Turtle shell excavation

Our area provides a variety of opportunities to fossil or rock hunt. We are in the Eocene and Oligocene era in the Brule formation. Rock beds 10 miles to our north are reminders we were once the edge of a glacier. Evidence that we were once underwater is shown by what fossils are found. Our ranch's geological structure was caused by a slip fault, which is the reason for our unique scenery and varying formations. Contact us and we will tell you more information about this topic and what has been found on our ranch and surrounding area.

There are nightly slide shows, exhibits and identification of your treasures. How-to classes in the field and at night show how to stabilize, dig and excavate the fossils you find. These classes include information on plaster jacketing as well as final preparation of your fossils.

We supply each individual with their digging supplies for the five day dig. You will be supplied with: pick belt, hand pick, shiv and scabbard, walkie talkie. pick hoe, collection belt bag, heavy duty foil, stabilizing materials, plaster and burlap.
The items that you should bring yourself are detailed in the contract section.

For small guided tours please contact Our Heritage (Jean Norman).
For guided tours in large groups contact Paleodigs.

Please see http://home.earthlink.net/~paleodigs/index.html for more information.

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Join us on a six-day journey that will take you back in time when the Lakota lived freely on the western prairies. Learn about their history, culture and spiritual beliefs.  Experience some of their traditional uses of the native plants and animals as foods and medicines.

Bison on the Lakota Journey

The first day will be spent preparing for your journey on the prairie.  During the first day, which will be an informational fun filled day. We will spend much of our time learning natural horsemanship techniques and rules of safety for our horseback excursion.  You will receive a booklet identifying the plants and animals we may encounter in the next few days. That night you will be staying in one of our guesthouses.  This will be the last you see of mattresses, bathtubs and toilets for 4 days. Our time camping will be as authentic as we are able to make it.

On the second morning after breakfast we will pack the teepees on our horses and start on our trail to find a place to set up camp.  You will learn what factors the Lakota looked for when setting up their camps and the reasons why. 

We will remain in this location for the next two nights.  You will learn of the plant and animal life in this area. You will be taught about certain spiritual beliefs and traditional Lakota values such as honesty, generosity, wisdom, respect, and courage. Traditional foods will be served for our meals. On the third night, you may choose to partake in a sweat lodge experience then return for a deep rest in our teepees History of these people will be shared with you.  For example, the French gave 7 bands of native people the name “Sioux” (meaning snake) which is used more often instead of using their own name, Oglala Lakota (the people) Oyate (meaning family).

Since the Lakota lived a nomadic life, the following morning we will pull up camp and travel to a new location approximately ten miles away, where there will be different plant and animal life. There we will stay for two more nights. On clear evenings we will be able to see our vast skies illuminated by the many stars or bright moon light. We will be looking into the Lakota Stellar Theory for they had different names for the constellations.  They believed there was a vivid relationship and a mirroring of what happened above also happened below. You will be told traditional Lakota stories at night and spend each day living as they did on the range.

Lakota Pow-Wow

On the sixth day we will pull up camp and journey back to life on our modern ranch.  You will sleep in our lodging facilities complete with running water and beds.

Upon your departure it is our hope that you will take with you a wonderful memory of your experiences with us.  We desire you return home with personal insights and with new knowledge about the plants and animals living here.  Through the natural horsemanship experiences you'll have with us, you will leave with a new perspective on relationships and communication.  Horses are wonderful teachers of psychology and social skills.  We will be relaying this information to you throughout your time with us.  Most of all, we hope you will take with you a new admiration and respect for the Lakota people and their old way of life.  This now perished life style is lost to our modern culture. It is our desire to share with you important values that were once known by living as they did so long ago.

The shortened Lakota Adventure will be very similar to the regular package.
You will have lessons in Natural Horsemanship.  You will have Lakota instruction however due to a shorter time with us, you will experience less information than you would gain on the longer journey

Long ago, the pioneers would travel several miles to socialize.  After spending many lonely months on the harsh abandoned prairie, the time spent at school was much anticipated.  For months at a time they wouldn't see another person but the men may run across a trapper or trader.  The men would go after supplies, while the women and children would stay home and take care of household chores. They spent long hours at building a home from plowed sod; this same soil they would cultivate into fields with a single horse or oxen drawn plow.  Then they would spend their last dollar on seeds and hope and pray for rain so they would have enough from their crop to ensure food supply for their family through the next year.  Water had to be hauled indoors to do daily chores.  If they weren't so lucky to homestead near a creek or spring, they would have to hand dig a well up to one hundred fifty feet.  Many days were spent enduring extreme weather conditions. It wasn't uncommon to have several blizzards in a year with temperatures ranging  -65 F up to 110 F throughout the year.  Damaging winds strong enough to knock you off your feet would tear their buildings and crops apart.

