Nebraska: Where the West Begins Quiz

Answer: A steam carousel

The founder of Pioneer Village (which was established in 1953), Harold Warp, was one of the first American manufacturers to make his fortune in plastics.

Answer: Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure

J. Sterling Morton, who founded Arbor Day in 1872, served as Secretary of Agriculture from 1893 to 1896 (during the second Administration of Grover Cleveland).

Answer: Platte

A scene from the 2002 movie "About Schmidt" was filmed here; photos of the movie's star Jack Nicholson were to be seen on the wall of the gift shop, when I visited the Monument in 2003.

Answer: Broken Bow

The museum takes advantage of the power of the Internet to present as-yet unidentified historical photos, in the hope that some viewer may be able to provide information on their content. The site may be accessed from the Visit Nebraska site at http://www.visitnebraska.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink2&Itemid=26&unique_id=2000224.

Answer: Omaha

The museum was founded in 1962 but closed due to a funding dispute. It contained more than 10,000 displays that educated visitors on the role black citizens played in settling Omaha, and in Nebraska in general. The University of Nebraska at Omaha Black Studies Department, and the Metropolitan Community College, have expressed interest in bringing this rich resource back to public view.

Answer: Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific

The Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific was the subject of the song "Rock Island Line", and ceased operation (under that name) in 1980. The Nebraska Midland Railroad was a narrow gauge steam line, established in 1973 in North Platte, Nebraska; after one year of operation it was relocated to the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, where it ran for about a decade.

The other two railroad names are fictional.

Answer: Henry Fonda

Fonda's own birthplace is one of the historic houses that have been moved to the grounds of the museum to form its living history village.

Answer: Railroad Town

The name is somewhat anachronistic today, as the working railway that inspired the name is no longer a feature of the Museum. Visitors can still see a 1901 Steam Locomotive, a 1912 Caboose and an 1871 Coach, and on the museum website may view the work of the Railroad Restoration Shop (not open to the public except by special appointment).

Answer: Native American and other Old West memorabilia and artifacts

Gus Fonner did have something to do with horses (Grand Island's Fonner Park has hosted thoroughbred racing since 1954); however, the Fonner Rotunda mentions horses only peripherally, as they bear on the lives of the varied peoples who made their homes in Nebraska in past centuries. Similarly, wagons may be mentioned in some exhibits, but they are not the focus of the Rotunda's offerings.

The pasta distractor is just made up.

Answer: Chimney Rock

Haystack rock is in Oregon; Tower Rock is in Missouri; Delicate Arch is found in Arches National Park in Utah. Chimney Rock, a National Historic Site, is found in the far western portion of Nebraska, and served as a landmark for those traversing the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail.

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