Platte River Scenic Trails
Gothenburg, NE

Known as the Pony Express Capital of Nebraska, Gothenburg's history has been greatly influenced by the Pony Express Trail which followed the same route as the Oregon Trail. Gothenburg also has a strong tradition of Swedish heritage, evident by the fact that the town's founder, a native Swede, returned to Sweden to get people to come back to Gothenburg. This heritage is evident in three historic Swedish Crosses which are located in the Swedish Crosses Cemetery. These unique crosses are decorated with elaborate scrollwork, hearts and stars, and each one has a Swedish inscription of the children's names and their dates of birth and death.

Historically, Gothenburg has been an important site and now the town is home to two remaining pony express stations, the Sam Macchette Station, located in Ehmen Park, and the Midway Station. The Sam Macchette Station was used as a trading post/ranch house before becoming a pony express station, and it was later relocated to Ehmen Park. Now a museum tells the story of the pony express and early settlers. The Midway Station is located just south of Gothenburg and sits on its original site. Also located in Gothenburg is the Sod House Museum which features a barn, sod house, windmills, and life-sized barbed wire sculptures of a buffalo, horse, and Indian.

There are many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors around Gothenburg. Lake Helen Recreational Area is located at the north edge of Gothenburg and provides opportunities for fishing and picnicking. The Wild Horse Golf Club located just north of Gothenburg was rated as the No. 3 affordable new golf course in the nation for 1999 by Golf Digest. This golf course is located on rolling sandhills and features 18 greens, wide fairways bordered with native grass, and 60 bunkers.