For entertainment, the children would enjoy the company of one another playing games such as tag and hide and seek.  Dancing would prove to be a very joyous interaction after such hard labor throughout the season. The two to three day travels to get there was not an issue due to the anticipation of such upcoming events.

Horse-drawn ride through Fort Robinson

On this trip you will be reenacting these family journeys to their social events. The first night will be spent in one of our guest homes.  The next day will be spent learning natural horsemanship and safety tips for our time travel across the countryside. Again you will spend the night in a home with the modern day luxuries such as running water and beds.  Leaving these luxuries behind, the following morning after eating a breakfast we pack the horse drawn wagon for our journey.  Some of you will be taking turns riding horse back. After traveling 7 miles we will break for lunch and give the horses a rest.  The lunch will be a picnic basket packed with foods that the pioneers would have taken along with them.  Another 8 miles to go and we will be camping.  We will set up camp and have a barbecue for supper.  Afterwards you will be entertained by stories about the pioneers or cowboy poetry or a musician exposing their musical talent from the past.  The next morning we, arise, have breakfast, pull up camp and start our day.  We will break for lunch then finish that day's 15 mile trek by arriving a the State Line Casino.  This will be a modern day example of the old destination.  We will set up camp.  There we will have some facilities to freshen up.  That night will be spent at a dance.  You will be able to gamble if you desire.  Card games, slot machines and bingo are available to you.  You will have a choice of prime rib, fish or a vegetarian meal.  Alcohol will also be available to you at the Casino.  You will retire to your tents for a night's rest before starting our 30 miles home.  The next 2 days will be a repeat of our first on the road.  The entertainment and conversations will be filled with memorable times.  The fifth night will be spent in a tent and you will arrive at our ranch on the sixth day.  You will freshen up and have a wonderful supper to greet you.  This night you once again you will meet the modern world, sleep in beds, and have running water for your use.

It is our mission that you take home with you fond memories of this rugged experience.  You will be able to look back on this trip with an appreciation of the pioneers and life as it was on the prairie.  By the time we finish we hope that you have enjoyed a portion of the pioneers way of life, and the culture surrounding that period.

A modified version of this tour could have the destination of the old hotel in Harrison NE the County seat of Sioux County.  It would provide lodging and entertainment such as live music and excellent cuisine, We would travel through the scenic Pine covered hills by horse drawn wagon and visit about the days gone by.  Discussing homesteading, country schools and life on the farm.

We will set a tour so it coincides with the Fair so our clients may go to the parade, the fair and the evening rodeo.

Pioneer Trip to Local Town Events

For the two shorter versions of these vacation options, you will be going to different destinations with different events to attend.  It is your choice. The schedule for these will depend on when the community has established their dates. These shorter trips are designed to give the tastes of the past by traveling to events as the settlers did years ago in horse drawn wagons.  We will enjoy going to similar traditional events and enjoy social options as they did.

The first choice will start with you arrive at our Ranch in the afternoon.  We will play with horses together and practice some natural horsemanship techniques. Enjoy a meal with us and then you will sleep in our Bed and Breakfast.  The next morning we will hook up the team, pack for our journey to town, and eat a picnic lunch. Good old fashioned fried chicken, potatoes, cucumbers, tomato salads, homemade rolls and watermelon. This will take us back to the flavors of the good old days. We will attend the Pea Body Hale Fiddle contest. Then dine in the historic Ranch House for our evening meal. Afterwards we will watch an old time ranch rodeo.  We will camp in the park that night, wake to breakfast and start our journey home during which we will side track and go the Hudson-Meng Bison Bone Bed. On the way there we will stop to rest the horses and enjoy a lovely picnic.  At the Hudson-Men bone bed you will learn of a unique finding in our area, the 5th largest Bison kill site in the world.  You will hear the debate over the mystery that is being uncovered about the bison that eternally lie there. Was it the Indians that destroyed them or was it a natural disaster. Then we will journey towards home, on the way we will stop at the neighbors, a quaint little old-fashioned town in the Badlands near us and have supper. Then it's time we load up in the wagon and journey home to a cozy bed at the B&B.

Ride back to the B&B

The Second option for your shorter journey is to enjoy our local attractions.  We will once again enjoy horse activities and that night you will enjoy a good old-fashioned farm meal.  Then you will settle in to sleep in one of our Bed and Breakfast facilities. The next morning we will hook up the team pack for our journey to town. Eat a picnic lunch.  Good old fashioned fried chicken, potato, cucumber, tomato salads, homemade rolls and watermelon will take us back to the past flavors of the good old days. We will arrive at Crawford to go to museums and then attend the Old Timers Rodeo. We will camp in the park and next morning awaken to breakfast and start our journey home. The rest is exactly as the above package.

