East of Ainsworth, US-20 runs through an especially scenic section of the Sand Hills around the artsy hamlet of Bassett before following the Elkhorn River to the town of O’Neill, 66 miles downstream. Nebraska’s official “Irish Capital,” O’Neill (pop. 3,774) hosts a very popular St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebration (the town paints shamrocks on the side of the police station and at the intersection of US-20 and US-281), but also has a fascinating history: The town was founded in 1874 by Irish settlers led by John O’Neill, who commanded a brigade of black infantrymen during the Civil War, and afterwards became involved in the Fenian invasions of still-British Canada.
