Launch the media gallery 1 playerHumanities Nebraska & BHS Present "Peter Sarpy, Nebraska's Frontier"
March 13, 2017
Darrell Draper will present a program "Peter Sarpy, Nebraska's Frontier" on Wednesday, March 29th at 1:45 pm in the high school library at Burwell Public Schools. This presentation is made possible by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and Burwell Public Schools as part of the HN Speakers Bureau.
Peter Sarpy: Pioneer, fur trader, and namesake of Sarpy County, Nebraska. Peter Sarpy (1805-1865), was a key figure in the transformation of Indian Country in Nebraska Territory. From his trading posts in St. Mary's, Iowa and Bellevue, Nebraska, he operated the first steam ferry boat from Iowa to the Oregon, Mormon, and California Gold Rush trail heads. He helped publish the first newspaper, created the first bank, helped negotiate favorable treaties with the Indians, laid out the streets of Bellevue, and was Quartermaster General of the first Nebraska Militia Regiment. This costumed presentation has been presented to thousands of audience members and is given in Sarpy's native French accent.
This is one of approximately 300 programs offered through the Humanities Nebraska Speakers Bureau. The more than 165 available speakers include acclaimed scholars, writers, musicians, storytellers, and folklorists on topics ranging from pioneer heritage to ethics and law to international and multicultural issues, making it the largest humanities speakers bureau in the nation.