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Cattle Drive

Join us in some our new horse activities. We have very nice horse facilities and 3600 acres to ride in. We are surrounded by the Ogalla National Grassland, so our scenery isn't encumbered with neighboring buildings. At Our Heritage Guest Ranch you have the opportunity to join in on some of our everyday tasks like fixing fence, haying, lambing and calving if you wish.

Large Gathering at Our Heritage

We are able to handle large groups with hookups of water and electricity supplied for 10 trailers and much more space for those needing primitive areas to park. We have 26 indoor stalls in our many barns and several horse fenced corrals. We have a lovely house with two bedrooms and a hide a bed couch with full kitchen and bath for those wanting a home a way from home. Also in the offering is a primitive cabin or a hay loft area with shared shower facilities for more sleeping arrangements.

Fun for the family!

We offer you hay for your horses or mules. Not only will we feed your horses and/or mules, we will feed you! Please let us know of any food preferences at your time of booking.

We will be hosting 2- 3 competitive trail rides through the ACTHA, American Competitive Trail Horse Association. We practice Natural Horsemanship and will be happy to share what we know if you like.

Looking forward to a ride across the prairie with you soon.

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Lion Painting by Jean Norman

We have been blessed with the beautiful and unique scenery of Northwest Nebraska. We have daily inspiration to create pieces of artwork and furniture imitating this gorgeous scenery and our way of life. We use fence posts in some of our designs to remind us of those gone before us. It is our way of finding yet another way to live naturally here and recycle a very viable resource. We invite you to come to our ranch and create a piece of artwork of your own; we offer art lessons to create this one of a kind piece of furniture and our guided lessons will be part of your package. The following is a true story that took place on this ranch; this story led to the creation of Prairie "Post" Furniture. You may find the history of this ranch to be very interesting.

"The Wooden Sentinel" as written by Kathryn Wickersham

This is the story of the Nebraska prairie, an unspoiled world where the wind blows through the tall grass; where winter can suddenly bring both beauty and treachery. It's the story of raw courage and a pure miracle that starts and ends with a piece of prairie architecture, a simple wooden post

During winter on this Nebraska prairie nearly a quarter of a century ago, 12 year-old towheaded tomboy, Jeanie and her rancher father, Bernard were on a search and reScue
mission. A recent devastating blizzard had blown so hard that drifted snow would have buried most of their cattle. Father and daughter raced over the snow's surface in a snowmobile 'pony' searching for yellowed breathing holes indicating cattle were beneath the deceiving calm surface of the glimmering snow. Side-by-side they worked feverishly amid blackening skies as the wind chill dropped 45 degrees below zero. "We've got to get home before this thing gets the best of us," Bernard shouted to Jeanie aver the wind's roar as they raced to the snowmobile. Their mechanical pony would not respond as it sat stubbornly lifeless.

"Bonding" by Jean Norman

Bernard wasted no time for he had cut his teeth deep on these lands and knew what they could do to living things. "We'll have to hang onto the fence to find our way home. Don't let go of it!" Jeanie knew they couldn't stop to rest during the two miles home or they would freeze like the cattle that didn't make it in similar storms. The wind whistled and moaned, sometimes screaming like a mad woman. The pair crawled on all fours through drifts, clutching the old fence as a lifeline. A fall through the deceiving surface into a hidden snow-covered cavern would be a wintry grave.

They crept along, one agonizing length after another. Mindless movement that seemed to pass in slow motion, as if they were watching their indistinguishable progress from a few feet above. Lungs burned as nostrils froze, hands lost feeling in clumsy gloves and time slowly realigned itself, playing tricks with Bernard's mind. It made such a thing as moving forward, clinging desperately to an old fence seem crazy, seemingly impossible task for Bernard. Jeanie barely heard him yell, "Got to rest!" before the wind took the words from her ears.

She fell against her father who was slumped against a fencepost and tried to shield him from the cruel driving wind. She struggled to rouse her father but she could see the bluish hue of his face. His chest barely moved beneath her small hand on his coat. Jeanie tried to rouse him, this big bear of a man who was her father.

She fell, beaten, against the same post her father unknowingly clutched. She was immediately astounded. She recognized this post! She knew its distinctive polished feel from the past when she would lean on this ancient landmark. She used to circle it with her arms as she waited to pitch the hay her father would bring to the cattle. So often she had run her hands along its polished length, this post made smooth through years of cows rubbing their backs in the annual shedding of hair each spring.
This oak tie taken from the rail line that snakes across these lands, dating back some eighty-five years when her great-grandparents homesteaded the ranch. Her grandparents planted the tie in the fence line a mere four hundred fifty yards from the door to her home.

