliance—Richard Furley, 762-2024 Alliance—Leonard Spoering, 762-1547 Alma—William F. Bonsall, 928-2313 Arapahoe—Don Schaepler, 962-7818 Bassett—William O. Anderson, 294W Benkelman—H. Lee Bowers, 423-2893 Bridgeport—Joe Ulrich, 100 Broken Bow—Gene Jeffries, 872-5953 Columbus—Lyman Wilkinson, 564-4375 Crawford—Cecil Avey, 228 Crete—Roy E. Owens, 446 Crofton—-John Schuckman, 29 Dix—Marvin Bussinger, 682-2052 Fairbury—Larry Bauman, 1293 Falls City—Raymond Frandsen, 2817 Fremont—Andy Nielsen, 721-2482 Gering—Jim McCole, 436-2686 Grand Island—Fred Salak, 384-0582 Hastings—Bruce Wiebe, 2-8317 Hay Springs—Larry D. Elston, 638-4051 Kearney—Ed Greving, 237-5753 Lexington—H. Burman Guyer, 324-3208 Lincoln—Norbert Kampsnider, 466-0971 Lincoln-—Dale Bruha, 477-4258 Nebraska City—Max Showalter, 873-7155 Norfolk—Robert Downing, 371-1435 North Platte—Samuel Grasmick, 532-9546 North Platte—Robert D. Patrick, 532-7274 Ogallala—Loron Bunney, 284-4107 Omaha—Richard M. (Mike) Bailey, 453-4937 O'Neill—James J. Hurt, 159LJ Oshkosh—Donald D. Hunt, 772-3697 Ponca—Richard D. Turpin, 242 Tekamah—Richard Elston, 278R2 Thedford—Jack Henderson, 645-5351 Valentine—Jack Morgan, 1027 Valley—Daryl Earnest, 359-2332 Wahoo—Dennis Engstedt, 443-4430 York—Gail Woodside, 362-4120 AUGUST, 1964

SNAPPING TURTLE

notes on Nebraska fauna ...

INTRODUCTIONS TO the snapping turtle are often rude. Many anglers make the acquaintance of the snapper when they lift a stringer of fish from the water, only to find that this underwater scavenger has already made a meal of his catch. A member of the reptile class, the snapping turtle is known in text books as Chelydra serpentina.

All species of the reptile group respire by lungs. Members of the turtle family, Chelydridae, are divided into two groups, acquatic and terrestrial. The snapping turtle is aquatic, spending most of his life under water. He will rarely bask on the banks of ponds and rivers as do his fellow inhabitants of Nebraska waters, the soft-shelled and painted turtles.

In appearance the snapper is readily distinguishable from other species by the large head, small lower shell, and a long tail which is saw-toothed along the upper surface. The tip of the upper jaw is hooked, which aids the snapper in tearing up food to eat. His jaws bear no teeth but have stout, hardened sheaths which serve 58 OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland to crush his food. The toes end in horny claws that are useful for crawling and digging. Larger snappers inhabiting lakes and ponds will commonly have algae growth on the upper shell surface.

Never one to miss a free meal, this armor-plated reptile is not as black as most fishermen paint him by Monte L. Madsen Assistant Fishery Manager

Under water, this turtle is usually very timid. If stepped on by a passing fisherman, he'll withdraw his head into his shell or seek the protection of deeper water. Often he'll bury himself completely in shallow water with only his eyes showing.

The snapping turtle is at home in the eastern two-thirds of the United States. A close relative, the alligator snapper of the South, is reported to reach 200 pounds, the largest species of fresh-water turtle.

Food comes from small aquatic invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals, and carrion. A large part of his diet consists of aquatic vegetation. The actual food intake is small compared to that of birds and mammals. There is no evidence to support the claim that this turtle is a menace to fish populations.

A snapper will take a live fish from time to time, but in a healthy population, the loss will never be noticed. Waterfowl, particularly baby ducks, also are occasional prey. The snapper provides a needed service by acting as a natural housekeeper. Dead or diseased fish, birds, and mammals are always taken first because they are more readily available.

