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FULLERTON — The impact of the Great Plains on George Armstrong Custer – and the general’s impact on the Great Plains – is the topic of Nebraska author/historian Jeff Barnes at the Fullerton Public Library on Monday, September 21, at 6 p.m. The talk is sponsored by Humanities Nebraska.
“George Custer and the Great Plains: History, Landscape, and Legacy” covers the nine years in which Custer transformed from Civil War hero to a frontier figure in the vast, wild heart of the American West. “Custer wasn’t prepared for what the Great Plains held for him – its scope, its scenery, its animal life and even its people fascinated and terrified him,” says Barnes, author of The Great Plains Guide to Custer.
For more than four decades, Barnes has followed, photographed, and collected the sites and stories of Custer’s trail across the Plains, from his 1867 “first stand” in Nebraska to his demise in Montana 150 years ago. In this engaging presentation, Barnes shares how Custer’s life and legacy were shaped by the energy, danger, and beauty of the Plains—and why his story still resonates and brings reflection a century and a half after his death. The presentation will include historical maps, images and Barnes’s ground and drone photography to help tell the story of these historical sites.
A former newspaper reporter and editor, Barnes writes and lives in Omaha. He is a past trustee of the Nebraska State Historical Society, past chairman of the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission, former trustee with the Union Pacific Museum Association, and a frequently requested speaker with Humanities Nebraska. He is also a twice-awarded recipient of the Nebraska Book Award and the author of eight books including Cut in Stone, Cast in Bronze: Nebraska’s Historical Markers and Monuments, 150 @ 150: Nebraska’s Landmark Buildings at the State’s Sesquicentennial, The Great Plains Guide to Buffalo Bill, Forts of the Northern Plains.