Nebraska rededicates bicentennial sculpture at York rest area for America’s 250th birthday
YORK, Neb. —
State leaders, artists and community members gathered Friday at the westbound Interstate 80 rest area near York to rededicate “Crossing the Plains,” a limestone sculpture created by artist Bradford Graves as part of Nebraska’s celebration of the nation’s bicentennial nearly 50 years ago.
The ceremony highlighted the monument’s enduring place in Nebraska’s landscape and the state’s distinctive approach to commemorating the United States’ 200th birthday in 1976.
Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers shared multiple poems during the ceremony, discussing the state’s legacy in juxtaposition with the abstract forms of the sculpture, arrayed from limestone taken from the same quarry that fed the state Capitol.
“Our legacy: a direction, a way home, a prayer,” Rodgers said.
The monument has watched over I-80 travelers for five decades. During Friday’s event, speakers reflected on its symbolism.
“It is about courage, and it is about the enduring spirit of those who choose to journey forward into the unknown,” Dr. Clark Roush, who leads the York Creative District, said.
For U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, the monument also carries personal significance.
Fischer said her father, who worked for the Nebraska Department of Roads, helped shape the development of Interstate 80. When the federal government provided each state with $100,000 to commemorate the bicentennial, she said he hoped Nebraska would create something lasting.
“I remember his excitement,” Fischer said. “It was important to this road and bridge builder to also celebrate that beauty that enriches our souls.”
Rather than spending the federal funds on festivals and temporary celebrations, Nebraska used the money as seed funding for eight public art projects across the state.
“We’re going to invest the money in monumental, abstract art that will stand the test of time,” Markey said.
State Sen. Jana Hughes said the state’s choice mirrored Nebraska’s history of charting its own course.
“We’re kind of this little unicorn, aren’t we?” Hughes said. “We’re like, ‘We’re not going to do our government the same. We’re going to do a unicameral. We’re not going to celebrate 200 the same. We’re going to do something that’s permanent, that is still standing 50 years later.'”
Although some of Nebraska’s bicentennial sculptures drew criticism for their abstract designs when they were installed, seven of the original monuments remain.
Standing beside the windswept prairie along I-80, “Crossing the Plains” continues to hearken to the state’s homesteading history and point toward the future. Rodgers reflected on that vision.
“Who could put an entire nation in the shoes of one person and one family of one town?” she said. “In the end, there are no giant football players, no mastodons, no so homes, no wagons. Instead, a compass crossing the plains where anyone might arrive and still find their way home.”
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