I was in Kimball for three or four days visiting with my family on my way to Cheyenne, Wyoming and had time to capture some cool aspects of this history-laden community. I have not had the time to process all the material yet so watch this page for more to come!
Kimball was established about 1870 by the Union Pacific Railroad, a little settlement of adobe shacks to house the workers and a water supply for the steam-powered locomotives and residents of the area. Because of the prevalence of antelope, the town was known as Antelopeville. After being named county seat, Kimball built its courthouse in the square and then made a $95 appropriation for trees. Early in 1900, a county-wide high school was proposed. Kimball County High School, the first in the state, opened its doors on January 3, 1910.
Kimball declares itself as the "The High Point of Nebraska!", as the highest point in the state is about 33 miles (53 km) SW from the city. Panorama Point - Highpoint Of Nebraska is 5,424 feet (1,653 m) above sea level,
The first adventure in Kimball took was a tour of the Plains Historical Museum.
Have you ever heard of a combined municipal power plant & artificial ice plant? I hadn't until I saw one while driving around looking for old buildings in Kimball and found the Historic Kimball Power & Ice Plant.
I was told about a historic hotel dating back to the late 1800s is under refurbishment so I contacted the owner and wound up documenting the building with his sister as our guide. She was so full of information and stories about the history of the hotel that I broke up the whole adventure into multiple parts to cover all aspects of the Historic Wheat Growers Hotel.
You can always see my latest videos on YouTube Dusty Reins Stories and Rumble American Heartlands Channel.
