area attractions along Nebraska's Outlaw Trail, scenic byway Hwy 12

Local Festivals
Local festivals include county fairs, classic car shows, Fourth of July celebrations, threshing demonstrations, Bridging the Shores Days at Niobrara, Old Settlers Days at Sparks, Old West Days at Valentine, Wild Turkey Days in Spencer, Butte Pancake Days, Summerfest in O'Neill, Middle of Nowhere Days in Ainsworth, Santee Pow Wow, Wind Turbine Days at Springview, Ponca Pow Wow, Lynch Summerfest, Ponca Nifty Fifties, the Wayne Chicken Show, and alumni reunions. Visit Nebraska web site has a comprehensive list for specific events in the Sandhills and Lewis & Clark region.
Cultural Festivals
Cultural festivals across the region include Kolache Days in Verdigre, Santee Pow Wow, Ponca Pow Wow, Wausa's Swedish Festival, and Valentine's Old West Days.
Camping Opportunities
Camping opportunities throughout the region include sites that are both primitive and with full hook-ups. Many communities allow camping in the city parks. Designated state and federal camping areas include Ponca State Park, Lewis and Clark Lake, Willow Creek, Niobrara State park, Atkinson Lake, Long Pine State Recreation Area, Keller Park, Smith Falls, Merritt Reservoir, Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest, and Cottonwood Lake. There are also 8 privately owned campgrounds within the 40-mile radius.
Golf Courses
Golf courses in the Highway 12 region include the Ponca State Park nine-hole golf course, the Butte nine-hole golf course, and 20 other public and private golf courses within the 40-mile radius.
Area Accommodations
Listing for area hotels and motels.

Annual Bluegrass Festival
The annual Bluegrass Festival in Elgin features local bands and individual performances of bluegrass, gospel, and country music. Hartington hosts the Hartland Music Festival in September.
Bird Watching
Bird watching at Niobrara State Park and many other areas along the Outlaw Trail is plentiful. Over 250 species have been seen and documented.
Outdoor Swimming Pools
Approximately 26 outdoor swimming pools are open to the public within the 40-mile radius of the Outlaw Trail. There are swimming beaches at Weigand and Willow Creek State Recreation Areas and Merritt Reservoir.
State Recreational Areas (SRA)
Nebraska Game and Parks web site with comprehensive listings.
Wildlife Management Areas
Click the above link again for listings.

Shannon Trail
History and information on the George Shannon Trail

History Historical information website
John Neihardt
A Bancroft, Nebraska, author, Neihardt has roots in the region and captured the history and majesty of the Plains and Native Americans in his writings.
Ashfall Fossil Beds
Mosasaur
Open-range Ranching
Open-range ranching in the Sandhills from 1875-85 played an important role in the Western cattle industry.
Niobrara Ecosystem
Niobrara ecosystem is unique in the meeting of the Northern Boreal Forest, Rocky Mountain Forest, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Tall Grass Prairie, Mixed Grass Prairie, and the Sandhills.
Historic Bridges
Historic bridges can be found at Pischelville, Meadville, Verdel, and along the Niobrara River in Keya Paha and Cherry Counties.Territory.
Sandhills Region
The Sandhills is an ecosystem unique to Nebraska. It is the product of windblown sands released by the deterioration of sandstones over the millennia. The Sandhills cover over 19,000 square miles and the area is known as the largest sand dune in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest grass-stabilized dune areas in the world. The region has been called the "Great American Desert."

Treaty of 1868
In the Treaty of 1868, the Sioux nation was given land that was ceded to the Ponca Tribe in 1865. Chief Standing Bear and others traveled to their new location in Oklahoma. In 1879 Chief Standing Bear refused to bury his eldest son in a strange land. He gathered a few members of his tribe and headed to the Ponca burial ground in the north. Chief Standing Bear was arrested for leaving the reservation and he was confined at Fort Omaha. The famous chief fought and won the court battle to have the Indian declared a "person" under American Law. His achievement won him a place not only in history but also in the Nebraska Hall of Fame.
Glaciers
Glaciers moved over Keya Paha, Cherry, Knox and Cedar Counties during the Pleistocene Era. When the ice sheets melted, they left deposits of clayey and silty till east of Niobrara, and sand and clayey material west of Niobrara.

