Ogallala

A quick stop in Nebraska.  We are on the move to get back to MN by October 29th and the birth of Grant!   We made the most of the stop but it was an interesting time.  Much of the history that I read about the city is not listed anywhere.  Ogallala was once considered more of the most dangerous places in 1870s with regular gun fights breaking out.  There are hints about this around town, but nothing to the extent a simple google search reveals.   It was the center of the cattle industry and the cowboys really let loose when they got to this city.  It was dupped the Town too Tough for Texas.  

Boot Hill Cemetary does record some of the gun fights that occured over pranks or simple requests for $9... But many of the stories are incomplete or unknown.  Also - most of the bodies have been moved... but why?  Why keep the cemetary if the bodies are moved?   The headstones have been redone by volunteers in 1970s - why not leave the original ones - that would have been cool.  

We went to the Petrified Wood Gallery - interesting place but not explained well... I would have loved to know more about the 90 year old twins that started it. 

Lake McConaughy was scenic.  The dam was interesting and the visitor center informative on how electricity is create but no mention at all of the city it displaced in its making. 

The Ash Hollow State Park was another place with more questions - a gorgeous sandstone rock school house - but no city - where did the kids come from?  There were wagon ruts from over 100 years ago - really are those the actual ruts after that much time and why did they go down such a steep hill instead of one nearby which is not as steep?  A cave with a plexiglass window (which made it hard to see in) but no signs of what we were supposed to see... the list grows.  

We never did find the Little Church of Keystone that was built in as both a Catholic/Protestant church in 1908.  The pews flipped to face either altar at each end.