| The long awaited book by our own Keith Blackledge is finally here! A Short History of North Platte |
| Book One of the volume describes briefly up and down
periods in North Platte's history. It cites examples of civic leadership
that make a difference in any time, in any town. It also includes
dates of significant or interesting events. Book Two describes what the author believes was an essential step to prepare the town for the challenges and opportunities in the last half of the 20th century. The 1951 election brought an end to open prostitution and gambling which had given the town a notorious reputation since North Platte's beginning. Using newspaper files and oral history interviews, the author documents the mood and methods of that election and the events that followed between 1951-1953. |
| Only
$10.25 (Taxes and S&H included) Order your copy today! |
| About the Author | |
|
|
 Keith Blackledge |
Keith Blackledge was a reporter and editor
in North Platte from 1952-1959. After working on newspapers in Miami,
FL and Dayton, OH, and a stint teaching at |
|
the University of Nebraska School of Journalism he
returned to North Platte in 1997. For the next 25 years he wrote daily editorials and a weekly column called “Your Town and Mine.” The title was meant to suggest that wherever we live, and whatever our differences, there is a shared interest in working to make the town better. After retirement in 1992, “the old editor” continued to write “Your Town and Mine” and began devoting much of it to local history. This book grows out of those journeys into the past of an adopted town an old editor came to love. |
|
 Read Reviews: "His book certainly represents a labor of love, and of pride in community. Having written literally millions of words for the consumption of at least three generations, Blackledge certainly wouldn’t have written a book for the hell of it. He did it for the love of North Platte and the people he calls neighbors." Read the full review by Ed Howard of "Nebraska State Paper" “Fewer people have a clearer view of the passing parade than Keith Blackledge. ‘A Short History’ is not just a history. It is a history lesson. His economy of style moves the history along and his liberal use of quotations from past newspapers adds lively and amusing dialogue.” – Read the full review by Linda Deeds in The North Platte Bulletin.com.
|
| Contact Lincoln County Historical Society
for more information - 2403 N. Buffalo Bill Avenue, North Platte, NE 69101. Or call: 308-534-5640 |
 Watch for an excerpt of a "Short History of North Platte" in the upcoming issue of the North Platte Traveler |
|
A publication of the Lincoln County Historical Society
that describes North Platte’s growth since 1866 and the pivotal city
reform election of 1951, along with some significant dates in our city’s
history. |
||
 |
All Rights Reserved © Copyright 2005 | |
