A NEBRASKA LEGACY
“We said absolutely—anything to promote the Cowboy Trail,” Jeffrey said. “They get people from all over the United States. I know even just this year, just looking at some of the participants for that, they are from Iowa, West Virginia, Virginia, Illinois. And they’re all coming for that particular event, and they’ll spend the night. And of course, when they spend the night, it’s that domino effect in your community of going out to eat and maybe picking up something that they’re going to need for their [race] along the way.” There is assistance, however, for individuals and groups who wish to experience the Cowboy Trail in other ways. Tony Stuthman, a Norfolk-based outfitter, runs a shuttle service for Cowboy Trail visitors. He and Duryea both patrol a Cowboy Trail online forum, where Duryea often chimes in with advice ranging from what gear to bring (extra tubes, 1.8-inch-plus tires) to where to refuel (Ma’s Cafe in Wood Lake, the L-Bow Room in Johnstown), and Stuthman coordinates rides from afar. “That’s one of the reasons I did start [this business]—so that people had the opportunity to get out there,” he said. In rural Valentine, you can even grab a bike from ROAM Share, possibly the most rural bike- share program in the world (check out “Valentine Bike Share, as Rural as It Gets” on the TrailBlog: rtc.li/ roam-share). The money visitors spend at rural cafés, grocery stores and gas stations can help keep those establishments in business for the residents who rely on them, Duryea said. That kind of economic impact, he said, is vital along the Cowboy Trail. Duryea estimated that around 80% of the Cowboy Trail’s users are local, and he’s seeing buy-in
recovery-resilience) and a section between Neligh and Clearwater re- claimed by the Elkhorn River. The spring 2019 floods caused roughly $7.7 million in damages to eastern portions of the trail, while also illustrating its importance to the rural communities it links. With many roads out, the limestone trail served as a passageway for emergency personnel. Some ranchers, seeking the highest ground available, led their cattle to the Cowboy Trail. Repairing the flood-damaged rail line segments in the east proved to be a major setback to trail expansion way out west. The only segment west of Valentine that’s functional is a 17-mile stretch from Gordon to Rushville that was surfaced only after local advocates not only politicked, but pulled the weeds and remaining rail ties from the ground themselves. But steam is picking back up west of Rushville, and another 25 miles of trail could be surfaced by the end of 2026. Remote Challenges— and Allure Duryea once went town by town across the map of what would be a finished version of the Cowboy Trail and counted up the residents. About 26,150 people call Norfolk, the largest city on the trail, home. Add up recent Census data for the rest of the communities running west out to Chadron, and the population base still falls about 35,000 people shy of filling Lincoln’s 85,458-seat Memo - rial Stadium, home to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
For touring cyclists and hikers, the remoteness of the Cowboy Trail presents obstacles both challenging and alluring. In the Sandhills, you’re sure to pass through verdant grasslands and likely to endure slower split times. Windblown sand can saturate trail segments across the central corridor, requiring the Nebraska Game and Parks maintenance team to respond to frequent reports filed by trail users. You’ve got to look out for tire-shredding goat’s head thorns, although several people I spoke with said the Nebraska Game and Parks crew has done yeoman’s work when it comes to thinning them out along the trail. The Cowboy Trail team consists of a superintendent, two seasonal workers and, during a ride with me and a photographer, Duryea pausing now and then to hack at the occasional musk thistle. It’s often double-digit mileage from one town to the next; self- sufficiency is part of the deal unless you sign up for one of a growing number of group events happening on the trail, like the Cowboy 200. The 84-hour time-limited foot race from Norfolk to Valentine was set to take place in late September. Traci Jeffrey, executive director of the Norfolk Area Visitors Bu- reau (visitnorfolk.com), said the organizers reached out to her a few years back asking for help to offset the costs of starting it. It fit with the tourism bureau’s MO of supporting events tied to the city’s waterways and trails.
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