South of North Platte, there’s nothing much, community-wise, in the 70-odd miles along US-83 until you reach McCook, but the road and rolling landscape will definitely hold your interest. You’re privy to the few acres of genuine Nebraska corn, which eventually fold into encroaching knobby little rises, hollows full of oaks, or open range. Though there are no real sights to look out for, a detour east of the highway brings you to one truly unique place: the Dancing Leaf Earth Lodge, located amongst cottonwood trees along the banks of Medicine Creek, midway between North Platte and McCook in the town of Wellfleet, 2 miles east of US-83 at 6100 E. Opal Springs Road. An as-authentic-as-possible re-creation of a Native American dwelling, the 20- by 20-foot lodge is the heart of a “cultural learning center” that endeavors to give visitors a total immersion into the lifeways and spirituality of ancient Plains Indians. Constructed by hand from willows and grasses and plastered with thick mud, the two earth lodges stay cool in summer and warm in winter, and provide primitive but comfortable accommodations and an unforgettable experience of what life might have been like before the arrival of European cultures.
Guided tours (daily; $7; 308/963-4233) give a good overall introduction to Plains Indian traditions, but nothings beats an overnight stay. Families and groups are especially welcome at the Dancing Leaf, where rates, including a buffalo stew dinner and a soothing session in the sweat lodge, start at $90 a night for up to three people. The lodges each sleep a maximum of 15 people, and guests need to bring sleeping bags. Even if you don’t stay overnight, tours of the lodges and nearby archaeological remains, plus informal instruction in tool-making, basket-weaving, hunting, fishing, and cooking, are also available from the hosts, Les and Jan Hosick.
