Webster County, NE
Rich in history, Webster County and Red Cloud have responded appropriately to the responsibility and challenge of preserving, protecting and honoring the treasures of yesterday for the generations of tomorrow.Here on the Divide between the Republican and Little Blue lived some of the most courageous people of the frontier, still traversed by Indians while on their tribal hunts. Within a very few years, however, those times were gone, and with the arrival of the railroad in 1879, Webster County was rapidly settled by thousands of homesteaders, ending the frontier era.
Dedicated today as Catherland, these settlers' fortunes and their loves live again in the writings of Willa Cather, daughter of the plains and interpreter of man's growth in these fields and in the valleys beyond.
On this beautiful, ever-changing land, man fought to establish a home. In her vision of the plow against the sun, symbol of the beauty and importance of work, Willa Cather caught the eternal blending of earth and sky.
Willa Cather wrote from her heart the wonderful tales she heard and the vital drama she saw in her growing years. In her books those she knew and admired live forever. My Antonia, earth mother of the plains, grew to maturity, loved, worked, and died within a few miles of this spot, yet she is known and cherished all over the world.
"The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or a woman." The history of this land began in the heart of Willa Cather.
Explore Webster County
The State Bank Building
The State Bank Building, 1883, with its entrance on the diagonal, is made of native brick and was one of the first brick buildings in Red Cloud.
Red Cloud, NE Historic BuildingsThe Auld Public Library
The Auld Public Library, 1917-1918, is a gift of William Thomas Auld, uncle of Jessica Cather Auld's husband, J. W. (Bill) Auld. Jessica was one of Willa's younger sisters. He gave the city of Red Cloud $20,000 in early April, 1917. On April 9
Red Cloud, NE Historic BuildingsWebster County Courthouse
Built in 1914, the Webster County Courthouse is a recent addition to sites already listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building as distinctive ornamentation and is of the second Renaissance Rival stylistic influence. Located on the Courthouse Square is the 1887
Red Cloud, NE Historic CourthousesStarke Round Barn
Nebraska's largest round barn and one of the nation's largest, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1972, and is still in use today. It was built in 1902-3
Red Cloud, NE Historic BuildingsBurlington Depot
Built in 1897, the main section of Red Cloud's Burlington Depot contained sleeping quarters on the 2
Red Cloud, NE Railroad HistoryChief Red Cloud
Red Cloud, the English name of Makhpiya Luta, the Oglala Sioux chief, and his followers were prominent participants in the Powder River War of 1865 and other subsequent battles. The chief himself was a significant player in the failure of the army's 1865
Red Cloud, NE Famous PeopleThe Methodist Church
[The Methodist Church] The Methodist Church building described in My Antonia , now serves as a Masonic Lodge. Cather tells how, during the winter, the children were starved for color and how they stood in the cold and looked at the stained glass windows: "
Red Cloud, NE Historic ChurchesWilla Cather's Childhood Home
World Famous author, Willa Sibert Cather (1873-1947), moved with her family from Virginia to the Red Cloud area in 1883. Nebraska became what Cather later described as "the happiness and the curse of my life". The state'
Red Cloud, NE Famous HomesRed Cloud Post Office Murals
One of only twelve public buildings in the state of Nebraska which commissioned murals for its lobby, Red Cloud Post Office houses three works by the western artist, Archie Musick, 1941.
Red Cloud, NE ArtsWilla Cather Pioneer Memorial
The Art Gallery and Bookstore, located two doors south of the Cather Historical Center on main street, carries the country's most complete selection of Willa Cather's novels, short stories, biographies, and critical works about her.
Red Cloud, NE MemorialsRed Cloud City Park
The Red Cloud City Park offers a variety of activities for persons of all ages. Facilities include outdoor fireplaces, tables, a shelter house, restrooms, playground equipment, swimming pool, and tennis courts. Restaurants and electrical hookups for campers are nearby.
Red Cloud, NE ParksWilla Cather State Historic Site
The Farmers' and Merchants' Bank building, 1889, was erected by Silas Garber, the founder of Red Cloud (1871), the fourth governor of Nebraska (1875-1879), and the prototype for Captain Forrester in A Lost Lady.
Red Cloud, NE Historic Sites