BAYARD - It's a well-known American impulse to build a house smack dab in front of a spectacular landmark.

So it seems possible Chimney Rock, Nebraska's most well-known historical landmark, could someday fill the picture windows of a ring of showcase ranchettes.

The prospect has motivated the Nebraska State Historical Society to embark on a $1.2 million fundraising campaign to buy the 550 acres surrounding Chimney Rock.

"The joke is Californians are moving to Colorado and the Coloradans are moving to Nebraska," said Loren Pospisil, supervisor of the Chimney Rock National Historic Site. "There's a threat throughout the American West of people moving into areas and setting up hobby farms."

The state currently owns the 80 acres immediately surrounding the famous pioneer landmark and another eight adjacent acres where the visitor center stands. The current holdings were gifts to the state.

Acquiring the additional land would protect the entire one-mile section surrounding the landmark. Tourists like to drive on two section roads where they have an unobstructed view of the sandstone spire.

"There's a wonderful scenic view of Chimney Rock, and this purchase would protect that view for all time," Pospisil said.

The Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation is working to raise the money for what is considered a top priority for the agency, said Michael Smith, director of the society. Nearly all of the $300,000 raised so far has come from a Nebraska Environmental Trust grant.

The foundation applied for a $1 million grant because they plan to manage the property as a grassland for the benefit of wildlife.

There have been some additional small gifts, but the effort would have to reach out to other foundations and major donors, Smith said.

The sale price was set by an appraisal, which was done by a professional appraiser from Colorado with expertise in setting values for historically significant land, Smith said. The appraisal also accounted for the land's agricultural value (which includes some irrigation) as well as its potential value as a housing development.

The nearest town is Bayard, a community of about 1,100. But Chimney Rock is only about 25 miles east of Scottsbluff and Gering, which have a combined population of about 23,000.

If the money can be raised, the land would be purchased by The Conservation Fund, a Washington-based nonprofit. The fund, in turn, would sell it to the foundation, which would then give the land to the state, Smith said.

The purchase would need Legislative approval, he added.

Gordon Howard has owned the property for nearly 20 years and has used it for cattle grazing. The 76-year-old rancher said he wants to see the land protected, not developed.

Howard formerly owned the Oregon Trail Wagon Train, a living history experience for tourists interested in the rich history of the region.

"Through this valley passed the greatest human migration that's ever been on the face of the earth," he said, referring to the Oregon Trail.

He has granted the society a one-year extension to raise the money. Otherwise, he said, he will leave the land to his heirs with requirements that it remain intact.

"It needs to be preserved so the younger people can understand what it took to create this great land of ours," he said.

Read the complete article from JournalStar.com »