“Take Me Back”
A Discover Nebraska Tour
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Activity Level: Level Three

The Golden Spike & Union Pacific Railroad’s Bailey Yard in North Platte, The new Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center, will be completed in the Spring of 2008. The tower will feature two observation decks, one enclosed at a height of nine stories, and an open-air deck at a height of eight stories. Nebraska is the largest reclassification yard in the world, drawing railfans from all over. It was named in honor of Union Pacific President Edd H. Bailey. This massive yard covers 2,850 acres, reaching a total length of eight miles, well beyond the borders of North Platte, a community of 24,500 citizens.

Every 24 hours, UPRR’s Bailey Yard handles 10,000 railroad cars. Of those, 3,000 are sorted daily in the yard’s eastward and westward yards, nicknamed “hump yards”. Using a mound cresting 34 feet for eastbound trains and 20.1 for those heading west, these two hump yards allow four cars a minute to roll gently into any of 114 “bowl” tracks where they become part of trains headed for dozens of destinations.

Scout’s Rest Ranch North Platte was home of the man who made the Wild West world-renowned. No one figure personifies the frontier spirit better than William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the West’s most colorful showman, army scout and buffalo hunter. The legacy of the life and times of the man who personified the frontier spirit lives on at Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park. Cody’s elegant Victorian house, built in 1886, and huge barn sit on 25 acres of what was originally a 4,000-acre spread that Cody called Scout’s Rest Ranch. The barn, built in 1886, now features Wild West Show memorabilia, original posters, and a movie made of film clips taken at the time the show was touring throughout the United States and Europe.

World War II Canteen display. This interpretative display details the story of 55,000 volunteers from rural Nebraska that for 51 months, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, throughout World War II, met every U.S. Military train, providing food, treats, and hospitality to its passengers. Over six million servicemen and women were served during the Canteen’s existence, showing the generosity and faithfulness of these amazing people.

The 20th Century Veterans’ Memorial, located just south of North Platte, is a permanent memorial dedicated to and honoring the military men and women of the United States who served their country.

Fort McPherson National Cemetery, located in the Platte Valley of Nebraska, was established in 1873, and serves an estimated 7,000 veterans and their families within Nebraska. Veterans from numerous American conflicts are represented at Fort McPherson. The National Cemetery is the final resting place of four Medal of Honor recipients.

For more information write to: tconcepts@hamilton.net or call 402-694-5731 or 800-759-1006.

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