In the 1890s, Great Plains farmers faced a problem: they desperately needed telephones, but the Bell Telephone Company thought rural areas were too expensive and unsophisticated to serve. So, farmers built their own system—using barbed wire fences. By 1920, these homemade networks had made farmers more connected than city dwellers. This is the story of whiskey bottle insulators, party line eavesdropping, and how the devil's rope became a lifeline across the isolated prairie.

Want to see more? See historical photos and more glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains

Want to learn more?

"A Cheap Telephone System for Farmers." Scientific American 82, no. 13 (March 31, 1900): 196. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24982232.

"A Wire Fence Telephone Wanted." Scientific American 71, no. 16 (October 20, 1894): 249. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26115301.

Arguimbau, Ellen. "From Party Lines and Barbed Wire: A History of Telephones in Montana." Montana: The Magazine of Western History 63, no. 3 (Autumn 2013): 34–93. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24416215.

Dawson Public Power District. "Ghost Towns: A Look at Our Past." Accessed January 3, 2026. https://dawsonpower.com/2020/10/ghost-towns-a-look-at-our-past/.

Eckhardt, C. F. "Before Ma Bell: Rural Telephone Systems in the West." Texas Escapes. Accessed January 3, 2026. https://www.texasescapes.com/CFEckhardt/Rural-Telephone-Systems-in-the-West.htm.

Emerson, Lori. "Barbed Wire Networks." In Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook. University of Colorado Boulder, forthcoming 2025.

Fischer, Claude S. "The Revolution in Rural Telephony, 1900-1920." Journal of Social History 21, no. 1 (Autumn 1987): 5–26. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3788072.

Holmes, Bob. "The Wired Wild West." New Scientist 220, no. 2948 (December 21, 2013): 76–77.

Sicilia, David B. "How the West Was Wired." Inc. 19, no. 9 (1997): 74.

Trew, Delbert. "Barbed Wire Telephones." Texas Escapes. Accessed January 3, 2026. https://www.texasescapes.com/DelbertTrew/Barbed-Wire-Telephones.htm.

Rooted in the Plains, Episode Samples

In this Season 2 premiere of Rooted in the Plains, we will explore how the Great Plains states chose their official symbols, flowers, birds, trees, and insects. From the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago to grassroots campaigns by women's clubs, discover the surprising stories behind these emblems of state identity.

Learn why five states chose the same bird, how Montana kids voted for their state tree 41 years before the legislature acted, and why Oklahoma has three different flower symbols. Through conversations and quiz questions, we uncover the women-led movement that gave our states their lasting symbols and what these choices reveal about shared identity across the Great Plains.

Want to see more? See historical photos of the Woman's Building, state symbols, and more glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains

Want to learn more?

• https://arboristnow.com/news/discover-the-unique-stories-behind-america-s-state-trees-and-flowers-part-3-the-midwest/
• Dobransky, Kerry & Gary Alan Fine. "The Native in the Garden: Floral Politics and Cultural Entrepreneurs." Sociological Forum 21:4 (2006): 559–85. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4540965
• https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-unstoppable-rise-of-the-state-symbol
• https://southwestmt.com/blog/state-symbols-of-montana/
• https://sos.wyo.gov/Services/StateInfo_Symbols.aspx
• https://www.ndstudies.gov/curriculum/teacher-resources/state-symbols
• https://sdsos.gov/general-information/about-state-south-dakota/state-seal-symbols.aspx
• https://www.jocogov.org/newsroom/jan-29-kansas-day-test-your-knowledge-kansas-symbols
• https://sos.nebraska.gov/state-symbols
• https://www.travelok.com/about
• https://wheretexasbecametexas.org/category/texas-state-symbols/
• https://www.kansashistory.gov/p/kansas-symbols-state-symbols/15635
• https://agclassroom.org
• https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/resources/209029/a-national-garland-how-women-led-the-movement-to-declare-state-flowers

The sky tells its story in many ways through observation, science and technology. In this episode, Dr. Randy Peppler from the University of Oklahoma explores how meteorology and Indigenous environmental knowledge intersect across the Great Plains and how listening to both reveal a deeper understanding of place and weather. 

See photos, maps, and glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains

*Part two of a two-part series exploring the stories and science of the Great Plains sky. 