Mating takes place in the spring. The female snapper then seeks sand or mud banks where she digs a nest cavity. By using her hind feet, a shallow depression is dug. Then 5 to 10 small oval eggs are laid. Once deposited, the female gives them no further care. Development and hatching depends on the air temperature, with the eggs hatching in four to six weeks. The young develop an egg tooth to help them break out of the shell. Upon hatching, they are miniature replicas of their parents. They are immediately independent and the natural instinct for survival causes them to seek the protection of a nearby pond or stream.

Growth is slow and it usually takes several years for the young to reach maturity. A mature snapper, 8 to 14 years old, usually weighs about 10 pounds, though some 50-pounders have been reported here. Those kept in captivity over 40 years have reached weights in excess of 80 pounds.

Water temperatures influence the activity of this coldblooded reptile. In the hot summer months he becomes active only at night when the water cools. As the temperatures drop in the fall he buries himself in the mud of a pond or stream bottom to hibernate. During this time the turtle enters a dormant period and remains that way until the water temperaure reaches about 55° in the spring. Since he has no way to dissipate heat, he'll die if exposed to excessive temperatures.

Mature snappers have no natural enemies except man. The young are taken by both predatory birds and mammals. The meat, considered a delicacy by many, has very high commercial value. The flesh is white, firm, and compared by many to the white meat of a chicken.

Dressing out an average-sized snapper of 10 to 15 pounds takes some practice. A sharp knife is necessary to cut through the tough skin and to separate the meat from the two shells. About three to four pounds of meat can be expected from a 15-pounder.

Snappers are often taken in Nebraska rivers by fishermen using set lines baited with live fish. In lakes and ponds they are also occasionally taken by bottom fishermen. Most anglers class them as a nuisance because they continually strip bait off hooks. More annoying is their habit of eating just-caught fish off of stringers.

A few snappers in a lake or pond are beneficial for scavenger work, but when they interfere with fishing the ranks should be thinned. Trapping is the most successful method of removing them from a lake or pond. Both surface and underwater traps may be used. Those placed under water should be freshly baited and the dead turtles removed every day. Cottonseed and soy bean cake are good baits.

River bottoms may be probed for resting turtles by using a long pole with a stout hook on the end. When one is felt, careful maneuvering with the hook may capture him. Large snappers are dangerous and should be handled carefully. The powerful jaws are capable of severing a finger. The long neck can stretch out twice the length of the head, so hold the turtle by the tail and keep him out at arm's length.

Most snapping turtles taken while fishing are either shot or clubbed to death and left to rot. While the snapper is not protected in Nebraska, this is a wasteful practice. A little time spent learning how to dress out a mature turtle will be repaid by choice meat and a fine meal. Even with his terrible temperament, the snapping turtle is entitled to his necessary place in Nebraska's waters.

THE END AUGUST, 1964 59

NEBRASKAland

Nations Mixed-Bag Capital and here is why NEBRASKAland is the place to hunt BE Nation's longest pheasant season ('61, '62, '63). 0Q All-day statewide shooting. OE Generous limits, Mail order permit. Equal opportunity for resident and nonresident. B Friendly hospitality, Come back as often as you wish. Pheasant Quail Sharp-tailed grouse Prairie chicken Waterfowl Small game Deer Antelope Wild turkey Opening Dates: Pheasant and Quail Oct. 17 Grouse Oct. 3 Deer Nov. 7 Permit fees: Resident small game $ 3.50 Resident combination 6.00 Nonresident small game 20.00 Resident deer or antelope ea. 10.00 Nonresident deer or antelope ea. 25.00 Resident wild turkey 5.00 Nonresident wild turkey 15.00 GET YOUR 1964 PERMIT TODAY For more information on limits and seasons write to: NEBRASKAland DEPT. "N" State Capitol Lincoln Nebraska 68509