"There is something frank and joyous and young in the open face of the country."
- Willa Cather, O Pioneers!
The Studebaker Lodge was built deep in America's heartland in Red Cloud, Nebraska for the F.W. (Franklin and Elizabeth) Studebaker family during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt. Construction was completed in 1907 by the builder Emanuel Fitz in the Queen Anne Free Classic Victorian architectural style, and is now a registered Red Cloud historic property. (Fitz also built the nearby German Baptist Brethren church in 1898). Rusticated masonry blocks were supplied by the Finkenbinder & Studebaker Cement Works, and large cedar beams by old growth forests. Mr. Studebaker also owned the City Dray and Express Line business, the local agent of Adams Express Co. A period carriage house is still in use on the property. One of only a handful of existing original Studebaker automobile dealership showrooms in America can still be seen directly across US 136, Nebraska's Heritage Highway.
The City of Red Cloud was founded in 1871 by Silas Garber, who would go on to become the twice-elected Governor of Nebraska. Red Cloud was named after the native Sioux warrior-statesman Chief Red Cloud, who with his people once controlled one-fifth of the land that is now the continental United States of America. It is the county seat of Webster County, Nebraska, which was named by Garber in honor of the American statesman Daniel Webster.
At least half of the wagons that came west across America on the wagon trails in the 19th century were Studebaker wagons, and the famous Prairie Schooner wagon was of Studebaker design. Similar to some of the earlier routes of the overland trails across Nebraska (such as the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express Trails) which ran along the rivers just to the north, Red Cloud became the midway change-over point for the Burlington and Missouri-River Railroad, which followed the Republican River valley between Kansas City and Denver. As such, it hosted a relatively cosmopolitan mix of people and pioneers for a small, growing city on the Great Plains, and attracted much attention from those looking West. With the golden age of the railroad now past, and being off the beaten-path of the Interstate Highway system, Red Cloud has retained an uncommon charm found in few other towns of its small size (official population 962, Webster County population density about 7 people per sq. mile). Red Cloud remains for many a true slice of Americana, and a place where the West begins.
"Stockmen are in the West the pioneers of civilization, and their daring and adventurousness make the after settlement of the region possible. The whole country owes them a great debt."
- Theodore Roosevelt, Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail
The Republican was the home range of the largest bison herd in North America, the Republican herd, and as such was a great Native American hunting ground. Countless buffalo roamed the fertile hills, grazing their rich, native mixed prairie grasses, and watering on the Republican River and its spring-fed creeks. Some herds were reported as being as large as the eye could see, 25 or 50 miles wide at one time. The first lodging in 1870's Red Cloud, the Taylor Hotel (its historical marker resting three blocks away), was used as a headquarters for buffalo chasers. Today, the beautiful Republican River Valley still offers plenty of game opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists, with no less than three wildlife management areas within just five miles of town (so don't be surprised if you hear a coyote or two baying at night to a full harvest moon). Looking for some practice or competition in trap, skeet and sporting clays before your upland game bird outing? The fun doesn't get much better than at Heartland Public Shooting Park, "the largest, most complete public shooting facility in the Midwest." Or try out Harlan Lake, Nebraska's second largest, with its surrounding 17,750 recreational acres offers some of the best hunting, fishing, ATV trails and American bald eagle watching in the state, not far to the west...
"...from the literary standpoint, Red Cloud ranks as one of the most famous villages in American Literature."
- Willard Thorp, American Writing in the Twentieth Century
- Willa Cather, O Pioneers!
The Studebaker Lodge was built deep in America's heartland in Red Cloud, Nebraska for the F.W. (Franklin and Elizabeth) Studebaker family during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt. Construction was completed in 1907 by the builder Emanuel Fitz in the Queen Anne Free Classic Victorian architectural style, and is now a registered Red Cloud historic property. (Fitz also built the nearby German Baptist Brethren church in 1898). Rusticated masonry blocks were supplied by the Finkenbinder & Studebaker Cement Works, and large cedar beams by old growth forests. Mr. Studebaker also owned the City Dray and Express Line business, the local agent of Adams Express Co. A period carriage house is still in use on the property. One of only a handful of existing original Studebaker automobile dealership showrooms in America can still be seen directly across US 136, Nebraska's Heritage Highway.
The City of Red Cloud was founded in 1871 by Silas Garber, who would go on to become the twice-elected Governor of Nebraska. Red Cloud was named after the native Sioux warrior-statesman Chief Red Cloud, who with his people once controlled one-fifth of the land that is now the continental United States of America. It is the county seat of Webster County, Nebraska, which was named by Garber in honor of the American statesman Daniel Webster.
At least half of the wagons that came west across America on the wagon trails in the 19th century were Studebaker wagons, and the famous Prairie Schooner wagon was of Studebaker design. Similar to some of the earlier routes of the overland trails across Nebraska (such as the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express Trails) which ran along the rivers just to the north, Red Cloud became the midway change-over point for the Burlington and Missouri-River Railroad, which followed the Republican River valley between Kansas City and Denver. As such, it hosted a relatively cosmopolitan mix of people and pioneers for a small, growing city on the Great Plains, and attracted much attention from those looking West. With the golden age of the railroad now past, and being off the beaten-path of the Interstate Highway system, Red Cloud has retained an uncommon charm found in few other towns of its small size (official population 962, Webster County population density about 7 people per sq. mile). Red Cloud remains for many a true slice of Americana, and a place where the West begins.
"Stockmen are in the West the pioneers of civilization, and their daring and adventurousness make the after settlement of the region possible. The whole country owes them a great debt."
