So If I can have Expedition Oklahoma, surely I can have adventures in Nebraska. Well, here we go...I need to post some of these photos before I go to Nebraska again and come back overwhelmed with photos and never post them.
The Elkhorn River at Neligh
After a stormy night in Lincoln we woke up early to head north to Ashfall (which was our next tourist stop and our main destination of this trip). But, I had a map, a paper map, which marked Neligh Mills as a historic site, so we stopped by. Note above the photo of the river. Rivers were important for mills as well as important means of transportation. In the 19th century our rivers weren't covered by systems of dams and were much more navigable. Also, unlike Oklahoma the rivers of North East Nebraska are quite impressive as you shall see in future posts.
It is my job as your tour guide to take you to places you may never see otherwise. Neligh Mills is likely one of those places (unless you're from Nebraska, then really you have no excuse not to go when it's not football season).
If you click on the link you will see the earliest photograph of the mill
It is interesting to go to these places and think about things that you've never thought about before. Like where our flour comes from and how difficult it may have been in the past to obtain it. You think about the geography that allowed these mills and what we've done to the environment to not be able to run mills by the rivers like we did at one time in the past. You also think about how Nebraska could have had 500 mills in 1890 and wonder how many mills are in the United States in 2014.
I love looking at old machinery and learning about how it worked to create our modern world.
I've always had a fascination with history and how people lived in the past. No matter what reasoning brought people to this country; to these Great Plains, life was hard.
The mill started before the railroad went through town.
Now it's time to go inside and check out this preserved mill.
It is a sensory experience to step back in time. The scent of the old barns remind me of the old barns we had on our farm when I was a kid.
Neligh Mills was built in 1873. Mr. Neligh settled in Neligh with the intention of opening a mill, after purchasing land from the railroad company.
The old equipment filled a boxcar full of flour a day while in operation in the late 19th century.
Isn't this fascinating. To think what an importan industry this was for Nebraska. I had no idea. It's amazing what you can learn when you stop by these random sites.
This mill is operated by the Nebraska State Historical Society.
Now take a moment to check out the historical society website. This is why I enjoy building my site. I am a visual person and enjoy sharing high quality images of places with my viewers.
I love our history.
I love Allis Chalmers... Tractors.
Looking out at the old bridge.
So that was fun. Our next stop was Ashfall, where 12 million years ago mega-fauna met it's fate at the hands of a super volcano in Idaho (which is currently called the Yellowstone Caldera).
I let my Sister have the t3i while I was shooting and had her try her hand at shooting with a DSLR. Hopefully soon I'll convince her that she needs a Canon not an iPad for her photography. Oh yeah and it only costs $3 for admission to the mill. It's a bargain.
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