Legacy of the Plains Museum

Legacy of the Plains Museum is a developing collaboration between two well-established history museums on the High Plains of western Nebraska: the North Platte Valley Museum and Farm And Ranch Museum. The two entities legally merged into Legacy of the Plains in January 2013. Expanded space on the former FARM campus, on a scenic 100 acres adjacent to Scotts Bluff National Monument on the historic Oregon Trail, will house the combined collections of both museums. We are developing a fresh storyline that will integrate and improve the exhibits from the two museums, both indoors and out.

When our project is complete, we will have approximately 34,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, plus 100 acres of outdoor exhibits, to include historic farmsteads, equipment displays, and history exhibits along a walking/biking trail connecting the City of Gering and Scotts Bluff National Monument pathways.

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Our vision: Legacy of the Plains is a destination for people interested in stories of human and agricultural history in the North Platte River Valley and High Plains. Through interactive exhibits, living history, educational programs, and archival resources, we invite visitors to explore, experience, and connect with the unique history of this region of the American West. We serve area residents who wish to preserve and learn about their heritage as well as researchers and tourists from around the country and world who seek historical resources, education, and entertainment. Our museum exhibits focus on the archeology of Native American and Westward Expansion sites, the lives of pioneering settlers, the establishment of irrigation, the development of rural communities, the diversity of culture in the High Plains, and the innovative technologies and cultural practices of ranching and raising animals and crops – including cattle, sheep, potatoes, sugar beets, beans, corn, and wheat – in a semiarid environment.