Beaver Crossing, Nebraska

The first Beaver Crossing has been dug up. Local informants reported depressions, mounds and trail ruts at the old ford, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln archeological field school excavated the site, numbered 25SW49, in 2005 and 2006. Guided by magnetic, resistance and ground-penetrating radar surveys, the crews opened 72 square meters and recovered more than 16,000 artifacts, from bent nails and window glass to an ironstone sherd with an 1858 registry mark. What was missing told the most: the settlers had taken their buildings apart and hauled the logs and foundation stones to the new town.

What the plaque says

Beaver Crossing, Nebraska The original site of Beaver Crossing was located about three miles to the northwest. Here a trail from Nebraska City to Fort Kearny crossed Beaver Creek. John Leonard and Daniel Millspaugh were the first settlers in this area in 1862. Roland Reed established the first post office in January 1868. About 1871 the post office was moved to the present-day town site, where a flour mill had been built. During this decade many settlers arrived and Beaver Crossing grew and prospered. The town was incorporated in 1892. This area was well-known for its artesian wells. The first one was discovered in 1895. Wells in this park poured fresh water into what was once the largest swimming pool in the state. Other wells supplied the Smiley Botanical Gardens on the southeast edge of town. In the 1930s goldfish and water lilies were raised there commercially in fifty ponds. Later, the demands of irrigation dropped the water table and many artesian wells went dry. Beaver Crossing Chamber of Commerce

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• The Beaver Crossing Mill — steps away
• Tall Grass Prairie — 6.4 mi
• The Big Blue River — 12 mi
• Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe — 12 mi