This scenic byway offers a picturesque journey through breathtaking and diverse Nebraska landscapes. Nebraska’s “Everglades” along Nebraska Highway 12 has an unusual biological diversity. From this northern  vantage point, great vistas encompass clear blue sky, native stands of oak trees, bottomlands, cottonwood forests, wetlands, bluffs, pine and cedar forests, open prairie, lush cropland, and wildlife.

This area has rich Native American Influence. The Rosebud Sioux, Yankton Sioux, Omaha, Santee Sioux, Ponca, and Winnebago Tribes remain in the region. Following the early fur traders, a major westward expansion began with the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition and the railroad. Forestland and hilly riverbanks made an ideal hideout for the Jesse James Gang and other horse thieves and swindlers.