978-1-4222-3326-9

n 1820, Major Stephen H. Long led the first scientific explo-

ration into Nebraska. He journeyed along the Platte River,

exploring the area’s natural resources and geography. At the

end of his journey, he concluded that much of Nebraska was

unfit for settlement and utterly unsuitable for agriculture. On the

map, he labeled the area as a great desert.

That’s not altogether surprising. Much of Nebraska is tree-

less. Large stretches have no running streams. But Nebraska is a

good example of the motto that appearances can be deceiving.

Thanks to rich soils and an underground

aquifer

with great stores

of water, Nebraska actually has some of the nation’s best farm-

land. Today, Nebraska is one of America’s top corn

producers, as reflected in its nickname—the

Cornhusker State.

Geography

Nebraska covers 77,348 square miles

(200,330 square kilometers) in the heart-

land of the United States. It is the nation’s

16th largest state by area. South Dakota lies

Nebraska