Great Platte River Road Archway Monument

Dobytown is a ghost town in Kearney County, Nebraska, United States, three miles west of Fort Kearny. Officially named Kearney City, the community was established in 1859. The town was given the common name of Dobytown because it contained mostly adobe buildings. Although the community no longer exists, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The site is located at an altitude of 2,129 feet (649 m).As one of the most important stops for travelers between Independence, Missouri and the West Coast, Dobytown evolved to meet the needs of the thousands of soldiers, traders, teamsters and pioneers traveling west. Gambling, liquor and prostitution were among its main attractions. Dobytown also served as the major outfitting point west of the Missouri River, the center of frontier transportation from 1860 to 1866. A Pony Express station was located in Dobytown and it was the first county seat of Kearney County. One of Dobytown's most famous visitors, General William Tecumseh Sherman described the horrible whiskey he was served there as tanglefoot.The completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869 reduced the travel along the trail and by the fort. The U.S. Army issued an order for abandonment of Fort Kearny on 22 May 1871. This caused Dobytown to be abandoned.

Fort Kearny was a historic outpost of the United States Army founded in 1848 in the western U.S. during the middle and late 19th century. The fort was named after Col. and later General Stephen Watts Kearny. The outpost was located along the Oregon Trail near Kearney, Nebraska. The town of Kearney took its name from the fort. The "e" was added to Kearny by postmen who consistently misspelled the town name. A portion of the original site is preserved as Fort Kearny State Historical Park by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.The fort became the eastern anchor of the Great Platte River Road and thus an important military and civilian way station for 20 years. Wagon trains moving west, were able to resupply after completing about a sixth (16%) of the journey. The fort offered a safe resting area for the eastern immigrants in this new and hostile land. Livestock could be traded for fresh stock and letters sent back to the States. The fort continued to expand over the years, until there were over 30 buildings before its closure in 1871. It took on additional roles as a Pony Express station, an Overland Stage station and a telegraph station.

Fort Theater is a historic two-story building in Kearney, Nebraska. It was built in 1914 as The Empress by F.G. Keens, and designed in the Classical Revival style. After it was partly destroyed in 1940, it was purchased by Don and George Monroe, who added a marquee to the facade; it was designed in the Moderne style by architect Edward J. Sessinghaus. Inside, there are murals by Joyce Ballantyne. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 12, 2006.

The Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) is the official art museum of the state of Nebraska. The museum is located in Kearney, Nebraska, and is administratively affiliated with the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The official charter of MONA makes it home to the Nebraska Art Collection, which is home to works by artists who were born in Nebraska, have lived in Nebraska, or have some connection to Nebraska. MONA also hosts regular rotating exhibitions by living or historic artists who have some connection with the state of Nebraska.

The John Barnd House is a historic house in Kearney, Nebraska. It was built in 1892 for John Barnd, a veteran of the Union Army during the Civil War of 1861-1865 who founded the Mutual Loan and Investment Company of Kearney and was the co-owner of the Commercial and Savings Bank of Kearney. The house was designed in the Queen Anne architectural style. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since March 31, 1983.

The World Theatre is a historic movie theater and performing arts center in Kearney, Nebraska. The building, which also housed a Masonic Temple on its upper three floors, was designed by James T. Allen in the Classical Revival style. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Kearney ( KARR-nee) is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 33,790 in the 2020 census, making it the 5th most populous city in Nebraska. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birth to the community.

Kearney Public Schools is a school district serving the area of Kearney, Nebraska, United States.

The Rainwater Basin wetland region is a 4,200 sq mi (11,000 km2) loess plain located south of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. It lies principally in Adams, Butler, Clay, Fillmore, Hamilton, Kearney, Phelps, Polk, Saline, Seward, and York counties and extends into adjacent areas of southeastern Hall, northern Franklin, northern Nuckolls, western Saline, northern Thayer and northwestern Webster counties. Before European settlement, this plain was covered by prairie grasslands interspersed with thousands of ephemeral playa wetlands, called Rainwater Basins. Informally and locally, individual Nebraska Rainwater Basins are referred to as rainbasins, basins, lagoons, lakes, ponds, marshes, hay marshes, and lakes marshes. To the west, a tallgrass prairie in the east once gradually transitioned into mixed grass prairie. Currently, the Rainwater Basin wetland region is covered by farms, mainly growing corn and soybeans. Several, interspersed, stream courses, of which largest is the Big Blue River and its tributaries, drain this region. Riparian woodlands and upland slopes possessing oak woodlands are associated with these streams. In the spring and fall months, millions of migratory birds pass through the region to feed and rest. Along with riparian habitats associated Platte River, Big Blue River, its tributaries, and smaller streams, Rainwater Basins are a major component of the Central Flyway of North America.Prior to its agricultural development in historic times, the Rainwater Basin wetland region was characterized by numerous playa wetlands, Rainwater Basins, numbering in the thousands. The shallow depressions, in which these wetlands occur are lined with a nearly impervious layer of clayey soil, a claypan, that prohibits surface water from penetrating the subsoil. As a result, Rainwater Basins are not naturally influenced by the water table and the sole source of water is run-off in the form of rain, snow and, currently, drainage from crop irrigation. Because the primary source of water for these wetlands is precipitation, they annually vary in depth, expanse and seasonality due to changes in precipitation regimes and are called Rainwater Basins.

Kearney Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Kearney, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island.

Center Township is one of twenty-six townships in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 623 at the 2000 census. A 2006 estimate placed the township's population at 614. As of 2023, sources estimate a population of around 93, with most (75%) being 45 years old or older.

Newark Township is one of fourteen townships in Kearney County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 204 at the 2020 census. A 2021 estimate placed the township's population at 203.