Ponca Trail of Tears
Ponca Trail of Tears at Laurel Hill Cemetery on the north edge of Neligh is where White Buffalo Girl was buried and a marker erected. She was the daughter of Chief Black Elk and Moon Hawk who died on May 23, 1877, while the tribe was enroute to Indian
Rosebud Sioux, Omaha, Winnebago, Ponca, Santee and Yankton Sioux Tribes
Rosebud Sioux, Omaha, Winnebago, and Yankton Sioux Tribes live adjacent to and in the region of the Outlaw Trail. The area is rich in Native American history and influence.

Counties along the Outlaw Trail

Dakota County
South Sioux City and Willis Boyd County
Unusual and scenic formations in Boyd County include Long Gulch, Nine-Mile Hill, Willow Bar, Nine-Mile Gulch, and Horse Thief Gulch.

Dixon County
The second oldest county in Nebraska is Dixon County. The first white man to enter Nebraska entered from the Missouri River in Dixon County. Keya Paha County
Keya Paha County is home to scenic sites such as Nets Peak, McClain Hill, and Huddle Table.

Cedar County
Cedar County was established in 1857 and named for its numerous red cedar trees. Knox County
Knox County was established as L'Eau Qui Court County by the territorial legislature in 1857. The name was changed in 1873.

Cherry County
Cherry County encompasses 19,300 square miles of rolling, grass-covered Sandhills that stretch across this county in Nebraska and into South Dakota. These Sandhills sit atop the Ogallala aquifer, one of the largest underground water sources in the United States. This location, along with an abundance of water and over 700 species of grasses, make the Sandhills a prime grazing area for cattle.

