Visit

• Tuesday – Friday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday:  11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Closed: Sunday & Monday

On display is the collection highlighting Neal and Mary Lee Corey’s involvement in the 200th‑anniversary re‑enactment of the Corps of Discovery—an exhibit that offers a meaningful look into this significant chapter of their lives.

In January, we dedicate our temporary display room to the late Senator George W. Norris. This year we have George sitting in his office enjoying McCook Central Elementary Fourth graders “Listen to the Land” mural. The late Dr. Robert Manley can be heard in the distance singing about our Nebraska History.

Stepping back in time for some holiday cheer at the Museum! Our kids are baking up magic in our temporary display room, complete with a 1930’s era mixer and oven. The tree is covered in gingerbread ornaments, and the whole room smells like fresh cookies! Come visit and feel the spirit!

Our temporary exhibit highlights Pastime Park and the 1935 Republican River flood that obliterated it. This location was a popular summer retreat in McCook during early summers. Ninety years ago, following a period of drought, the region encountered heavy rainfall leading to a historic flood with water levels reaching 15 feet above ground, permanently altering the Republican River channel. Homes, farms, ranches, parks, and recreational facilities were destroyed in its path. The extensive loss of life and property prompted the establishment of the Republican Valley Conservation Association (RVCA), aimed at constructing dams for flood control, irrigation, and electricity production.

We are honoring veterans this month with a special display in addition to our permanent exhibit. Memorial Day originated during the Civil War with people decorating the graves of fallen soldiers. The first national observance was in 1868, then called Decoration Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971. We have artifacts dating from the Civil War to modern day use of drones. We have a unique collection of artwork created by the German prisoners interned at the Indianola POW camp. The pieces are cut out of the barrack walls, and we have pulled a piece out of storage that is a must see.

We are celebrating baseball and softball teams and players from the distant past to the not-so-distant past. Come see our tribute to these spring and summer sports!

The McCook School system has a program -“Bison Days”, to allow high school students the opportunity to learn a skill, trade, or service. For two days in February each year the school partners with local businesses for this learning opportunity. This year we are highlighting some of the projects the students completed during the most recent Bison Day activities.

Every January we celebrate Senator George Norris. This year we have on display some of the fine china that Ellie Norris collected through travels with George during his political career. We also have photos, news articles, and political cartoons from George’s life as a United States Senator. We were grateful for the presentation by Dr. Peter Longo, political science professor at the University of Nebraska Kearney campus.

We’ve decorated our temporary display room with Santas in all shapes and sizes. Come visit this unique collection of Santas from various eras.

“Finding Horizons” is a collection of artworks exploring the genre of landscape. Through various techniques such as painting, printmaking, and photography, this group of artists have been brought together for their strong use of horizon lines.

From the realistic to the abstract, the horizon lines in this exhibition give us footing within these compositions, allowing us to share the perspective of the artist and consider the worlds they have created. This exhibition features artwork from artist such as Russell T. Gordon, John Pfahl, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, and Thelma Lorie Christenson among others.

This exhibition is part of the Sheldon Statewide program. Sheldon Statewide is an annual program started in 1987 with the purpose of sharing the collection of the Sheldon Museum of Art with the people of Nebraska. During the school year of 2024-2025, “Finding Horizons” will visit 8 different venues and will be seen by thousands of people. The communities “Finding Horizons” will be visiting are Chadron, North Platte, McCook, Grand Island, York, Beatrice, Fremont, Falls City.

In honor of Homecoming and McCook’s 2024 Heritage Day celebrations we’ve transformed our Great Room and Temporary Display room with items from our collection to pay homage to both events. The displays will be up until October at which point we’ll be setting up for our annual Halloween Spooktactular event.

Titanic recreated in Legos! Check out our temporary display room for more Lego creations. Display curtesy of local talent: Jackson Dellevoet, Van Keslin, Colby Evans, Cole Graham, and Marcus & Eli Ingels.

Check out this amazing collection of hand-crafted toys including a life-size working Willys Jeep! Now showing at the Museum!

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Celebrate June viewing wedding fashions dating back to 1860’s to the 1980’s in our interactive display.