-
Title
-
Sidney, Banner County, Scotts Bluff, July 30-Aug. 9, 1911
-
Date
-
July 30-Aug. 9, 1911
-
Creator
-
Frank Shoemaker
-
Description
-
Sandhills Narratives
-
Identifier
-
27127
-
Transcription
-
3 We slept four or five hours at Kimball and took the “stage” at 7:30. The drive from Kimball to Harrisburg was uneventful, but interesting on account of the opportunity it gave of further observation of plains conditions. For about ten miles north of Kimball our road lay through a level county, sparingly spread with disintegrated granite, the surface uninterrupted by buttes or valleys. Efforts at farming were to be seen here and there, but none of them appeared successful. Cactus (“prickly pear”) was fairly common. Cleome again appeared, and Mentzelia was at its best. Russian thistle was observed at many places along the road. The thistle of the sandhill region was here replaced by one of like form and size, but with the flower a beautifully delicate lavender instead of white. The most notable grasses were buffalo grass, grama grass, and Stipa comata , the last year’s stalks of the latter being conspicuous. There was also some Horden. Verbena brachyosa with its radiating branches was growing commonly along the road – an adaptable plant and a good traveler. About ten miles north of Kimball the character of the country changes slightly; the disintegrated granite disappears and the surface shows more variation. This is about where Banner County is entered. Two species of Psoralea were very common, and Calamovilfa longifolia (locally known as “stand-grass”) became one of the notable items among the grasses. The rise is quite gradual to the south ridge of the valley in which Harrisburg is situated, and nothing is seen of the country beyond until the ridge is almost reached, when a descent of about 300 feet through a rocky cut reaches the level of the valley, with Harrisburg only a mile and a half away.[[["Birds observed, Harrisburg to", "Butterflies"], ["Cliff swallow", "Pyr. Cardui"], ["Arkansas flycatcher", "Eup. Claudia"], ["Desert horned lark", "Phyc. Montivaga"], ["Western meadowlark", "Sat. nephile"], ["Western vesper sparrow", "Dan. Plexippus"], ["Barn swallow", "Nath. Iole"], ["Lark bunting"], ["Dove"], ["Western lark sparrow"], ["Marsh hawk"], ["Brewer blackbird"]]] **Butterflies** • Pyr. cardui; Eup. claudia; Phyc. montivaga; Cat. nephile; Dan. pleippus; Nath. iole
-
Rights
-
To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.
-
Is Version Of
-
E:\great nebraska\shoemaker-letters\sidney-banner_004.jpg
