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Goodland Explorations | History

America's First Patented Helicopter

William J. Purvis saw a child playing with a toy whirligig in a candy store. That was the inspiration for America's First Patented Helicopter.

Buffalo hunters' deaths spark battle

Several buffalo hunters were killed by Native Americans on Beaver Creek, part of a chain of events leading to the Battle of Sappa Hole.

Coffee Mill Row

When Rock Island Railroad made Goodland into a sectional headquarters, railroad workers poured in. They needed housing and Coffee Mill Row, named for the coffee grinders the houses resembled, was born.

County Seat Fight

A legal slugfest between upstart Goodland and established Eustis ended with Goodland as the winner of the Sherman County seat prize.

Ennis-Handy House

Mary Ennis built this Queen Anne mansion in 1907 for $5,000. The grand lady has lived through a period as a boarding house and a funeral home between periods as a private home. The Sherman County Historical Society purchased it in 2001 and it is now open for tours.

Flooded: The Republican River bursts its banks

Goodland author Joy Hayden has written a book, 1935 Republican River Flood, about the worst disaster that river basin has ever seen.

George Custer and the doomed patrol

Lt. Lyman Kidder was sent to find Lt. Col. George Custer. Instead Custer found Kidder -- what was left of him.

Goodland Post Office

Goodland's Post Office changed names and locations before settling into the current office, which was built by the New Deal's Works Progress Administration.

Great Train Robbery ends in Goodland

Two men robbed passengers and murdered a man in Colorado. Their Great Train Robbery ended in a Goodland shoot-out that killed them both.

History of the Opera House mural

Turn back the hands of time at the mural on Goodland's former Opera House.

How Goodland got its name

Goodland could have been called Fairyland, according to the most widely accepted story about the town's name. Goodland has proven to be a very appropriate name for the fertile lands of Sherman County.

Interstate 70

The concrete ribbon named Interstate 70 brings Goodland to the world and the world to Goodland.

Known but to God: Goodland’s unknown soldiers

Six unknown soldiers rest forever in Goodland Cemetery. Who they were and how they came to be buried in Goodland remains a mystery.

One small step toward equal rights for women

Goodland took a small step in the fight for voting rights in a 1909 special election.

Racing from Ocean to Ocean

The 1909 Ocean to Ocean Endurance Race came through Goodland. The only picture of all four cars together was taken on Main Street. A plaque marks the place.

Relive Old West cattle drives in Goodland on July 4

The Old West will come alive July 4 in Goodland with the Great Western Cattle Trail Reenactment.

Slave to homesteader: The black artilleryman

William Johnson fought for freedom as a member of the 1st United States Colored Heavy Artillery. He was Sherman County's sole black Civil War veteran.

The Flying Doctor

Dr. Marion J. (M.J.) Renner's airplane was often the difference between life and death for patients within 100 miles of Goodland. Goodland's airport bears his name and has a display about him in the terminal.

The Great Train Robbery

In scenes that were straight from a script from a movie Western, gang members robbed a train, then died in a shoot-out northeast of Goodland.

The itinerant bell

The bell at Sherman County Courthouse's entrance traveled from the old Central School to Topeka and back to the courthouse lawn.

The preserved hangar

The barrel hangar at Goodland's Renner Field was built by the Works Progress Administration and helped train World War II glider pilots. It was saved from destruction by two sisters who had lived there.

The rescued stained glass window

Old Engine 99, a stained glass window, was rescued from the trash and saved for the Goodland Public Library.

Unbeaten: The Life of Brook Berringer

Nebraska Cornhusker quarterback Brook Berringer from Goodland set an example of service and selflessness in his brief life. He is still remembered and honored today.

United Telephone Building

Built in 1931, the United Telephone Building is a prime example of Art Deco architecture.