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Local Festivals Local festivals include county fairs, classic car shows, Fourth of July celebrations, threshing demonstrations, Bridging the Shores Days at Niobrara, Old Settlers Days at Sparks, Old West Days at Valentine, Wild Turkey Days in Spencer, Butte Pancake Days, Summerfest in O'Neill, Middle of Nowhere Days in Ainsworth, Santee Pow Wow, Wind Turbine Days at Springview, Ponca Pow Wow, Lynch Summerfest, Ponca Nifty Fifties, the Wayne Chicken Show, and alumni reunions. Visit Nebraska web site has a comprehensive list for specific events in the Sandhills and Lewis & Clark region. Cultural Festivals Cultural festivals across the region include Kolache Days in Verdigre, Santee Pow Wow, Ponca Pow Wow, Wausa's Swedish Festival, and Valentine's Old West Days.	Camping Opportunities Camping opportunities throughout the region include sites that are both primitive and with full hook-ups. Many communities allow camping in the city parks. Designated state and federal camping areas include Ponca State Park, Lewis and Clark Lake, Willow Creek, Niobrara State park, Atkinson Lake, Long Pine State Recreation Area, Keller Park, Smith Falls, Merritt Reservoir, Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest, and Cottonwood Lake. There are also 8 privately owned campgrounds within the 40-mile radius. Golf Courses Golf courses in the Highway 12 region include the Ponca State Park nine-hole golf course, the Butte nine-hole golf course, and 20 other public and private golf courses within the 40-mile radius. Area Accommodations Listing for area hotels and motels.
Annual Bluegrass Festival The annual Bluegrass Festival in Elgin features local bands and individual performances of bluegrass, gospel, and country music. Hartington hosts the Hartland Music Festival in September. Bird Watching Bird watching at Niobrara State Park and many other areas along the Outlaw Trail is plentiful. Over 250 species have been seen and documented.	Outdoor Swimming Pools Approximately 26 outdoor swimming pools are open to the public within the 40-mile radius of the Outlaw Trail. There are swimming beaches at Weigand and Willow Creek State Recreation Areas and Merritt Reservoir. State Recreational Areas (SRA) Nebraska Game and Parks web site with comprehensive listings. Wildlife Management Areas Click the above link again for listings.
	Shannon Trail History and information on the George Shannon Trail
History Historical information website John Neihardt A Bancroft, Nebraska, author, Neihardt has roots in the region and captured the history and majesty of the Plains and Native Americans in his writings. Ashfall Fossil Beds Mosasaur Open-range Ranching Open-range ranching in the Sandhills from 1875-85 played an important role in the Western cattle industry. Niobrara Ecosystem Niobrara ecosystem is unique in the meeting of the Northern Boreal Forest, Rocky Mountain Forest, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Tall Grass Prairie, Mixed Grass Prairie, and the Sandhills. Historic Bridges Historic bridges can be found at Pischelville, Meadville, Verdel, and along the Niobrara River in Keya Paha and Cherry Counties.Territory. Sandhills Region The Sandhills is an ecosystem unique to Nebraska. It is the product of windblown sands released by the deterioration of sandstones over the millennia. The Sandhills cover over 19,000 square miles and the area is known as the largest sand dune in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest grass-stabilized dune areas in the world. The region has been called the "Great American Desert."	Treaty of 1868 In the Treaty of 1868, the Sioux nation was given land that was ceded to the Ponca Tribe in 1865. Chief Standing Bear and others traveled to their new location in Oklahoma. In 1879 Chief Standing Bear refused to bury his eldest son in a strange land. He gathered a few members of his tribe and headed to the Ponca burial ground in the north. Chief Standing Bear was arrested for leaving the reservation and he was confined at Fort Omaha. The famous chief fought and won the court battle to have the Indian declared a "person" under American Law. His achievement won him a place not only in history but also in the Nebraska Hall of Fame. Glaciers Glaciers moved over Keya Paha, Cherry, Knox and Cedar Counties during the Pleistocene Era. When the ice sheets melted, they left deposits of clayey and silty till east of Niobrara, and sand and clayey material west of Niobrara.
Ponca Trail of Tears Ponca Trail of Tears at Laurel Hill Cemetery on the north edge of Neligh is where White Buffalo Girl was buried and a marker erected. She was the daughter of Chief Black Elk and Moon Hawk who died on May 23, 1877, while the tribe was enroute to Indian	Rosebud Sioux, Omaha, Winnebago, Ponca, Santee and Yankton Sioux Tribes Rosebud Sioux, Omaha, Winnebago, and Yankton Sioux Tribes live adjacent to and in the region of the Outlaw Trail. The area is rich in Native American history and influence.

Counties along the Outlaw Trail
Dakota County South Sioux City and Willis	Boyd County Unusual and scenic formations in Boyd County include Long Gulch, Nine-Mile Hill, Willow Bar, Nine-Mile Gulch, and Horse Thief Gulch.
Dixon County The second oldest county in Nebraska is Dixon County. The first white man to enter Nebraska entered from the Missouri River in Dixon County.	Keya Paha County Keya Paha County is home to scenic sites such as Nets Peak, McClain Hill, and Huddle Table.
Cedar County Cedar County was established in 1857 and named for its numerous red cedar trees.	Knox County Knox County was established as L'Eau Qui Court County by the territorial legislature in 1857. The name was changed in 1873.
	Cherry County Cherry County encompasses 19,300 square miles of rolling, grass-covered Sandhills that stretch across this county in Nebraska and into South Dakota. These Sandhills sit atop the Ogallala aquifer, one of the largest underground water sources in the United States. This location, along with an abundance of water and over 700 species of grasses, make the Sandhills a prime grazing area for cattle.