KEARNEY, Neb. | The story of America’s western expansion through Nebraska is being saved by the Buffalo County Historical Society and is on display at their Trails and Rails Museum in Kearney. The museum is located on a portion of the original Mormon Trail, one of several wagon train routes to the west. The Trails and Rails Museum is housed in a railroad depot built in 1898 and sits on several acres of land along with several historic buildings.
Displays and artifacts relating to the area’s history fill the former Union Pacific depot that once served the community of Shelton on the east side of Buffalo County. The waiting room and ticket office have been restored to their original condition. The large baggage room is now an exhibit room showing the history of wagon, train and auto transportation in Buffalo County. The museum also has rare photos, diaries, letters and archival records available to researchers.
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Just outside the depot is a steam engine once used by Union Pacific. The 1903 Baldwin steam engine was used by Union Pacific in Kansas until the winter of 1954-55 when it was transferred to Kearney. Shortly after that it was used in Columbus, Nebraska and was retired from service and put on display in Pioneer Park in Kearney in 1958. The engine was donated to the Trails and Rails Museum in 1977. Attached to the engine is a flat car and caboose open to visitors.
Knowledgeable tour guides take visitors around the many buildings on the grounds at the museum. One of those buildings is the District Number 1 School House. When Pioneers traveling on the Mormon Trail settled in eastern Buffalo County they organized the county’s first school district. The schoolhouse was built in 1871 and was the first frame schoolhouse to be completed in Buffalo County.
Another building on the tour is the Loup River Freighters Hotel. Tour guide Lance Hehner said the hotel was built in 1884 by Jerome Lalone. “It had extra bedrooms,” explained Hehner, “and he rented them to freight wagon drivers.” He said the wagons carried supplies between Kearney and Broken Bow before the railroad was completed.
The Boyd Ranch House at the museum was built in the late 1850s. “It was the first frame house in Buffalo County,” said Hehner. He said the ranch supplied travelers on the Platte Valley Overland Trails.
A log cabin on the grounds shows the construction techniques used in the 1860s. The cabin was originally located near the South Loup River near Ravenna and is furnished as one might have been during that time.
The German Baptist Church at the museum was built in 1899-1900 in Kearney. The church sat on five lots in town to provide room for members to tie their horses and buggies. It was used by that congregation until 1964 when the Church of Latter Day Saints took over the building for the next 10 years. It was then used by the Kearney Baptist Temple until 1978. It was moved to its current location in 1988. The building is used to store the Buffalo County Archives and for historic exhibits.
The blacksmith shop at the museum has all the tools used by a blacksmith in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Visitors can see how wagon wheels were repaired and horseshoes were made.
Several family friendly events are held each summer at the Trails and Rails Museum including “Wild Science Thursdays” that helps kids learn while having fun. The annual Wagons West celebration features music, games and fun. The 7th annual Buffalo County Stampede half marathon and 5K run will be held in June.
