Back on US-83, amid the olfactory assault of I-70, stands possibly the most bizarre tourist trap the highway has to offer: Prairie Dog Town (daily May–Oct.; $5.95 adults, under-10s $2.95; 785/672-3100). This collection—“Home of the 8,000-lb. Prairie Dog,” as the old roadside signs say—is a combination petting zoo and freak show, with collections of the eponymous little dogs as well as dozens of birds, snakes, bobcats, bison, and other Great Plains critters, many taken in as orphans. There’s even a five-legged cow.
The rest of Oakley (pop. 1,993), south and west of I-70 and lined up along historic US-40, turns out to be an old, big-time ranching and railroad town, featuring lots of utilitarian architecture, massive diesel engines, farm supply stores, and railroad tracks. It’s unassuming but important, situated as it is at the junction of three major highways.
Right off US-83, the Fick Fossil Museum (daily; free), at 700 W. 3rd Street, features some unique exhibits: 11,000 fossilized shark teeth, a sod house, collections of pressed wildflowers, and some perfectly garish mosaics, including the Great Seal of the President of the United States, made entirely out of the aforementioned shark’s teeth. It was created by—who else?—Mrs. Fick. The local history and paleontology exhibits are quite good, too.
The I-70 Business Loop (old US-40) offers the usual array of cafés and motels. The favorite local place to go for dinner and a drink is the very friendly Scotts Bluff (785/672-8892), a private club with great steaks and sandwiches at 310 S. Freeman Avenue. Oakley is a “dry” town, but motel guests get complimentary “membership” at the Scotts Bluff, and there’s no better place to hang out and overhear cowgirls, cattlemen, and assorted other bull-shippers shooting the breeze over a beer or two.
