The place I called home: Keya Paha County Nebraska

 Hey Guys!

So, Keya Paha County, Nebraska, isn't a place many people know about...but then you go back and look at the history books. Some of the famous outlaws of the 1880s came from this place I call home. Keya Paha is bordered by two rivers, the Niobrara River and the Keya Paha River. In the 1800s, outlaws would use the river valleys on both sides of the river as hiding spots from vigilante lawmen. So, Keya Paha gained the nickname "Mobb County." Very fitting if you ask me.

Now, remember I mentioned outlaws? So, two of the most famous outlaws from Keya Paha are Doc Middleton and Kid Wade. Doc Middleton was a notorious horse thief and had a gang of other cowboys riding with him. The law hated him, but the pioneers said otherwise. Doc would help the settlers out. Imagine Doc Middleton and his gang (the Pony Gang) as Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men of the Midwest. Kid Wade was one of Pony Gang members and one of Doc's best men. But, unlike Doc Middleton, who lived his life out to old age, Kid Wade wasn't so lucky. He was "arrested" in 1884 and found guilty in a "trial" (well, the vigilantes' version of a trial, anyway) and lynched from a telephone pole in Bassett, Nebraska. He was only 21.

Yeah, some pretty crazy history for a now pretty quiet ranching and farming county where not much happens. Besides sports, barn dances, and the County Fair, not much happens in Keya Paha. We are in the middle of nowhere, but it's pretty great. Wide open country, good people, and a long list of great things about Keya Paha. Some kids go to the mall or go to Top Golf for something fun to do. Out here, we go outside, go fishing, hunting, go make things out of scrap wood from dad's wood pile, and a bunch of other things. We make our own fun out here in the middle of nowhere, and it's the best thing ever. I wouldn't trade living here for living in the middle of the city ever.

Mobb County might not look like much, but if land could talk, oh, the stories it would tell. From pioneers making their living out in the middle of nowhere to people taking Sunday drives down backroads in their old pickups, there is a lot of history behind Keya Paha. And living in God's Country, surrounded by his creation, is the best thing ever. Well, that's all for now. I'll talk to you later, maybe add a family favorite recipe to the next post.

Until next time,

Karlene



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