Arthur, Nebraska population 303, sits quiet under afternoon clouds some 30 miles north of it's closest neighbor, Ogallala. We had headed cross-country, north off of I-80, looking for rural adventure and the free city campground unearthed on an internet website. The town is on Highway 82 and the only buildings seen on the flat beef prairie in a 75 mile stretch.
We pulled through the town, that stretched no longer than 300 yards along the highway, and after a little snooping, found the little camping spot under the trees. The ground was somewhat soft from recent rains but not so spongy that we sank no more than 6 inches. Nice spot smack in the middle of a neighborhood with a church on one corner and a small city park across the street...neighbors to our rear and right.
We were all set up, hooked to the electric pedestal, water hose attached and sewer dumped when up comes Karen. She walked up to rig a bit timidly and says….I own this property…I met her a the door because I was pirating off of someone’s internet signal and thought this person was the owner of the router and had detected me. Seeming chagrined, she asked if charging us $15 dollars for the night seemed excessive. I told her how we found this site via a "Free Camping" site on the internet. "I don't know anything about that," she informed me. "Whatever," I thought and peeled a 10 and 5 off the bankroll and handed it to her. A deal at double the price as far as I'm concerned.
She stood in the shade of large cottonwoods and pointed around the compass at all the goings-on around town. The old jail boarded up now for repairs, Straw bail church just up the road, new church on the corner, K -12 high school up Elm street and the businesses along main street; Grocery store, Bunkhouse Saloon and a tack shop. Karen did note that the tack shop sold leather brassieres but she tried to avoid such things and then invited us to her basement should a big storm come in the night. I was overwhelmed with so much information presented in rapid succession and was only able to comment that our country could use more small towns exactly like Arthur.
Karen Sizer, owner and operator of "Arthur Enterprise" local weekly newspaper*Circulation 330* and the no-name mini-park.
One bank town.
One saloon town.
.
Church constructed of hay bales plastered over with stucco
Pilgrim Holiness 1928
We were up and off in the morning with our noses headed toward home. The all-day rain gave the rig a through washing, cleaning the Colorado road salt off the sides and underbelly.
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