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The Vieregg Cabin, a 20 by 40 structure, once sat two miles east off Gunbarrel Road in neighboring Merrick County. It was constructed by at least two of the three Vieregg brothers, John, Henry, and James, who were part of the 1857 group of immigrants from Holstein, Germany.
Visit the Menck and Vieregg Cabins to see what humble beginnings are all about. Click the Logo to continue your tour onto the building of the towns...Stuhr Museum's own Railroad Town.
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A
complex of eight structures, the Pioneer Settlement interprets the
1850s-60s "road ranches" that were built along the pioneer
trails and served travelers heading west. There were once eleven
road ranches in Hall County. They were located along the Platte
Valley's emigrant roads and were places where travelers could pause
to buy provisions and make repairs on equipment. The Menck and Vieregg
Cabins are the main structures of the ranche.
The
Menck Cabin was constructed of Cottonwood logs, and measures
17 by 21 feet. Built in 1859 by Christian H. Menck, a native of
Holstein, Germany, the homestead was located just east of Grand
Island City.
The
breakthrough for the pioneer community came in 1866 when the Union
Pacific Railroad built into central Nebraska. As was its practice,
the Union Pacific staked out a town next to the tracks. The railroad
named the town Grand Island Station. Many of the local German settlers
then abandoned their log houses and moved to the town site by the
tracks. Others hitched ox teams to frame buildings and hauled them
over the prairie to a location near the railroad. A frontier town
rapidly grew up on the new town site. Hastily built wooden stores
sprang up along dirt streets. The United States Land Office operated
out of the first office building in the new town. Many Union Pacific
trains brought additional settlers. A new and exciting period in
the history of Hall County and central Nebraska was at hand.
