Overview - 2025 Lincoln Highway Conference in Nebraska

Overview of the 2025 Lincoln Highway Conference

by Jim Cassler and Tim Wunsch

Nebraska will accentuate its status as the center of the Lincoln Highway world this summer, when it hosts the 31st annual LHA Conference in the Keith County town of Ogallala. Saddle up your ride of choice, and join us there June 23 through June 27 for an Old West adventure along our old road. As the theme implies, this part of the country is where the vast Central Plains rise, as they prepare to meet the Rockies of Colorado and Wyoming to the west. It is where the great Platte River and its tributaries take the mountain rains and melting snows, and nourish the farm lands of Nebraska as it makes its way to the Missouri and the Gulf of Mexico. It is a place of true American history, just waiting for you to experience.

Beginning on Monday, June 23, activities will include moving-in, the annual board meeting for officers and directors, an opening banquet, and the ever-popular book room. Joining us this year for the first two days of the Conference will be the tour group from the Lincoln Highway Middle Third Auto Tour, as they make their way along their eight-day road trip which begins in Joliet, Illinois, and culminates in Cheyenne, Wyoming later in the week.

A full day of adventure awaits you on Tuesday. You’ll start it off with a bus ride to Colorado, where you’ll experience a portion of the short-lived Colorado Loop of the Lincoln Highway – the road to Denver and the Rocky Mountains! The morning stop will be Julesburg, where we’ll visit its numerous museums, shops and attractions – including their 1919 Hippodrome Theater. After lunch, we’ll motor down the Loop to Sterling for a visit to the Overland Trail Museum, where you will get more of a taste of travel in the west during the early days. Returning to Ogallala, we’ll all meet for chow at the Front Street Saloon and a great meal followed by an Old West stage show. And who knows... there might even be a gun fight between some of the cowboys hangin’ around the saloon!

Wednesday morning the auto tour group leaves us, heading west for Cheyenne. The Conference group will again board the buses and head east for North Platte, another city of rich and diverse history. There we’ll visit the home of Buffalo Bill Cody, and dine at the Canteen that once provided much-appreciated refreshments and smiling faces to the many soldiers who visited on their way to service in World War II. A horse-drawn wagon will be there to take you through the area, to be sure you don’t miss a thing! A bit further down the Lincoln is the town of Gothenburg, where its Pony Express heritage awaits our visit. Back to Ogallala, and dinner will be on your own at your choice of the area’s great eateries.

You can sleep in just a little on Thursday, since there will be no bus to board. It’s Seminar Day – a day to hear from some folks who will talk about interesting topics of the area. Our keynote speakers will be LHA Life Members Lee and Jane Whiteley, who will speak on the formation of the Colorado Loop. The Whiteleys were part of the 2007 Ft. Morgan Conference Committee, and last spoke at the 2017 Denison Conference. The day will culminate with the annual closing Awards Banquet at the exciting new Willow and Oak Event Center, on the outskirts of town. Enjoy a tasty meal surrounded by the view of the great plains all around, as the suspense builds for who will receive the coveted “glass awards” that evening.

Conference information and fees are shown on the registration form. The host hotel for the Conference is the Quality Inn & Suites Ogallala, located at 201 Chuckwagon Road, Ogallala, NE 69153. A block of rooms has been reserved for those attending the Conference at the discounted rate of $89.00 + taxes per night. Hotel reservations can be obtained by calling them directly at (308) 284-3623. Be sure to identify yourself as a member of the Lincoln Highway group to get the special rate. All rooms are non-smoking, have breakfast included, and come in king or double queen. Rates are guaranteed until May 1, or as available. For more information, contact us at . Conference reservations should be made by May 1 in order to avoid late fees, and assure your place on the bus!

Ogallala is located along Interstate 80 in western Nebraska. It is served by airports in North Platte (53 miles), Cheyenne (170 miles) and Denver (212 miles). Amtrak service is available at McCook, Nebraska (118 miles) and Ft. Morgan, Colorado (124 miles). Ogallala is also served by Greyhound and Trailways lines.

It will be another busy Conference week on the Lincoln Highway. We are glad to bring you to western Nebraska, where there is so much to see and do. The Conference schedule will just scratch the surface, leaving much to do on your own. While in Ogallala, try to work-in a visit to Boot Hill Cemetery, the Mansion on the Hill, and Lake McConaughy. Further east or west on the Lincoln will take you to Kearney or Cheyenne. And going past Sterling on the Colorado Loop will lead you to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, where tourist opportunities abound. Make this a summer vacation you’ll never forget!