Nebraska’s Historic Military Forts by Jeff Barnes at Kearney Public Library

Omaha author Jeff Barnes presents “The Forts of Nebraska” at the Kearney Public Library on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. The 45-minute talk covers more than a dozen of the state’s military posts and more than 200 years of Nebraska history. “The Nebraska forts rank among the most important in the history of the Great Plains, at least one of them among the most important in American history,” said Barnes. His presentation includes a brief history of the posts, seldom heard tales, and many rarely seen historic images and maps.

The forts once hosted presidents, foreign dignitaries and some of the most famous names of the Old West. They saw the advent of transportation from the wagon to the rail to the space shuttle. And day to day, they meant protection and supplies to the travelers, settlers, workers and soldiers of the region.

Barnes is the author of the updated edition of Forts of the Northern Plains, out in May from Bison Books. Originally published in 2008, the revised edition features the history and traveler information to more than 150 military posts and civilian-defense sites built during the Indian Wars. A former newspaper reporter and editor, Barnes writes and lives in Omaha. He is a fifth generation Nebraskan, past trustee of the Nebraska State Historical Society, former chairman of the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission, board member of the Union Pacific Museum Association, and past marketing director of the Durham Museum in Omaha.

He is also author of The Great Plains Guide to Custer, The Great Plains Guide to Buffalo Bill, Extra Innings: The Story of Modisett Ball Park, 150 @ 150: Nebraska’s Landmark Buildings at the State’s Sesquicentennial, and Cut in Stone, Cast in Bronze: Nebraska’s Historical Monuments. 

Kearney Public Library is located at 2020 1st Avenue, Kearney, NE