The Pawnee people have long looked at the sky for guidance, meaning and connection. In this episode, Matt Reed, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Pawnee Nation, shares stories of ceremony and tradition that tie the Pawnee to the stars, moon and storms.

See photos, maps, and glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains

*Part one of a two-part series exploring the stories and science of the Great Plains sky. 

Nebraska is far from the ocean, but the land remembers water. More than 100 million years ago, it was the floor of a vast inland sea, and its salt still lingers in the marshes around Lincoln.

In this episode, we trace how salt shaped Nebraska’s history, from the Otoe, Omaha, and Pawnee who gathered crystals for trade and food, to settlers who dreamed of a booming salt industry, to the rare plants and the tiny, fierce Salt Creek tiger beetle that now fight to survive in the last saline wetlands.

From Indigenous knowledge to endangered species, White Gold of the Plains reveals how salt has always held Nebraska in its grip.

See photos, maps, and glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains

Want to learn more? 

• Athen, Sierra R., Shivangi Dubey, John A. Kyndt, Aharon Oren, and Katsumi Matsuura. 2021. “The Eastern Nebraska Salt Marsh Microbiome Is Well Adapted to an Alkaline and Extreme Saline Environment.” Life (2075-1729) 11 (5): 446. doi:10.3390/life11050446.
• Early, Ann M. “Salt Making.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas, March 17, 2025. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/salt-making-567/. 
• Gilbert, M C, and R G Stutheit. “Saltmarshes in Eastern Nebraska: Study Characterizes Some Unusual Wetlands.” WETLANDS RES. PROGRAM BULL 5, no. 1 (1995): 1–4.
• Horton, Agnes. “The History of Nebraska’s Saline Land Grant.” Nebraska History 40, no. 2 (1959): 89.
• Palmer, Joseph A., and Kay Klatt. “The Natural History and Captive Husbandry of the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Cicindela (=ellipsoptera) Nevadica Lincolnian (Coleoptera: Carabidae).” DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2014. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/entomologyother/123/. 
• Rumney, Thomas. “Salt and Settlement in Nineteenth-Century Nebraska.” Material Culture 16, no. 1 (1984): 43–54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41784818. 
• Spomer, Stephen M., and Leon G. Higley. “Population Status and Distribution of the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Cicindela Nevadica Lincolniana Casey (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae).” Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 66, no. 4 (1993): 392–98. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25085468.
• Steinauer, Gerry. “Saving Saltwort.” Nebraskaland Magazine, August 17, 2024. https://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/stories/conservation/saving-saltwort/. 
• Ungar, Irwin A., William Hogan, and Mark McClelland. “Plant Communities of Saline Soils at Lincoln, Nebraska.” The American Midland Naturalist 82, no. 2 (1969): 564–77. https://doi.org/10.2307/2423796.

From gunfights at Rock Creek to hot peaches at Liberty Farm, this episode traces the short but powerful run of the Pony Express. Though it lasted just 18 months, its mark across Nebraska endures, from relay stations and home stops to the towns and trails that grew in its wake. 

You’ll hear stories from Rock Creek Station, where a deadly conflict launched the legend of Wild Bill Hickok. Liberty Farm, a cozy home station, lost to the 1864 uprising. Fort Kearny, a military post that helped spark a settlement boom. And Gothenburg, the self-proclaimed Pony Express capital with a flair for nostalgia. 

We also explore how communities today keep the memory alive, through re-rides, restored sites and old trail pride that refuses to fade. 

Want to see more? See photos, maps and more glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains 

Want to learn more? 

• https://nationalponyexpress.org/ 
• https://visitkearney.org/places/fort-kearny-state-historical-park/
• Gilman, Musetta. “Chapter 4.” Essay. In Pump on the Prairie: A Chronicle of a Road Ranch, 1859- 1868 (1981)
• Hill, William E. The Pony Express Trail: Yesterday and Today. (2010)
• “Wild Bill Hickok’s First Gunfight | July 12, 1861.” History.com, 2020
• Mattes, Merrill J. “Section 3.” Essay. In The Great Platte River Road: The Covered Wagon Mainline via Fort Kearny to Fort Laramie (1988)
• https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/rock-creek-station-shp/. 
• “Pony Express NHT: Historic Resource Study (Chapter 4).” National Parks Service, 2008

In the years after the Civil war, newly freed men stepped into uniforms and became part of the U.S. Army’s first Black regiments. Known later as the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry, these soldiers built forts, guarded settlers, patrolled reservations and carried the weight of frontier duty across the Great Plains and beyond. 

