- elevation 3,258 ft (993 m) | Area 132 ha | |
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Management Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Similar Fort Hartsuff, Buffalo Bill Ranch, Smith Falls, Fort Niobrara National, Champion Mill | ||
Bowring Ranch State Historical Park is a state park of Nebraska, USA, interpreting the ranching heritage of the Sand Hills region and the lives of former owners Arthur and Eva Bowring (the first female U.S. Senator from Nebraska). The park is located north of Merriman in Cherry County, near the South Dakota border.
The ranch was founded in 1894. Arthur and Eva met when her car broke down near his ranch and he came to her assistance. They married in 1928 and kept the ranch running while each served in a variety of public offices. Eva Bowring maintained ranch operations on her own from Arthur's death in 1944 to her own in 1985. Concerned that it would be fragmented to new owners, the former Senator willed her ranch to the state in memory of her husband. The ranch continues to be operated as a working Hereford cattle ranch. The ranch house and outbuildings have been preserved, and a large visitor center documenting the Bowrings' lives is on the site.