In this season of giving thanks and being grateful for what we have, we should all slow down and consider just how much Nebraska has given us and the whole country. These are just some of the reasons America has to be thankful for Nebraska.
- Nebraska played a big role in helping early settlers get to their destinations.
flickr/Steve Cornelius The Oregon, Mormon, and California trails all passed through here, making Nebraska an integral part of those early migrants’ journeys. Some of them even liked Nebraska so much they decided to stay.
- Our agriculture helps feed the country.
flickr/John Lillis We produce corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, beef, pork, and other products that help keep America going strong.
- Our state pioneered Arbor Day.
flickr/Tiffany You know that day every spring when businesses suddenly start giving away saplings and groups of Boy and Girl Scouts can be seen planting them all over town? You can thank Nebraska for the tree-hugging holiday.
- Some delicious inventions have come out of Nebraska - like the Reuben…
flickr/Gloria Cabada-Leman
- …And Kool-Aid…
flickr/Vox Efx
- …And Tin Roof Sundae ice cream.
flickr/Patsy
- Not to mention absurdly delicious Nebraska beef.
flickr/John Thompson Any way you cook and serve it, beef raised right here in the Cornhusker State is simply unbeatable.
- Spam wasn’t invented here, but it is smushed into cans here.
flickr/Mike Mozart Spam may not be everyone’s culinary cup of tea, but those who like it can thank the hard-working factory folks in Fremont.
- The underground water reserves here keep the area supplied with drinking water.
flickr/Cindee Snider Re The Ogallala Aquifer, most of which is in Nebraska, supplies fresh drinking water in the high plains. Not surprisingly, water for irrigating all of those fields also comes from the aquifer.
- One little town is the nation’s biggest supplier of limestone.
Wikimedia/Emadrazo Weeping Water has the country’s largest limestone deposit, and mining operations there have kept America supplied with the useful rock for decades.
- We owe strobe lights and stroboscopic photography to a Nebraskan.
Wikimedia/Markus Kempf Harold “Doc” Edgerton pioneered the quickly flashing light that made ultra-high-speed photography possible…and is also used to freak people out in haunted houses.
- Nebraska keeps the nation’s cargo running on time.
Golden Spike Tower Bailey Yard, the country’s largest railyard, is located in North Platte. Union Pacific trains pass through here on their way to their various destinations to be sorted and serviced. If you’ve never watched the live webcam of the yard, you definitely should - especially at night. It’s oddly soothing.
- Every year, Valentine helps spread the love.
flickr/Hilton Lieberum The city of Valentine participates in a re-mailing program every year around Valentine’s Day. People send their mail there and it receives a special love-themed postmark before being sent on to its ultimate destination. How sweet!
You’ve probably got your own reasons to be thankful for Nebraska. What would you put on your own list? Let us know in the comments.
flickr/Steve Cornelius
The Oregon, Mormon, and California trails all passed through here, making Nebraska an integral part of those early migrants’ journeys. Some of them even liked Nebraska so much they decided to stay.
flickr/John Lillis
We produce corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, beef, pork, and other products that help keep America going strong.
flickr/Tiffany
You know that day every spring when businesses suddenly start giving away saplings and groups of Boy and Girl Scouts can be seen planting them all over town? You can thank Nebraska for the tree-hugging holiday.
flickr/Gloria Cabada-Leman
flickr/Vox Efx
flickr/Patsy
flickr/John Thompson
Any way you cook and serve it, beef raised right here in the Cornhusker State is simply unbeatable.
flickr/Mike Mozart
Spam may not be everyone’s culinary cup of tea, but those who like it can thank the hard-working factory folks in Fremont.
flickr/Cindee Snider Re
The Ogallala Aquifer, most of which is in Nebraska, supplies fresh drinking water in the high plains. Not surprisingly, water for irrigating all of those fields also comes from the aquifer.
Wikimedia/Emadrazo
Weeping Water has the country’s largest limestone deposit, and mining operations there have kept America supplied with the useful rock for decades.
Wikimedia/Markus Kempf
Harold “Doc” Edgerton pioneered the quickly flashing light that made ultra-high-speed photography possible…and is also used to freak people out in haunted houses.
Golden Spike Tower
Bailey Yard, the country’s largest railyard, is located in North Platte. Union Pacific trains pass through here on their way to their various destinations to be sorted and serviced. If you’ve never watched the live webcam of the yard, you definitely should - especially at night. It’s oddly soothing.
flickr/Hilton Lieberum
The city of Valentine participates in a re-mailing program every year around Valentine’s Day. People send their mail there and it receives a special love-themed postmark before being sent on to its ultimate destination. How sweet!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
