Standing Bear Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Standing Bear Lake |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Regional |
| Location | South of Bennington, NE |
| Area | 685 acres (277 ha) |
| Created | 1977 |
| Operated by | City of Omaha |
| Status | Open all year |
Standing Bear Lake, also known as Dam Site 16, is a fun park located at 6404 North 132nd Street in West Omaha, Nebraska.
This park has a 135-acre (55 ha) lake where you can go boating in summer. When winter comes, the lake often freezes, making it a great spot for ice skating. The park and recreation area covers about 396 acres (160 ha) of land around the lake. There's also a special 131-acre (53 ha) wildlife area on the west side, where animals can live freely.
Contents
History of Standing Bear Lake
Standing Bear Lake park first opened in 1977. It quickly became a popular place for fishing, boating, walking on trails, and having picnics.
The lake, also called Dam Site 16, was originally built for an important reason: to control floods. It helps manage the water from Papillion Creek in the Lower Papio Valley. More recently, the Nebraska State Game and Parks Commission added trout to the lake, so now you can enjoy trout fishing there too!
Who Was Chief Standing Bear?
The park is named after a very important person, Chief Standing Bear. He was a leader of the Ponca Tribe. Long ago, his people were forced to leave their home along the Niobrara River in northeast Nebraska. They were told to move to a new place called Indian Territory in Oklahoma.
Life was very hard for the Ponca Tribe in Oklahoma. They found no supplies, and many of Standing Bear's people became sick and died, including his own son. Because of this, Standing Bear bravely led 30 members of his tribe back to Nebraska. He had to fight in court for his people to be seen as human beings with basic rights. He famously said, "I am a man. The same God made us both." His fight helped change laws for Native Americans.
Fun Things to Do at Standing Bear Lake
Standing Bear Lake offers many activities for visitors of all ages. It's a great place to explore and enjoy nature.
Explore the Trails and Boardwalk
One of the first trails built in the Omaha area is right here at Standing Bear Lake. The trail is 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) and winds around the lake. Some parts of the trail have gentle slopes. A cool feature is the floating boardwalk, which was built in 2020. It connects parts of the trail over the water, making your walk even more interesting!
Fishing at the Lake
The lake is home to many different kinds of fish. If you like fishing, you might catch walleye, catfish, bass, bluegill, crappie, drum, saugeye, yellow bass, and trout. It's a great spot for a fishing adventure!
Remote Control Airplanes
For those who love flying, the park has a special field just for remote control airplanes. You can bring your own RC plane and watch it soar through the sky.
Winter Ice Skating
When the weather gets cold enough in winter, the lake often freezes over. This creates a natural ice rink where you can go ice skating and have a blast.
The Unique Wind Organ
One very unusual and cool feature at Standing Bear Lake is a wind organ. This is a sculpture created by an artist named Douglas Hollis. It's made of metal pipes standing upright in the ground. Each pipe has a small hole on its side. When the wind blows, it filters through these holes and makes different sounds, creating music from nature!
Standing Bear Lake is surrounded by neighborhoods, which makes it easy to get to. Even though it's close to the city, it still feels like a quiet, peaceful place where you can relax and enjoy the outdoors.
