Omaha Exploration

It’s impossible to miss The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument as you’re driving west on Interstate 80 towards Kearney. The idea for a museum dedicated to the pioneers and adventurers who traveled along the Great Platte River Road actually belonged to Nebraska’s 31st Governor, Frank Morrison who served from 1961-1967. 

For those that are unfamiliar, the Great Platte River Road was a major overland travel route that followed the Platte River. It was shared by several popular emigrant trails during the 19th century including the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail as well as the Pony Express Route. It was referred to as the superhighway of its era and the “grand corridor of America’s westward expansion.”

The vision was realized in 1997 after $60M in bonds were issued and a 30-year agreement was signed to lease the air space above the interstate. Its design was inspired by a covered bridge with colors representing a Midwest sunrise. Located three miles east of Kearney, the museum was a modern-day engineering achievement. It required that engineers build a 1,500-ton structure above I-80. To do so, they first built supporting towers on either side of the highway. After that they constructed the 310-foot arch section separately at ground level. Once finished, it was lifted 22 feet above ground using hydraulic jacks. Then it was transferred onto a special transporter that moved it across the highway and into place in eight days.

There were high hopes for the Achway when it opened in 2000. Projections suggested that it would draw a million visitors per year while its backers said that it not only had the potential to become a national shrine but that it would be equal to Mount Rushmore as one of the premier tourist attractions in the west. During his only visit to Nebraska, President Bill Clinton called it the most beautiful museum he had seen.

Unique for the fact that it sits over the top of the interstate, once you enter you ride one of the state’s longest escalators up the two-story building. The museum is a diorama that visitors can walk through starting at Fort Kearney where the Oregon, Mormon and California Trails converge before heading west. Along the way you will see life-size figures, wagons, cabins, a 49’er campsite, Pony Express, stagecoach, a roadside cafe in addition to other artifacts including an original Lincoln Highway marker and bricks that were used to pave it.

The museum documents 170 years of westward movement along Great Platte River Road including the experiences of those settlers that followed the Oregon Trail west in search of new land; the Mormons that headed traveled along the Mormon Trail to the Salt Lake Valley to escape religious and those following the California Trail seeking fortune during the Gold Rush of 1849.

It is also a display of the progression of transportation starting with wagons which were replaced by trains as railroad tracks covered parts of the trail. When the automobile replaced trains, parts of the trail were first turned into the Lincoln Highway and later the interstate. You’ll find windows throughout the Archway that allow you to check the speed of the cars traveling down below.

Just outside the museum on the grounds there are sculptures including one titled “A Narrow Escape” depicting the true story of the Martin brothers in 1864 as well as a bison. There’s also a replica sod house that gives visitors a sense of what life was like for the first European settlers where trees were scarce on the prairie, but the deep roots of native grasses made the sod a useful building material. There’s a picnic shelter, lake for fishing, the historic Pratt truss bridge from 1914 that initially spanned the Elkhorn River. It also includes a trail to a nearby wooded area that connects to Fort Kearney.

Unfortunately, the museum failed to live up to the lofty expectations. To be fair, the creators didn’t envision it as a destination in and of itself rather a stop for some of the 12 million vehicles that passed under it each year. Attendance peaked its first year with 250,000 visitors but had fallen to 50,000 in 2012. By 2013 the museum went broke and filed for bankruptcy protection.

Afterwards the museum made several changes for the better. Perhaps most important was the construction of exit 275 making it much easier to get to the Archway. Before that, drivers had to drive a couple miles past it, get off at the exit and back track on a service road.  Management of the privately owned museum was also turned over to the City of Kearney. Other changes included a revamped gift shop, the addition of a theater was added and a mascot called Archie the Buffalo.

Since that time, the museum has operated on a more stable financial footing and turned its first profit in 2017. These days the museum can even be rented for special events such as wedding receptions. Featured in the 2002 movie About Schmidt starring Jack Nicholson, the museum has welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors since it first opened nearly a quarter century ago. Despite failing to live up to expectations, the Archway is a well-constructed, thought-provoking museum that offers an enjoyable experience.

Have you been to the Archway? If so, what did you like or dislike? If not, do you plan to visit? I’d love to hear what you have to say. Until next time, keep exploring!

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