A Pulitzer Prize winner grew up in this Hwy 281 town.

I found her on the Great Plaints, in Red Cloud, Nebraska on Highway 281. Willa. How many little nowhere towns became somewhere towns because a novelist grew up there? Not many come to mind, Red Cloud is one of those communities. Willa Cather moved away for college in 1891 like most others and never moved back, she visited often and sent money back to help out. She died in 1947 and with her legacy, she is still helping the town.

Red Cloud, with about 1,000 people at the intersection of US Highway 281 and Highway 136. Located a few miles North of the Kansas border. 100 miles Southwest of Lincoln, NE.

Founded in 1871, The city is named for Red Cloud, the chief of the Oglala division of the Teton-Lakota Sioux, who was born in the area. It is the only community with the name of Red Cloud. Lets have a look around Red Cloud for things to see and do.

Many yearly festivals, historical buildings, museums and shops, the Pike-Pawnee Village is near by. A nine-hole golf course, that is claimed to be the third-best such course in the state. Canoeing in the summer, stock car races at the Speed Bowl. A round barn built in 1902-1903 by four brothers, the state’s largest and one of the nations largest, placed on the National Register of Historic Places 1972. The historic Red Cloud Bridge, one of the state's most important vehicular spans, rare experimental design by the state highway department from the mid 30's. Red Cloud, NE Website:

Willa Cather, (1873 – 1947) the American author who grew up in Red Cloud, Nebraska is best known for her depictions of frontier life on the Great Plains. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours, published in 1922. Cather was celebrated by critics like H.L. Mencken for writing in plainspoken language about ordinary people. When novelist Sinclair Lewis won the Nobel Prize in Literature, he paid homage to her by saying that Cather should have won the honor.

In town, the Willa Cather Foundation invites you to experience the life, times, and work of Willa Cather. You can tour her home, read her work, visit her beloved Opera House, and shop the largest collection of books by and about Cather. If you are into literature or history I would check it out. More on Willa here:

Willa Cather Website:

How about some outdoor recreation in this area? West of Red Cloud on Highway 136 is Harlan County Lake, Nebraska's second largest lake. Located in the south-central part of the state, seven miles from the Nebraska/Kansas state line. There are 542 camping pads available at 7 established U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds around the lake’s 75 miles of shoreline. Truly a sportsman's paradise. Year round recreational opportunities Keep your eyes open and camera handy for the many exciting species of birds.