- Theodore Roosevelt, Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail
The Republican was the home range of the largest bison herd in North America, the Republican herd, and as such was a great Native American hunting ground. Countless buffalo roamed the fertile hills, grazing their rich, native mixed prairie grasses, and watering on the Republican River and its spring-fed creeks. Some herds were reported as being as large as the eye could see, 25 or 50 miles wide at one time. The first lodging in 1870's Red Cloud, the Taylor Hotel (its historical marker resting three blocks away), was used as a headquarters for buffalo chasers. Today, the beautiful Republican River Valley still offers plenty of game opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists, with no less than three wildlife management areas within just five miles of town (so don't be surprised if you hear a coyote or two baying at night to a full harvest moon). Looking for some practice or competition in trap, skeet and sporting clays before your upland game bird outing? The fun doesn't get much better than at Heartland Public Shooting Park, "the largest, most complete public shooting facility in the Midwest." Or try out Harlan Lake, Nebraska's second largest, with its surrounding 17,750 recreational acres offers some of the best hunting, fishing, ATV trails and American bald eagle watching in the state, not far to the west...
"...from the literary standpoint, Red Cloud ranks as one of the most famous villages in American Literature."
- Willard Thorp, American Writing in the Twentieth Century
Willa Seibert Cather
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Childhood home of Pulitzer Prize winning American author Willa Cather
According to the National Park Service, Red Cloud also has the largest collection of nationally-designated historic properties dedicated to an author in the United States. The Willa Cather Foundation, Red Cloud Opera House and the new National Willa Cather Center are close by Studebaker Lodge in the Main Street National Historic District. Step right into Cather's literary worlds of Black Hawk, Frankfort, Hanover, Haverford, Moonstone, Sweet Water, and others while you're in the friendly walking town of Red Cloud.
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Red Cloud's Auld Public Library (National Register of Historic Places)
"We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it - for a little while."
- Willa Cather, O Pioneers!
Willa Cather Memorial Prairie - the way it was (and is)
While Red Cloud is a town best experienced
by walking around, the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie and the geographic center of the contiguous United States near Lebanon, KS are located a short drive to the south of Red Cloud. (Brent Glass, the director emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, included Red Cloud's Cather Prairie in his 2016 book “50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S.") The largest round barn in America is just four miles east. A little bit further is Pike-Pawnee Village, another National Historic Landmark, where explorer Lt. Zebulon Pike encamped with his cannon and western expedition party. Ever thought about writing a movie script or screenplay? You'll find the Victorian homes of legendary Lew Hunter of Screenwriting 434 Colony fame in nearby Superior. Ever see the Superbowl Jeep commercial filmed in and around Red Cloud? Bruce has. The Higley Cabin, where the famous poem My Western Home was written, better known as the song Home on the Range, is not far from Red Cloud either... and if you want to see the site of America's very first homestead filed under the 1862 Homestead Act, that of Daniel Freeman, the Homestead National Monument is a very worthwhile day trip. Like to watch the sky? Clear, dark night-time skies allow stargazers and amateur astronomers to experience celestial wonders invisible in the bright lights of urban areas. Birdwatchers enjoy the majestic sandhill cranes and a wide variety of other birds of the North American central flyway... Plenty to do, or not to do - take your pick.
by walking around, the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie and the geographic center of the contiguous United States near Lebanon, KS are located a short drive to the south of Red Cloud. (Brent Glass, the director emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, included Red Cloud's Cather Prairie in his 2016 book “50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S.") The largest round barn in America is just four miles east. A little bit further is Pike-Pawnee Village, another National Historic Landmark, where explorer Lt. Zebulon Pike encamped with his cannon and western expedition party. Ever thought about writing a movie script or screenplay? You'll find the Victorian homes of legendary Lew Hunter of Screenwriting 434 Colony fame in nearby Superior. Ever see the Superbowl Jeep commercial filmed in and around Red Cloud? Bruce has. The Higley Cabin, where the famous poem My Western Home was written, better known as the song Home on the Range, is not far from Red Cloud either... and if you want to see the site of America's very first homestead filed under the 1862 Homestead Act, that of Daniel Freeman, the Homestead National Monument is a very worthwhile day trip. Like to watch the sky? Clear, dark night-time skies allow stargazers and amateur astronomers to experience celestial wonders invisible in the bright lights of urban areas. Birdwatchers enjoy the majestic sandhill cranes and a wide variety of other birds of the North American central flyway... Plenty to do, or not to do - take your pick.
In the world of pro sports, baseball fans in particular will appreciate an important part of local history. Legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Cy Young threw his very first semipro pitch at nearby Cowles Ball Grounds for Red Cloud Creamery. Golden age Brooklyn Dodgers strikeout king and Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance grew up in the area and began his semipro pitching career with the Red Cloud Indians. Clarence Mitchell (Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame) played for Red Cloud in the Nebraska State League, and was the only left-handed spitballer to appear in a major-league game since 1920 (for his signature pitch, he used slippery elm bark sliced from a special tree on his neighbor's farm nearby).
Come Stay Awhile
Studebaker Lodge is conveniently located between the Webster County Historical Museum and the National Willa Cather Center, in close walking distance to downtown shopping and other historical attractions, such as the Cather House (National Historic Landmark). Door-to-door public transit is also available.
Peaceful Living, Vibrant Life is the City of Red Cloud's motto...and Great Stories Grow Here.
Come Stay Awhile
Studebaker Lodge is conveniently located between the Webster County Historical Museum and the National Willa Cather Center, in close walking distance to downtown shopping and other historical attractions, such as the Cather House (National Historic Landmark). Door-to-door public transit is also available.
Peaceful Living, Vibrant Life is the City of Red Cloud's motto...and Great Stories Grow Here.
Red Cloud Bridge (National Register of Historic Places)