Where the west was won... quietly. If a remote retreat is in your plans,  we're 40 miles from the nearest traffic light!        Mosey on down the page & give us a look-see... "Spring in the Badlands"  An old-west cowtown is slowly coming alive on the windswept prairie of northwest Nebraska, surrounded by rugged badlands and framed by trees of our beautiful pine ridge. Amongst the ruggedness and beauty, rejuvenate your spirit through a wide variety of activities only limited by your imagination. Some of the most popular activities include; family "get-togethers" for the day or overnight in the Bunkhouse cabins , birding, geocaching, star gazing, fossil hunting, horseback riding (bring your own horse), mountain biking, hunting of all kinds (turkey, deer, antelope and prairie dog) and great cowboy cookin' at the Cookshack. Most recently featured in 2008: "For the second year in a row..." True West magazine  2008 Best of the West Western Lodging & March/April 2008 issue AAA Living magazine                    Contact us directly: drifter@highplainshomestead.com                        or 308-665-2592 / 888-365-2592 for reservations. ************************************************ The Drifter Cookshack is a restored log cabin furnished with homestead-era and cowboy collectibles and antiques. The Cookshack is the “heart” of High Plains Homestead, since this is where our guests eat and congregate. We cook hearty, cowboy-sized meals for breakfast, lunch and supper for our room guests daily.  We are also one of the few places in Nebraska that continues to make our pies, bread and rolls right on the premises.  Drifters are welcome Tuesday through Sundays... reservation are encouraged.         We offer our popular cowboy steak, rib & salmon cookouts on Friday and Saturday evenings, also by reservation. Our Indian Taco has become almost legendary, and has been featured on TV’s Food Network.  Breakfast and lunch are as important to us as they are to you and our evening meals are quite popular with those who enjoy being out and about in the cool of the evening.  Your meal here at the Drifter Cookshack is guaranteed to be worth the dusty drive through the Nebraska Badlands.         If you stop by between meals, you can still get a sarsaparilla float, cold drink, piece of homemade pie or an ice cream cone, since western hospitality is alive and well here in the High Plains of Nebraska!  Oh, and did we mention...coffee is a nickel!   Cookshack Hours Opening for the season April 11th, 2008 The Cookshack is open to Bunkhouse guests every day of the week  7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ******************************** Drifters are welcome Tuesday - Sunday. Tuesday - Sunday Breakfast 7:30a.m. - 10:00a.m. Lunch 11:00a.m. - 3:00p.m. Supper 5:30p.m. - 7:30p.m. Reservations encouraged...Drifters welcomed 308-665-2592      888-365-2592 (toll free) To see more photos of the Cookshack, click here. Cookshack  Noon Menu Cookshack  Evening Menu Rooms #1 - #4 are immediately west of the Cookshack and are ideal for a single, couple or small family. Rooms #5 & #6 are perfect for those needing a little more room to move around in. To see the Bunkhouse Rooms (#1 - #6) click here. Next door are the Drifter Bunkhouses, open 7 days a week  We offer a ranch-style “Bunk & Board”, with each of our six rooms furnished to depict a part of the old west. Of course we’ve added private baths, refrigerators , and air conditioners for the hottest part of the summer. We left out the phones and TV’s for a true getaway. Guests can relax and listen to the meadowlarks, coyotes, the wind....or the silence.  And wake up to a simple old-west style breakfast in the Cookshack, included with your lodging, of course.  We realize that as sought after and appealing as that sounds, there are just sometimes you need access to the internet.  In realization of this fact, High Plains Homestead started offering free wireless internet access for our guests in 2008. For those of you looking to get together with the family, an outing with your horse riding club, hunting party or that group of friends that are now scattered throughout the country, we can "bunk and board" groups/family reunions of up to 20 people. Updates: Spring 2008:  Free wireless internet access for all our guests. Spring 2008:   The pool will be re-opened soon for the summer for all our room guests to enjoy.  The weather in this part of the world can still be quite cool in the Spring.  