Willa Cather Foundation to acquire prairie near Red Cloud

 No comments  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

By the Lincoln Journal Star

 After more than 30 years under the care of  The Nature Conservancy, the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie near Red Cloud will have a new owner.

The Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial and Education Foundation will assume ownership of the prairie in June, the conservancy announced Monday. Along with the transfer, the conservancy will set up an endowment fund to help the  foundation manage and care for the 608 acre preserve.

“The transfer of the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie builds on a partnership between the conservancy and the Cather foundation,” said Nature Conservancy State Director Vince Shay. “This will ensure the continued protection of the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie and enhance educational opportunities for area schools and tourists alike to visit a slice of the pioneer lifestyle.”

[+]Enlarge

Shirley Larson of Central City enjoys the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie near Red Cloud in this 2000 photo. (Larry Peirce / FILE)

Shirley Larson of Central City enjoys the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie near Red Cloud in this 2000 photo. (Larry Peirce / FILE)

The Cather Prairie was purchased by  the conservancy in the 1974 as much for its cultural value as for its ecological value.  The property was acquired as a way to help educate visitors about prairies and the history of the land author Willa Cather grew up in and wrote about. 

“Willa Cather’s pioneer novels are about people who lived in Red Cloud and on the prairie that surrounded the 19th century community.  We have restored many of the buildings related to the life and times of Willa Cather. Adding the Cather Memorial Prairie is a natural extension of the Cather foundation’s mission to preserve all that relates to Cather and her writings,” said foundation director Betty Kort. 

She said the foundation’s goal will be to continue the mission of the conservancy through careful management and protection of the prairie.

“ We are excited about the many possibilities for educational programming, and we will encourage the general enjoyment of the property by tourists and the general public,”  Kort added.

The prairie lends itself well to “roadside” viewing and the location is used by school groups, Cather foundation tours and other casual visitors.

The property is 4 miles south of Red Cloud in Webster County. Its southern edge borders Kansas.

A dedication ceremony celebrating the transfer of the prairie from the conservancy to the foundation is set for June 2.