Kearney Archway offers “look” into westward migration
Designed as a tribute to Nebraska’s pioneer history and the role that the Platte River valley played in American westward expansion, the Kearney Archway explores American movement during the 1800s and later in the 20th century.
Originally named the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, the museum is located a few miles south of US Highway 30 – the Lincoln Highway. It was the first transcontinental highway in the country.
People traveling east and west on Interstate 80 pull off the road to spend some time at the monument and explore the Kearney area. The Archway attracted more than 249,000 in 2000, its first year.
A visit to the museum begins with a ride up a steep escalator that takes you to the exhibits. If you’ve seen the movie “About Schmidt,” then you may recall the scene where Jack Nicholson visits. A framed movie poster is on display on the first floor.
On the escalator ride, visitors pass mannequins dressed as pioneers “climbing” a hill.
Once on the exhibition floor, you are welcomed by an Army cannon near a mercantile building display.
Then, you walk into a room with pioneers pushing and pulling a wagon through the deep muck they encountered during their moves west. One interesting thing was the lighting that bounces around the walls, resembling lightning in the prairie sky.
Next up is a look at the downside of migration. There’s a spot where items were discarded, creating the first western landfills. An abandoned wagon is filled with, and surrounded by, personal items other travelers left behind.
Pioneers lost loved ones along the Oregon, California and Morman Trails. They were buried on the Plains, and survivors moved on.
Mormon migration to their holy land came through Nebraska. After spending winters near the Missouri River in Omaha, they moved westward through the Platte River valley, eventually settling in what is now Salt Lake City, Utah.
While the museum offers a look at European-American migration, it lacks an in-depth view of Indigenous life.
The Archway also touches on the story of the Donner Party, when travelers, stranded in a mountain pass during winter, resorted to cannibalism to survive.
The museum looks at advancements improving life for westerners. The Pony Express ran through the area. Union Pacific built the east-west railroad system. Then, the stage coach started as the nation’s first “bus” system.
The museum jumps to the 1950s, when the Lincoln Highway (US Highway 30) was a popular auto route from the east to the west. It is the nation’s first transcontinental highway, and was named after President Abraham Lincoln.
A look back at drive-ins is cool to see. There are so few left in the United States. We’ve visited a few around the country, with a favorite in Oklahoma City, near Route 66.
An old diner represents stops travelers made while driving cross country.
Outside the museum offers visitors another look into Native American history. An earthen lodge is located across a small lake in front of the museum.
Nearby is a plains above-ground burial spot, a common practice among some Plains tribes.
The museum is located along a walking/biking trail that connects to the downtown area of Kearney. It is more than eight miles long.
Stretching across Interstate 80, the museum’s unique design and location should entice travelers to pull off I-80 and take a look at the history of America that ran through Nebraska.