In this episode, we follow their story from Fort Robinson in Nebraska, from the experimental Iron Riders Bicycle Corps in Montana to the remarkable service of Cathay Williams, the first documented black woman to enlist in the Army. Along the way, we’ll hear about the medals they earned, the prejudice they faced and the legacy they left behind. 

The name “Buffalo Soldiers” would come later, but their courage and discipline forged a reputation that still echoes today. 

Want to see more? See photos, maps and more glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains 

Want to learn more? 

•  “Buffalo Soldiers Photographs.” Nebraska State Historical Society, July 3, 2024. https://history.nebraska.gov/buffalo-soldiers-photographs/. 
• Brian G Shellum, “Charles Young and the Buffalo Soldiers after the Indian Wars,” Nebraska History 95 (2014): 28-35 
• Crone, Dawn M. “BUFFALO SOLDIERS:  PROTECTING THE AMERICAN WEST .” Brownsburg, IN: EDSITEment!, November 2023. 
• Dolifka, Richard, Sheryl Smith-Rodgers, Sally Hunter, and David Boevers. “We Can, We Will! The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers: The First African Americans to Serve in the Regular Army.” Austin, TX: Texas Parks and Wildlife, 2020. 
• Djossa, Christina   Ayele. “The First (Documented) Black Woman to Serve in the U.S. Army - Atlas Obscura.” The First (Documented) Black Woman to Serve in the U.S. Army, February 28, 2018. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cathay-williams-buffalo-soldier. 

In this episode of Rooted in the Plains, we follow the life of George “Bird” Grinnell, naturalist, writer and advocate for the American West. From his early days learning under Madam Audubon to his expeditions across Montana and Yellowstone, Grinnell became a key voice in the conservation movement. He worked alongside Indigenous communities, helped found the Audubon and Boone & Crockett Clubs, and fought to preserve places like Glacier National Park. His legacy lives on in the landscapes, stories, and values he helped protect. 

Want to see more? See photos, maps and more glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains 

Want to learn more? 

·  B&C Member Spotlight - George Bird Grinnell.” Boone and Crockett Club, April 27, 2023

·  Holman, John P. “George Bird Grinnell.” Journal of Mammalogy 19, no. 3 (1938)

·  Smith, Sherry L. “George Bird Grinnell and the ‘Vanishing’ Plains Indians.” Montana: The Magazine of Western History 50, no. 3 (2000)

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In this episode of Rooted in the Plains, we open the doors to Nebraska’s opera houses, cultural centers that stood at the heart of prairie towns between 1870 and 1920. Though few ever hosted full operas, these spaces bustled with activity: traveling shows, lectures, community meetings and much more. Built to attract and retain residents, they were often nestled along main streets, reflecting the ambition and spirit of growing towns.  

We stop in Friend, Plattsmouth, and Red Cloud, to explore their heyday, their decline and what remains today. 

**Update: The Groundbreaking Ceremony for Friend Historical Society’s Warren Opera House - Building Addition Project will take place on September 8, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in the rear of the building at 511 2nd Street. The public is invited and welcomed to attend.

Want to see more? See photos, maps and more glimpses of prairie life on Instagram: @rootedintheplains 

Want to learn more? 

• Davis, Ronald L. “Opera Houses in Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas: 1870-1920.” Great Plains Quarterly 9, no. 1 (1989)
• Ehlers, D. Layne. “This Week at the Opera House: Popular Musical Entertainment at Great Plains Opera Houses, 1887-1917.” Great Plains Quarterly 20, no. 3 (2000)
• Grossman, Samantha. “Blaze Turns Historic Nebraska Opera House Into Icy Winter Wonder.” Time, January 5, 2014
•  https://www.friendnehistoricalsociety.org
• Stellmon, Andrew. “The Opera House, Red Cloud’s ‘Window To The World.’” Hear Nebraska, July 26, 2016