Dead Timber State Recreation Area
Encyclopedia
Dead Timber State Recreation Area is a Nebraska state park in Dodge County
, Nebraska
in the United States. The park is 200 acres (80.9 ha) and sits at an elevation of 1266 feet (385.9 m). The park is open for year-round recreation including fishing, camping, and non-powered boating. Dead Timber State Recreation Area is north of Scribner
on U.S. Route 275
.
Dead Timber State Recreation Area was the site of a seasonal Indian encampment. Local legend holds that the area acquired its name after an Indian campfire got out of control and burned much of the standing timber in the area, hence the name Dead Timber. The park is located between the Elkhorn River
and an oxbow lake
that was once part of the nearby meandering river.
The natives camped near the river in the summer months before retreating behind the river bluffs and settling on the oxbow. An oxbow lake is formed when a river creates a meander
due to the river eroding the banks through hydraulic action
and abrasion/corrasion. After a long period of time this meander becomes very curved, and eventually the neck of the meander will touch the opposite side and the river will cut through the neck, cutting off the meander to form the oxbow lake.
The park lies within Dodge County which was settled by European Americans in 1856. The whites displaced the Pawnee among other Native American tribes. The winter of 1856 was an especially hard winter. The newly arrived whites felt threatened by their Indian neighbors who camped near their settlements. The Pawnee sent a party to the town of Fremont to threaten war. The conflict was resolved when the whites agreed to provide food for the natives. The Pawnee were removed to a reservation by 1859.
Dead Timber State Recreation Area is a small and largely undeveloped state park. Recreation is limited to camping, fishing, boating and pinicking. All boats must be human-powered as all motorized boats are not permitted in the park. Primitive restroom facilities are located within the park. There are 17 camping pads with electricity and 25 pads without electricity. Fishing is permitted in the oxbow lake.
Budget cuts brought on my the nationwide recession has caused the state of Nebraska to dramatically limit the services it provides at Dead Timbers State Recreation Area and many other Nebraska state parks. Local citizens have seen the need to help care for the parks themselves and they have been volunteering to carry on chores normally handled by the state such as mowing grass, serving as camp hosts, and pulling other maintenance on the park's facilities.
Dodge County, Nebraska
- History :Dodge County was formed in 1855. It was named after the US Senator Augustus Caesar Dodge.- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 36,160 people, 14,433 households, and 9,756 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
in the United States. The park is 200 acres (80.9 ha) and sits at an elevation of 1266 feet (385.9 m). The park is open for year-round recreation including fishing, camping, and non-powered boating. Dead Timber State Recreation Area is north of Scribner
Scribner, Nebraska
Scribner is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 971 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scribner is located at ....
on U.S. Route 275
U.S. Route 275
U.S. Route 275 is a north–south United States highway. It is a branch of US 75, originally terminating at that route in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The highway's northern terminus is in O'Neill, Nebraska, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 281. Its southern terminus is near...
.
Dead Timber State Recreation Area was the site of a seasonal Indian encampment. Local legend holds that the area acquired its name after an Indian campfire got out of control and burned much of the standing timber in the area, hence the name Dead Timber. The park is located between the Elkhorn River
Elkhorn River
The Elkhorn River originates in the eastern Sandhills of Nebraska and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River, flowing and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha, approximately 1 mile south and 3 miles west of Gretna.Located in northeast and north-central Nebraska, the Elkhorn...
and an oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
that was once part of the nearby meandering river.
The natives camped near the river in the summer months before retreating behind the river bluffs and settling on the oxbow. An oxbow lake is formed when a river creates a meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
due to the river eroding the banks through hydraulic action
Hydraulic action
Hydraulic action is strong enough to loosen sediment along the river bed and banks this will take rocks from the side of the banks and add it to the rivers loads. The water compresses the air in the crack, pushing it right to the back. As the wave retreats, the highly pressurized air is suddenly...
and abrasion/corrasion. After a long period of time this meander becomes very curved, and eventually the neck of the meander will touch the opposite side and the river will cut through the neck, cutting off the meander to form the oxbow lake.
The park lies within Dodge County which was settled by European Americans in 1856. The whites displaced the Pawnee among other Native American tribes. The winter of 1856 was an especially hard winter. The newly arrived whites felt threatened by their Indian neighbors who camped near their settlements. The Pawnee sent a party to the town of Fremont to threaten war. The conflict was resolved when the whites agreed to provide food for the natives. The Pawnee were removed to a reservation by 1859.
Dead Timber State Recreation Area is a small and largely undeveloped state park. Recreation is limited to camping, fishing, boating and pinicking. All boats must be human-powered as all motorized boats are not permitted in the park. Primitive restroom facilities are located within the park. There are 17 camping pads with electricity and 25 pads without electricity. Fishing is permitted in the oxbow lake.
Budget cuts brought on my the nationwide recession has caused the state of Nebraska to dramatically limit the services it provides at Dead Timbers State Recreation Area and many other Nebraska state parks. Local citizens have seen the need to help care for the parks themselves and they have been volunteering to carry on chores normally handled by the state such as mowing grass, serving as camp hosts, and pulling other maintenance on the park's facilities.