Nebraska is the Heartland of North America and the United States. When taking a look at what Nebraska is all about, what do we think of? I think of farming! There is so much history when it comes to farming. This dates back to when folks farmed just to keep their families alive. The most intriguing thing about farming is the equipment that has come along with it. 

From the early days of farming, we are able to see the tools such as the wooden rake, pickaxe, and pitchfork. As expected, people began to use more advanced tools such as the tractor, mower, baler, and combine. If there was ever a place to learn about these phenomenal pieces of engineering, it is at The Harold Warp Pioneer Village. Pioneer Village is located in Minden, Nebraska just south of Kearney. It is west of Lincoln for those of you out of state or unfamiliar readers. The great indoor and outdoor Museum has numerous exhibits.

The area I would love to share is the large antique tractor and farm machinery section. This section incorporates farm tools from generations and generations past. There are many outstanding tools that I have never heard of or seen before. Anyone else who is interested in farm equipment would likely be blown away by the collection at this facility. As great as this is, I have not even gotten to the best part. The absolute best part of this specific exhibit at Pioneer village and possibly the entire museum, is the tractors! Tractors are a staple of the farm life. Pioneer Village does its best at making that known to the visitors. The outstanding collection of tractors in this exhibit varies with all sorts of models, years, designs and colors. Many people seem to think that tractors are only green, I blame John Deere. However, tractors can be any color such as red, yellow, and  silver. The best advice I could give would be to ask the first worker you see about their favorite tractor in the exhibit and ask them why. Listen for the name Harold Warp, as he is extremely helpful. I bet you can learn more about one tractor than you might know about the rest of the farm equipment at the exhibit. 

The staff is great and extremely friendly, don’t be afraid to ask about something if you’re curious. When focusing on this exhibit, I learned that Pioneer Village puts on an awesome event involving some of the tractors. This event happens in the summer, and Pioneer Village puts on an antique tractor show. The show includes bringing out some of the coolest tractors and farm equipment. They turn this into a day full of celebrations. Lots of people from Minden and the surrounding towns come to check out the tractor show. The highlight of the day is tractor pulling. A great Midwest tradition that is done about as good as anywhere and keeps guests coming back. In the past, they have looked to schedule this day around Father’s Day weekend, as long as weather permits. If there was ever a better opportunity to come to the middle of Nebraska and experience this midwestern pastime, it would be on this weekend. Pioneer village offers cabins for travelers at a fair rate, so make sure to check in on those early if you do decide to check it out! 

Best of luck to all my readers, I am sure you will enjoy the visit.