When outside of the city centers, Nebraska can be summed up this way: CORN.
As far as the eye can see.
Driving into a rural part of the state at sunset meant being blinded by the golden light emanating off the long corn stalks. It was a really beautiful sight, and with not another human or car around– was serene.
The horizon stretched sooooo very long and wide, it nearly threw off my depth perception while driving.
I’ve had some middle-of-absolutely-nowhere campsites in the past, but camping about 30 miles outside of Nicodemus National Monument was definitely one of the most remote. There was no one else there (except for a herd of cattle). The sunset (and sunrise the next day), were colorful and quiet to witness.
You might be wondering what Nicodemus National Monument is– and honestly, before I saw it on my route, I hadn’t heard much about it. This is a great example of the National Park service stepping in to run a site to keep history alive where it might otherwise be forgotten.
Nicodemus was a dedicated all-black settlement in Kansas– a free state– formed in the late 1800s.
Founded by one white man (W.R. Hill) and one black man (Reverend W.H. Smith), Nicodemus was part of the for-profit land promotion waves at the time. Thinking of the difficulty that Black Americans would have in the South for creating a life without strife– the new town was advertised as a haven for them.
As an interesting sidetone, the photo above is that of W.R. hill, as no photo exists of Reverend W.H. Smith– just one example how kept-records can often benefit white history over Black history.
Predominantly marketed in the Southeast, flyers like the one in the photo above (“All Colored People GO TO KANSAS”) offered land in the newly-incorporated town for $5.00– which, back then, was a fairly rich sum for sharecroppers. Thus, the ranger explained that wealthier black families with professional skills were often those who applied for land (e.g. dentists, etc).
Sadly, most of the buildings that made up Nicodemus have been destroyed — so while a few had been restored, the main visitors center area was mostly made up of signs and historical records. That, not walking around the nearly-disappeared town, became the basis for my visit.
Thus, you’ll see a lot more photographs of signs than I typically include in a post– but it’s because this IS the contents of the national monument.
The town didn’t get off to a great start. The first transport of folks who came to settle the wild country accidentally dropped them off 35 miles from their intended destination– meaning the new residents had to walk the rest of the way.
The firsthand account of a woman who came to Nicodemus as part of the early settler wave was enlightening– because the new town was literally plunked into featureless, remote land, it wasn’t much to look at. She was so upset upon seeing it that she wept.
One early resident described the settlement in the middle of the harsh environment as “living as prairie dogs.” Word is that the Osage Indians helped the original residents find staples to begin life there.
With self-governance as the goal, and building community the hope, the early settlers got to work building a church, a school, an administration building, and eventually, baseball fields. This had to be a shared success, as the community could not rely on anyone outside of this remote village.
The village became a bustling town of 700 people over time, including 2 newspapers, and 3 general stores at its height. But to grow further, it needed more commerce, and more residents.
The biggest town nearby– which the folks of Nicodemus used for supplies– was a “sundown” town. Meaning, of course, that Black Americans had to leave those downs by dusk or face dire consequences. The ranger said that while luckily, whites did not being any violence into Nicodemus over the years, the nearest point of supply being so deeply-racist was a clear and present danger.
The artifacts the museum displayed were based on archival materials that were interesting to read– from a photo of Benjamin Singleton, known as “Black Moses” for leading people to Kansas to become pioneers, to ads promoting Kansas (“9 months of summer”???!!!), to historic photos of the buildings being constructed.
The most historic church (above) was still standing (barely), but the residents had built a new one long ago. Churches were critical to residents’ sense of community, as there were laws in many states preventing Black people from organizing or gathering in large groups– with church being the only exception carved out for them.
The ranger, who grew up right in town, explained that with few commercial opportunities, most of the young people left the village as soon as they could. And as happens, that meant the town slowly dilapidated over time– by 1918, there were only about 2 functioning businesses left. And as of 2020’s Census, the town’s population was listed as 14.
But this is not just a typical story of attrition. While the town never was under direct threat from white folks, the demise of the town was very likely tied to racist ideology.
When it came time to build a Missouri Public Railroad, Nicodemus lobbied hard to be a stop on the line. They secured a line stop– but the railroad later withdrew their offer. And then, the Union Pacific also chose to bypass the town by just 4 miles. I asked the ranger if this had to do with the fact that all of the residents were Black.
“We can’t be sure,” she said, giving me a knowing look– “but the towns the railroads chose to route to were almost exclusively-white.”
Once these railroads bypassed the town, so did opportunity– the town soldiered onward, but hopes of a ‘boom’ never materialized, as merchants and businessmen re-routed to where the commerce was, and so did subsequent generations of youth.
Ultimately, there isn’t much to “see” at Nicodemus, so if sights are your prize– you won’t get much from it. But the knowledge I absorbed there was so valuable, it was worth the stop (and the 1-hour detour off the major highway running through Kansas).
To read more about Nicodemus, use these great links:
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