Miles:
297
Pioneer Village
While you are stopped, learn about: The Christmas City
Minden, Nebraska; Kearney County
The Harold Warp Pioneer Village complex is comprised of 28 buildings on 20 acres, housing over 50,000 irreplaceable items of historical value. The buildings, many of which are restored to operating order, are arranged in groups and staged in the chronological order of their development.
Among the buildings are a Frontier Fort; a real, honest-to-goodness Pony Express Station; an Iron Horse; a sod home; a general store and a toy store, chock full of all the goods from yesteryear. An extensive original art collection including 25 Currier and Ives prints, 23 Jackson paintings, and the largest single collection of Rogers statues.
You can view a priceless steam-operated carousel, marvel at 17 historic flying contraptions, and gaze upon 100 antique tractors. See the world’s oldest Buick, a 1902 Cadillac, a 1903 Ford, plus 350 other antique cars – all displayed in order of their development.
For a relaxing trip into yesteryear, come to Pioneer Village!
Resources:
While you are stopped, learn about the Christmas City!
Minden is known as Nebraska’s Christmas City for good reason. Beginning in 1915 when City Light Commissioner J.C. Haws aspired to impress the state convention of the G.A.R., lights were strung from the railroad depot to the town square. Weather problems prevented the lights’ use until Christmas time, when Haws found a new home for the lights: the courthouse dome! Now the spectacular Christmas Lights on the Kearney County Courthouse in Minden, NE can be seen for miles and have been a source of pride for the community and state. “The Light of the World” is a Christmas Pageant that is another source of pride and is performed by local residents on the sides of the courthouse square every year. Every performance is free of charge and culminates in the illumination of over 12,000 bulbs that adorn the courthouse and the square itself. What a site to see and experience! The pageant is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the first two Sundays in December.
NBC News came to Minden in 2023 to learn more about the Christmas City, take a look! Duration: 2:20 minutes
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