Mississippi River Trip: Niobrara State Park

Niobrara is nestled among the hills and bluffs at the confluence of the Missouri and Nibrara Rivers in the rolling plains of northeast Nebraska.  The area was explored by Lewis and Clark and a settlement sprang up thanks to the fertile farmland along the banks.  The rivers have an interesting relationship.  They trade flood times and seasons.  In late summer the Niobrara pushes silt and sand down into the Missouri, causing changes to the sand bars downstream.  In the spring, the Missouri floods and backs up into the Niobrara, carrying a lot of the silt BACK into the Niobrara, to repeat the cycle later in the year.

The original inhabitants were the Ponca Indians, who were treated with casual contempt by the early settlers, despite their peaceful nature.  In fact, the Ponca seemed to be the wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Their culture was considered one of the most advanced of the plains Indians, and by nature they were a peaceful people.  But they were surrounded by warlike nations, including the Dakota and Sioux nations, which elected to hold their battles on Ponca lands.  Being caught between warring nations makes life harder than it should be.  When the settlers came later they pushed the Ponca out, and finally the Bureau of Indian Affairs “managed” them nearly out of existence.

The park itself is gorgeous, with roads winding along the hills and bluffs, giving a beautiful view of the valley. The tent sites are great - off of the road but within easy carrying distance and nestled in the shade, most of the sites give good protection from the wind, which hasn't stopped blowing since we left Minnesota.

We got here in late afternoon and set up camp, then ate dinner and went for a walk.  As we headed back to the campsite we were treated to a spectacular display of sheet lightening across the river.  We raced up to the scenic overlook to try and get some shots and video, but in the end we were too late for good pictures, and the video is a little weak.  Ah well, in the end it's the memories that matter.  Ya'll missed out on something good.