Kearney Archway, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Kearney Archway is celebrating its 25th anniversary with numerous events on Saturday, June 14.
From 3-5 p.m. there will be family fun events and museum tours including miniature train rides, “cow milking,” archery, horse-drawn wagon rides, crafts, photo opportunities and more. The museum will be open to explore with $5 self-self-guided tours.
From 3-8 p.m., there will be food trucks on side including the Melty Wagon, offering macaroni and cheese; Neber Enough Q, offering barbeque and Nick’s Gyros.
At 5 p.m., there will be the unveiling of a brand-new exhibit with special speakers, following there will be a reception with cupcakes and cookies.
From 6-9 p.m., there will be live music provided by Pink Kadillac and an outdoor beer garden will be open.
At dusk, there will be a firework show put on by Big Berine’s Fireworks.
The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, opened in July 2000 and houses a historical experience that tells the history of Nebraska and the development along the Platte River Valley.
The site spans mor than 300 feet above Interstate 80.
A monument and tourist attraction highlighting the history of the Platte River Valley was a goal of former Governor Frank B. Morrison.
In 1997, $60 million in bonds were issued and purchased by investors. On July 16, 2000, the Archway opened to the public, with 223,013 and 249,174 visitors in the attraction’s first two years, respectively.
First-year visitors included then-President Bill Clinton.
Today the Archway is now managed by the City of Kearney.
The exhibit starts at Fort Kearny in 1848 and features sections on the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail that converged at the nearby Fort Kearny before heading west.
As visitors progress through the exhibit, the displays of different time periods feature a prairie schooner wagon on the Oregon Trail, a buffalo stampede, the Mormon Handcart Expedition, a 49er’s campsite, the Pony Express, the Transcontinental Telegraph, a stagecoach, the Transcontinental Railroad, the first transcontinental highway, the Lincoln Highway, and today’s transcontinental highway, I-80.
The exhibit ends with a replica drive-in and 1950s-style cafe with windows providing views over the interstate.
