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Heritage

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A short history of Grand Island P rior to 1700 , approximately 60,000 Pawnee lived throughout what would become the central United States, although disease from Europe soon decimated their numbers. In 1803, the United States bought the land that would become Nebraska from the French — who had claimed it in 1682 — as part of The Louisiana Purchase. From 1840-1870, wagon trains followed the Great Platte River Road through the prairie that would become Grand Island. In 1842, La Grand Isle, the island in the Platte River which the city is named for, was estimated to be 52 miles long with an average width of 1.75 miles. The Nebraska Territory was established in 1854, extending northwest from Kansas up to the Canadian border. Grand Island City was founded in 1857 by 36 German settlers from Iowa. They built cabins out of the few available trees on the prairie. The city was a business venture, speculating the railroad would come through within a few years. However, the bank supporting the venture was bankrupted by a financial crisis later that same year. Most of the original settlers decided to stay anyway. That same year, the Pawnee ceded their remaining land to the government. In 1862, The O.K. Store opened as the first business in Grand Island City and included a post office, stagecoach barn, stockyard, hotel, and a garden. In 1866, the Union Pacific Railroad platted a new Grand Island a few miles west of the original settlement. In 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed , largely bringing a halt to wagon trains. A few years later, the Burlington Railroad also arrived in Grand Island. The city of Grand Island grew by leaps and bounds in the 1880s, cresting 7,500 residents by 1890. Learn more about the history of Grand Island and Hall County at Stuhr Museum ( StuhrMuseum.org ), where a recreated prairie town shows visitors what life was like in the 1890s.

visiting these historic sites.

Wagon trail site Intersection of Alda Rd. and Guenther Rd. See some of the only remaining

Mormon Trail wagon ruts, or swales, on this 2-acre, Hall County prairie that has never been plowed. Lincoln Highway U.S. Hwy. 30, LincolnHighwayNebraskaByway.com Lincoln Highway Historic Byway landmarks in the area include the one-of-a-kind Seedling Mile, Shady Bend Cafe, Kensingerʼs Service Station, the first FCC monitoring station, and the Gloe Brothers Service Station in Wood River.

Historic walking tours Pick up self-guided walking tour brochures at 201 W. 3rd St., or call 308-382-4400 for guided tours.

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