Permanent Exhibits

The mid-20th century was a time of scientific exploration in the West, and the Nebraska Sand Hills region was no exception. One particular Sand Hills scientific resource was instrumental in bringing together two legendary figures: E.H. Barbour, founder of the University of Nebraska State Museum, and “Old Jules” Sandoz. The exhibit, "Who lived here before?" highlights this exchange.

Sandoz discovered fossils on his land and he brought these to the attention of Barbour in a series of letters. Copies of these letters can be seen in the kiosk. Barbour arrived at Sandoz’s doorstep several times only to find Sandoz gone. Years later, after they finally met, Barbour realized that Sandoz had discovered a new species of giant beaver, Castoroides.

A related exhibit displays fossils collected at Graves-Potter, another Sand Hills locality. In 1999 Jennifer Cavin, a student at the South Dakota School of Mines, wrote a master’s thesis on these fossils. Cavin concluded that the fossils were deposited in an ancient lake during the Pleistocene Ice Age. The fossils show that animals living in the Sand Hills at that time are more typical of Arctic regions today. The “megafauna” of the Ice Age is represented in the bison, woolly mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth, western camel (Camelops), glyptodont (giant armadillo), the short-faced bear (Arctodus), musk ox, sabertooth cat, horse, tapir, and giant beaver (Castoroides).

These exhibits can be found in the Carmen and John Gottschalk - Mari Sandoz Gallery, located on the Main floor of the Sandoz Center. For more information about geology and paleontology in the area, please visit the Eleanor Barbour Cook Museum of Geology at Chadron State College.

Flora Rosa Sandoz, named by her older sister Marie (Mari), was born May 12, 1906, to parents Jules and Mary Sandoz. She was born on the Old River Place south of Hay Springs, NE, but would spend much of her life on the Sandhill Ranch south of Gordon.

In the fall of 1929, she enrolled in the Botany program at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In three years she finished her degree and returned to her home. Unfortunately, due to the Great Depression there were few jobs available. In 1934, she married a musician by the name of Boris Kicken. They worked very hard on the family’s Sandhills homestead, taking care of the cattle as well as the orchards. Their marriage, however, did not end well. Flora continued to tend to her cattle and fruit trees, and those trees left by her father.

Flora voraciously read all horticultural publications. She experimented on varieties of fruit trees, especially apple trees, and kept accurate records of her harvests and of annual rainfall. Flora was also noted for taking pictures of wildflowers, which she showed to local clubs.

The Sandoz Center features an interactive, touch-screen kiosk devoted to Flora Sandoz. It features commentary by Flora on the wildflowers that she collected around her home as well as her photographs of her plants. The exhibit highlights Flora’s vast botanical knowledge and provides valuable insight into her personality.

This exhibit can be found in the Carmen and John Gottschalk - Mari Sandoz Gallery, located on the Main floor of the Sandoz Center. For more information about Flora Sandoz and the botanical history of the region, please visit the Chadron State College Herbarium.