4. Ponca State Park

Ponca, Nebraska

History:

The park was named after the Ponca tribe who finally settled in the area around the mouth of the Niobrara river, near where the park is now located. Lewis and Clark met them in 1804 when the Ponca, recovering from a smallpox epidemic, numbered only some 200. The Ponca's culture was of the Plains area; they farmed corn and hunted buffalo.

During OWTC Map Time Period:

NebraskaLand - August 1972
NebraskaLand Magazine featured Ponca State Park on it's cover in August, 1972 showing the Larson and Sendleck families camping in the park.

Today:

Ponca State Park is the home to the Missouri National Recreational River Center which houses the National Park Service offices as well as an education wing which tells the story of this stretch of the Missouri River as Lewis and Clark saw it in 1805.

At the entrance to Ponca State Park is the Towers of Time monument, dedicated in 2006. The three towers each represent a different geological period, and the square fountain depicts indigenous people from four eras.

Page Specific Links:

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Page
Ponca Tribe Page - NativeAmericans.com

Old West Trail Country