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Miss V plays a song with her homemade plank banjo during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Grant Gerloff, 5, of Roseland, plays instruments during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Scarlet Jameson, 9, of Kearney, blows out the fire on her marshmallow while making s’mores at Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Lyle Henderson talks about a coin commemorating the founders of the Pony Express during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Roger Woolsey talks to Roman and Londyn Gove about the use of cannons in the Civil War during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Miss V plays a song with her homemade plank banjo during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Grant Gerloff, 5, of Roseland, plays instruments during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Scarlet Jameson, 9, of Kearney, blows out the fire on her marshmallow while making s’mores at Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Lyle Henderson talks about a coin commemorating the founders of the Pony Express during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
Roger Woolsey talks to Roman and Londyn Gove about the use of cannons in the Civil War during Fort Kearny State Historical Park’s “Living the Cowboy Way” Tuesday.
NEWARK — Though a grandfather himself, Elwyn Moore of Kearney grinned like a kid as he learned about using a saw blade to make music Tuesday at Fort Kearny State Historical Park near here.
Bending the blade and striking it with a mallet, he was able to create sound. He said it brought back memories of stories from his grandfather’s days.
“I like this kind of stuff,” he said.
Miss V, also known as the Gypsy Cowbelle, a storyteller and musician from northwestern Wyoming, showcased a variety of homemade musical instruments to compare to those purchased at a store.
With a tin can attached to a board with strings, Miss V created a homemade “canjo,” which offered sounds similar to those produced by a banjo. She wanted to show people that anything can be used as a musical instrument.
Miss V lived on an old homestead without electricity or indoor plumbing for 14 years. She said the homesteader mindset finds creative ways to solve problems. One problem was finding entertainment, and playing music was an option.
“Music speaks to the soul,” she said.
For Elwyn, it was an outing for three generations of his family. His son, Calvin Moore of Minden, and 5-year-old grandson, Kellum, also tested out instruments.
Calvin said he thought it was great for his son to be able to see the handmade instruments in person and try to see what music he could make.
Miss V and her homemade instruments were just one part of the “Living the Cowboy Way” program offered Tuesday at Fort Kearny.
Gene Hunt, superintendent of Fort Kearny State Historical Park and the nearby Fort Kearny State Recreation Area, said Miss V was returning from Homestead Days in Beatrice and agreed to make another stop.
“She is so authentic,” Hunt said. “I knew it would stir memories. So many of us grew up on farms and ranches.”
Free old-time root bear and sarsaparilla were served along with s’mores.
Another part of the event was a group of three storytellers who offered tales of the exploits of cowboy life.
Lyle Henderson, a former cowboy and owner of the Platte Valley Saddle Shop in Kearney, shared stories of his time working as a cowboy.
“I loved that lifestyle,” he said.
Henderson was 12 when he crafted his first saddle and eventually took over his father’s shop. He has made about 2,000 saddles over his career. He and his wife, Lynda, displayed some of their custom saddles.
Even at age 74, Henderson said, he has no intention to retire as his shop keeps him connected to the field.
Former cowboy Dan Melton showed memorabilia from his father’s time as a cowboy and discussed some of the changes over the years. Melton talked about growing up on a ranch in southwestern Nebraska homesteaded by his grandfather and his father’s quarter horse business.
Bob Lamberson, who lives near Palmer, showed a variety of cowboy memorabilia like chaps, grass rope, spurs and firearms used in the field.
He said baling wire is the glue that holds everything together.
“I don’t know a ranch that could exist without this,” he said.
Lamberson shared a tale about his time helping a veterinarian tend to a horse injured after attempting to jump a fence and tearing its belly open. He and the vet cleaned the horse’s intestines and re-inserted them into the animal, but normal sutures wouldn’t hold. Instead of putting the horse down, the vet decided to try baling wire to keep the wound closed. It worked, and the horse lived to race again.
Mary Gerloff of Roseland brought her two sons, Grant, 5, and Kade, 3, out for the event. She said it was nice to hear about history firsthand as well as let the boys try out homemade instruments.
“They’re hearing a little bit about the cowboy lifestyle,” she said. “It’s a way to learn a little bit about the history of the pioneers.”
The U.S. Army established Fort Kearny in 1848 and operated the fort through 1871 south of the Platte River in what today is northern Kearney County. The fort served as a way station for overland travelers on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails, as well as a station for the Pony Express and stagecoach operations. The fort also sheltered crews building the Union Pacific Railroad through the region.
Staff from Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park discussed the U.S. Army’s role in protecting the early pioneers and displayed period firearms.
Living history re-enactors shared stories about Fort Kearny’s early days.
Linda Schleicher of Kearney said there were women who served in the military during the Civil War, though they weren’t allowed.
Many of the boys going into the military were so young, women could pass for them.
“They dressed in uniform and fought right alongside the men,” Schleicher said. “They would only find out if they got wounded.”
Roger Woolsey of Mason City served as the fort’s blacksmith for the day.
He said the blacksmith was crucial in fort life. As travelers reached the fort as a way station in their journey, Woolsey said they often needed the services of a blacksmith to repair items damaged during the trip.
“A lot of metal needed to be worked on,” he said.
Tuesday’s re-enactors and more will be on hand this weekend to provide a living history display for the holiday weekend. Demonstrations are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, followed on Monday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be cannon shots at 2 p.m. each afternoon.
The group showed common outfits and what living at the fort during that time period entailed.
“We enjoy it out here,” Woolsey said.
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