This weekend I ate at Glur's Tavern, established 1876, the oldest tavern in Nebraska and much of the west. Buffalo Bill would eat there on his frequent visits to Columbus, Nebraska. I seriously regret not taking photos. I found the above image at www.nebraskahistory.org. Anyway, their menu was on a small piece of paper in a plastic holder on the table. Options included such staples as: hamburger, cheeseburger, onion rings, fries (cajun and regular), and fried gizzards. The food came out on tiny paper plates, the cook/server (and probably owner, who I hoped was named Glur) brought our food out on tiny paper plates, his finger pressed firmly into the top of the buns, breaking the bread. I think a hamburger cost $1.50 or so. I think I may have to venture back to Columbus, to explore the town further and document the experience properly with photos. It was a quaint, old (mixed with the new and slightly depressing), strange town.
I have stumbled (or driven) across so many small, interesting, antiquated towns in Nebraska. They're everywhere and they are SO interesting and visual. I think I need to embark on some sort of art/video/photography project that is about these outdated, Western towns. Nebraska is so interesting. For example, I was at a state-wide competition where a bunch of high schools students from all over the state were participating. I can't tell you how many teen boys I saw in Wranglers, cowboy boots, big rodeo buckled belts, flannels, etc. It's 2007. And they're in high school. I will say that look is not a majority, but it's certainly not seen as an oddity here. Maybe I'll do a documentary on modern day teenage cowboys. Maybe I shouldn't be posting all of my internal, creative ideas on here. My point is that Nebraska never ceases to amaze me, and I'm saying that in the most loving, non-ironic or sarcastic or condescending way possible. I have come across so many fascinating and wonderful places and people in the state, and I look forward to further exploration and discovery.
5 comments:
We have to take a trip to western Nebraska this summer! I've been insisting on a road trip there for some time (I used to be obsessed with Buffalo Bill) and there is no one I'd rather eat fried gizzards with than you.
That would be so much fun! Someone was just telling me how beautiful and different the landscape was in Western Nebraska. There are even dunes there - which makes me think of the scene in Bonnie and Clyde where they picnic with Bonnie's mother.
Yes, let's please do some research on the history of Nebraska and the Western part of the state, and we'll do some road tripping! We'll bring notebooks, cameras and maybe even a videocamera and document the experience.
I love learning about the history of towns too. It think it would add to the richness of the experience if we had the background of some of the places we will visit. I'm excited!
I totally agree! Something to add to our summer to-do list.
I would like to join you Linds with some of the exploration of Nebraska...and include Hastings, though it may not qualify anymore as a small, interesting, antiquated town in Nebraska anymore. I'll even volunteer to do the advance-research on that town starting with the Walters family folklore and historical sites, including the site of the family farm that apparently was sold and bulldozed because they built a military facility of some sort. I can't believe you had a burger at the tavern patronized by Buffalo Bill!
We just got back from a weekend in Columbus, my husband's hometown. We were there to attend a family wedding and our oldest son was able to bring his wife with him. This was her first visit to Columbus. She is from FL but they now lives in SF, CA. She too, found the 'new' in Columbus a bit depressing. She had hoped for a kind of storybook experience of small town life and was sad to see the popularity of the large discount chain, Walmart, and the absence of authentic downtown commerce. I agree. I love Columbus and wish i had the capital to make it a quaint, authentic, small mid-western destination. My mother-in-law says the locals don't want that - they want the cheap goods and are willing to travel to the big cities for it. Humph.
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