Hope soared in Jeanie and she knelt beside her father, roughly shaking him to share her excitement. Bernard made no response as his stony figure clung to the wooden sentinel, his face frozen with ears deafened by wind and his mind uncomprehending. "I have not come this far to freeze in the storm only a few hundred feet from the warmth of my home. Dad had never let me quit and now he depends on me," Jeanie screamed inside! She slapped her frigid father clumsily, but very hard across his frozen face. The action brought him back to the world of the living and back to her. She took his hands and made him feel the post and he finally understood his touch as he peered into her shining eyes.

Wardrobe and Bed

A team once again, they traveled the last remaining lengths of fence, the safety of a warm home and the welcoming arms of her mother. Old Man Winter, the great trickster, would claim no one this day. He was no match for the love shared between a young daughter and her father. The two were aided by a now-treasured landmark of the plains. The same wooden sentinel that is now honored in new life as one of the four corners of a four-poster bed.

Today artist and former towheaded tomboy, Jean Norman creates distinctive furniture from these "Prairie Posts" in memory of her father, Bernard, thanksgiving for their own snow-clad Nebraska miracle.

Contact Jean in the evenings on her home phone 308-665-2810 or on her cell phone by calling 308-430-1239 for information on commissioned artwork and customer furniture.

Our pricing will vary on our products. $250 in upwards of $10,000 depending on the item and how ornate the client's dreams. Each piece is created uniquely with different types of woods and details. We cater each piece to the customers desires. The photos on the left are example of pieces we have done in the past. Please call with your questions. We start with your budget and enjoy bringing your hopes to fruition within that budget.

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Our Heritage is located near Joder (MP 436) on BNSF's Butte Sub., approximately 20 miles north of Crawford.

Our Heritage Guest Ranch provides a convenient jumping off point for photographing the entire northern end of the Butte Sub., including the ghost town of Orella, Orella Hill, Fort Igloo and the towns of Ardmore, Provo, Rumford and Edgemont.

The topography and scenery around the northern end of the Butte Sub varies greatly, with Rolling hills, Grasslands, Buttes and Badlands, providing a beautiful backdrop for railroad photography.

Orella Hill located at MP 440 and is operationally just as difficult for the BNSF as Crawford Hill is. Trains start to climb Orella Hill near the town of Ardmore at MP 450, and do not top out until reaching the old ghost town of Orella at MP 440. The entire length of Orella Hill is easily accessible, with Toadstool Road paralleling the tracks. Many different photo angles can easily be found near the tracks without any difficulty.

Operationally, coal trains climbing Orella Hill do not need any helper assistance to climb the hill, however if any problems arise, trains will need helper assistance, and the Crawford helpers will be called out to give them a push.

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www.actha.us * Ride Info
"Saved by the Love of Horses" Retreat

Our Heritage Guest Ranch offers a very well planned equine experience with many unique amenities. We provide an excellent educational experience mixed with a variety of therapies that will enhance the lives of  you our client while improving the relationship you have with your horses.  Enjoy coming to a beautiful scenic ranch that has been in the horse business for years and therefore is equipped to house the

horses as well as the owners. This ranch has been in the family for nearly one hundred and twenty-five years. There is a full 3600 acres of private ground to ride on and as well as the surrounding ground.  Our staff offers expertise in several areas of therapies and knowledge. Finally the reason as to why our clients ride in the first place is at the forefront of our Retreat, the love of the horse.

Kids Enjoying the Trail Ride

                                        
Jean Norman the owner of Our Heritage Guest Ranch has worked in various areas of tourism as a Wrangler and tour guide at Fort Robinson. She has been training horses since she was a teenager helping her father with his Thoroughbred Race Horses. Susan O’Boyle brings 30 years of counseling teens.  She has been very interested in horseback riding since she was a teenager.  Dusty Rising has her degree in Multi-Disciplinary Land Management from The Lakota College in Pine Ridge.  While living there she was accepted by the tribe and taught their way of life by the Elders.  Sheri Ogden Wilkins has been working as a licensed massage therapy for 20 years.  Our guest speakers have various areas of expertise such as Dr. Olga Turnquist of Braun’s Body Works. We have a variety of clinicians scheduled for this summer. Each person involved is very passionate about their areas of expertise and talents.  Our clients will be leaving with a wealth of experiences as well as memories they will never forget.

Starting the Trail Ride

Three retreats scheduled for: June 13th through the 15th "Guiness Book of World Records" Ride!  Second retreat will take place July 17th through the 19th. Our third starts on August 14 and ends on Monday the 16th.  For your group we will arrange retreats designed around your scheduling needs.  Please contact Jean at 308-665-2810 or cell 308-430-1239.  mjnorman@bbcwb.net

Book today and receive 10 % discounts for individuals.  Groups: 20% discounts for each of their members.

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