Look for the pool to open sometime in May. Room rates: Single rate: $65.00 per night.  $10.00 per night for each additional room guest (Includes breakfast.) Children 10 and under are free.                Pets: $5.00 per night Please call for more information For reservations or information call us 308-665-2592 toll free 888-365-2592 Your hosts here at the High Plains Homestead:  the Kesselring Family Our e-mail is: drifter@highplainshomestead.com For directions on how to get here click on MAP. GPS Location:  N   42°48.131'                          W 103°33.301' Sioux County, Nebraska  "Land of Big Adventure" Reservations encouraged... Drifters welcome!   Visit the Dirty Creek Saloon. Come on in and sit a spell... have a sarsaparilla and relax (no alcohol served).. Enjoy the old cowboy memorabilia. You can even have lunch or supper served here.  There is also a working blacksmith shop and a post office for your inspection. On down the boardwalk, you’ll find the Badlands Mercantile. Step in and step back in time. Most of the antiques and old things are for sale, and some are for your enjoyment. We do have old-fashioned candy; Native-made pottery; Native-made dream catchers; t-shirts and sweatshirts; copper and magnetic therapy bracelets; western soaps, lotions and perfumes; oil lamps; a wide variety of knives, miniature cook stoves  & other items for all ages.        The Sidney-Deadwood Stage Line crossed the prairie very near here, transporting miners to, and gold from, Deadwood, SD. The trail was known as the “Gold Trail”, and so we feel our fine collection of Black Hills Gold jewelry is right at home here.  In fact, we are proud to offer the largest selection of Black Hills Gold jewelry in Northwest Nebraska.   Take a right on the boardwalk past the Mercantile to find the Deep Creek School, actually used here in Sioux County in the early 1900’s, and furnished with period desks, books and other school memorabilia. A visit here brings back fond memories for our older guests, and gives the younger ones a glimpse of the old time “school days”.  Today, Deep Creek School is available to groups for meetings or even special private dinners. High Plains Homestead newest cowtown addition (2007), Sheriff's Office and Jail. When this part of the country was first being populated, sinnin' and law breakin was not easy.  This is not to say that folks on the high plains were more virtuous than others.  For the most part, opportunity was the problem for those spread out on the ranches and farms of rural America.  But for those that, "went lookin  for trouble", justice in the west was swift and frequently, unforgiving..  Punishment was carried out according to community standards of conduct , whims of the judge and, occasionally, vigilante justice. ___________________________________________________________________ High Plains Homestead has been featured on national television. We have appeared on Food Network's "Best of" show with Jill Cordes, and have also been featured in magazines such as Country Discoveries Adventure Cyclist AAA's Home & Away AAA Living  March/April 2008 the Nebraska Fence Post the Rocky Mountain Fence Post; January 2007 Business Farmer, and numerous local and state publications. Just recently our little "town" has been published in a Dutch magazine called AmericA. Nebraska Life True West 2007 & 2008 Best of the West Source Book; 2007 & 2008 Western Lodging So come check us out! We strive to meet or exceed your expectations. LINKS: Check out the following links for more information of the area: MAP TO THE AREA HUNTING  spring Turkey Hunting Season dates are posted. HORSEBACK RIDING FOSSIL HUNTING    Expanded opportunities in 2008!  Make sure you check out this page. MOUNTAIN BIKING BIRDING/FIELD CHECKLIST HOMESTEAD SPECIALS & PACKAGES       April Bunkhouse Specials                (Last Update: 3/08) High Plains Homestead 263 Sand Creek Road Crawford, Nebraska, 69339 Phone 308-665-2592           888-365-2592  (toll free) www.highplainshomestead.com e-mail: drifter@highplainshomestead.com Sioux County, Nebraska Members of: Sioux County, Nebraska Travel & Tourism http://www.visitnorthwestnebraska.com/         Chadron, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce, Pine Ridge, South Dakota Northwest Nebraska High Country Assn. www.nebraskahighcountry.com West Nebraska Tourism Coalition, www.westnebraska.com Bridges to Buttes & 385 Byways © M. & L. Kesselring &  M. Lewis  Last updated 1/08.   Give Mike & Linda a call today!