Ponca State Park
Encyclopedia
Ponca State Park is a state park
of Nebraska
, USA, situated among the high bluffs and forested steep hills along the banks of the Missouri River
. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Ponca
in northeastern Nebraska. The park is adjacent to the Missouri National Recreational River
. Originally created in 1934 from 200 acres (80.9 ha) of donated land, Ponca State Park and the town of Ponca itself are named after the Ponca tribe
, who inhabited the area before European settlement, and whose chief, Standing Bear
, won a celebrated court battle to have the Indian declared a "person" under U.S. law.
. Eastern woodland
flowers such as bloodroot
, Canada Violet
, phlox
and sweet cicely
can be found growing among prairie
plants, including yucca
, clover
, and larkspur
. The wild plum
and gooseberry
thickets were also noted by the Lewis and Clark Expedition
, who passed these bluffs with their Corps of Discovery in the summer of 1804. Forested ravines and hillsides contain bur oak
, basswood, elm
, black walnut
and hackberry. White-tailed deer
and wild turkey
are commonly seen. Coyote
s, red
and gray fox
es, raccoon
s and bobcat
s might also be spotted. This area is also known for the concentrations of waterfowl
that congregate during the spring and fall migrations. The barred owl
is a vocal resident, and wintering bald eagles are often sighted. Many miles of trails wind through the deep ravines and over the windswept hilltop ridges of the park.
s. There are also several refurbished cabins in which campers may rent for a weekend. A swimming pool is available for both the campers and public north of the headquarters.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, USA, situated among the high bluffs and forested steep hills along the banks of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Ponca
Ponca, Nebraska
Ponca is a city in Dixon County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 961 at the 2010 census...
in northeastern Nebraska. The park is adjacent to the Missouri National Recreational River
Missouri National Recreational River
The Missouri National Recreational River is located on the border between Nebraska and South Dakota. The designation was first applied in 1978 to a 59-mile section of the Missouri River between Gavins Point Dam and Ponca State Park. In 1991, an additional 39-mile section between Fort Randall Dam...
. Originally created in 1934 from 200 acres (80.9 ha) of donated land, Ponca State Park and the town of Ponca itself are named after the Ponca tribe
Ponca
The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan-language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
, who inhabited the area before European settlement, and whose chief, Standing Bear
Standing Bear
Standing Bear was a Ponca Native American chief who successfully argued in U.S...
, won a celebrated court battle to have the Indian declared a "person" under U.S. law.
Natural history
The park is noted for its biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. Eastern woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
flowers such as bloodroot
Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida, United States...
, Canada Violet
Viola canadensis
Viola canadensis is more commonly known as Canadian white violet, Canada Violet, tall white violet, or white violet. As its name suggests, it is a species of violet which bears white blooms. The flowers are white, with yellow bases and sometimes streaks of purple. The leaves are heart shaped, with...
, phlox
Phlox
Phlox is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants found mostly in North America in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others in summer and autumn....
and sweet cicely
Osmorhiza
Osmorhiza is a genus of perennial herbs, known generally as Sweet Cicely or Sweetroot. Most species are native to North America, but some grow in South America and Asia. Some species are used for medicinal purposes, but have dangerous lookalikes. The seeds of this plant have barbs on the end...
can be found growing among prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
plants, including yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
, clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
, and larkspur
Larkspur
Larkspur may refer to:* Larkspur, California* Larkspur, Colorado* Larkspur radio system, used by the British Army* Delphinium, a genus of 300 flowers with widespread nativity* Consolida, a genus of 40 flowers native to central and western Eurasia...
. The wild plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
and gooseberry
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
thickets were also noted by the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
, who passed these bluffs with their Corps of Discovery in the summer of 1804. Forested ravines and hillsides contain bur oak
Bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa, the Bur Oak, sometimes spelled Burr Oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section Quercus sect. Quercus, native to North America in the eastern and midwestern United States and south-central Canada...
, basswood, elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, black walnut
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra, the Eastern Black walnut, is a species of flowering tree in the hickory family, Juglandaceae, that is native to eastern North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central...
and hackberry. White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
and wild turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
are commonly seen. Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, red
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
and gray fox
Gray Fox
The gray fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora ranging throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America...
es, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s and bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s might also be spotted. This area is also known for the concentrations of waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
that congregate during the spring and fall migrations. The barred owl
Barred Owl
The Barred Owl is a large typical owl. It goes by many other names, including eight hooter, rain owl, wood owl, and striped owl, but is probably best known as the hoot owl.-Description:...
is a vocal resident, and wintering bald eagles are often sighted. Many miles of trails wind through the deep ravines and over the windswept hilltop ridges of the park.
Features
Ponca State Park features the Three State Overlook, a scenic blufftop overlook from which guests may view the states of Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. The park headquarters is a newer building containing a dining hall, gift shop, and interactive museum about Missouri River and its history. A fishing pond near park headquarters contains a variety of fish species. It has a newly built bridge along the south side and guests can fish from any side. The park contains the Oak Bluff and Turkey Ridge Campgrounds which are designated for recreational vehicleRecreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
s. There are also several refurbished cabins in which campers may rent for a weekend. A swimming pool is available for both the campers and public north of the headquarters.