Voices on the Prairie Wind David Wolf

In the final episode of this Series, David Wolf talks with Vickie Schaepler, Coordinator for the Legacy of the Plains Japanese Hall and History Project.  Built 1928-29, the Japanese Hall has served as a community center, theater, reception hall, church, school, dormitory, cultural center, and much more.  Vickie also expands out to talk about Nebraska's rich Japanese American history.  

In this episode, David Wolf talks with Nick Sakarada about his family's history here in the North Platte Valley.  Nick is a second-generation, Nisei, Japanese American.  His father came over to work the railroads, and the family eventually settled in Colorado.  They moved up to the Scottsbluff, Nebraska area to farm.  He has been here ever since and shares his stories about farming, his and his family's service during World War 2, and his work in the sugar beet industry.  

Dan Holtz joins our hosts Dave Wolf and Vicki Schmitt to talk about his use of original songs to tell the stories of people, places, and things in Nebraska. 

Nancy Gillis joins the Director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum David Wolf, and Vicky Schmitt, to discuss the effects of the Homestead Act and its impact on Native Americans during the great migration across the United States. 

Barb Netherland joins David Wolf and Vicki Schmitt to talk about the Overland Trails, the Paul and Helen Henderson Collection, and the importance of diaries in depicting everyday life on the trail.  The Henderson Collection features thousands of documents, maps, diaries, and other pieces of information on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails.  Several volunteers have spent thousands of hours indexing the collections, and it is available for researchers to look at.  

Brian Croft talks with David and Vickie about the history of maps in Nebraska. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, but has spent the last 16 years teaching Composition, Literature, and Nebraska History at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff.  He lives with his wife, Erica, and their two children, enjoying the wide spaces and abundant wildlife afforded by the Panhandle.  An avid collector of maps and ephemera focusing on Nebraska, Brian appreciates any opportunity to share his passion for history, be it in the classroom or the community, and he knows the importance of understanding our personal, social, and political histories.