An on-again, off-again effort to ensure public access to the Niobrara River is back on.

“There is no better deck in the state of Nebraska,” said Rocky Ford owner Brad Arrowsmith of the view from a cabin on the property.

“That place is therapeutic,” he said.

Arrowsmith, a rancher from Mills, purchased Rocky Ford eight years ago after a canoe outfitter’s effort to sell the property to the Park Service, and later to the Niobrara Scenic River Council, both fell through.

Members of the state’s congressional delegation, as well as local ranchers and representatives on the Niobrara Council, were among those who opposed federal ownership of the property.

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In 2018, Arrowsmith said he purchased the rapids to retain local control and to avoid a new private owner from shutting off access to Rocky Ford. The river there has one of the state’s few Class III rapids – rapids with high waves and rocks that require an experienced paddler.

But when the $2.5 million sale to the Niobrara Council fell through, Arrowsmith retained ownership and a canoe outfitting business continued. He eventually took over the business.

But the semi-retired rancher, 58, said he’s more interested now in enjoying the “retired” side of his life and ditching the “semi” portion.

“I never bought it to get into the outfitting business in the first place,” Arrowsmith said. “My hair’s a little whiter than yours. I’m tired.”

So talks began a few months ago to sell the property to the Park Service.

Susan Cook, superintendent of the Niobrara National Scenic River office in Valentine, confirmed that she’s discussed a purchase with Arrowsmith.

“We’re just starting to look at it,” Cook said.

She declined to say whether the Park Service had money allocated for the purchase – as it did a decade ago – or where the money to purchase the site could come from.

Arrowsmith said that he’d also offered, again about a year ago, to sell Rocky Ford to the Niobrara Council, but was again rebuffed.

He said he’s also been approached by a private party to purchase the site and continue the outfitting business.

“At the end of the day I’d love to keep it in local hands … but I’m not sure they can come up with the change to do it,” he said.

Just how quickly, or how long, a purchase might take is unclear. Arrowsmith said he has made improvements to the property that make Rocky Ford more attractive for a buyer.

“It’s not the old ratty wood walkway up to the office,” he said, adding that he also replaced a “monstrosity of a retaining wall” on the land.

Scenic designated stretch

The scenic stretch of the Niobrara River – designated a year ago as a global “quiet trail” – was also a place of peace, according to some elders with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

As part of an oral history project to document the history of the river, the National Park Service is in the process of interviewing several elders of the tribe, which historically occupied that area of north-central Nebraska and is now headquartered in Rosebud, South Dakota.

Four elders already interviewed have described the area around the Niobrara River, east of Valentine, as a “place of peace” recognized by several tribes, where warriors laid down their arms and where Sioux and Pawnee – traditional enemies – could camp in peace on either side of the river.

Susan Cook, superintendent of the Niobrara National Scenic River office, said that four more Rosebud elders will be interviewed in coming months with hopes of producing a video of their oral histories for showing at the Valentine visitors center.

A year ago, the Indiana-based Quiet Parks International designed the 76-mile-long Niobrara National Scenic River corridor as North America’s first “Quiet Trail” due to the lack of man-made noise.

If the purchase of the Rocky Ford rapids area happens this time – it was blocked more than once a decade ago – it would maintain the public use of an important take-out point for those floating and kayaking the nationally designated scenic river.

A National Park Service representative and the private owner of the Rocky Ford rapids separately confirmed that discussions are underway to have the federal agency purchase the 26-acre site around the rapids, which is the ending point for many float trips down the Niobrara and a popular spot for camping and picnicking in north-central Nebraska.

About 75,000 people each year visit the 76-mile-long, federally designated scenic stretch of the Niobrara River, making it one of the state’s most popular tourist attractions. Because Rocky Ford is in private hands, there’s always a worry that public access to the scenic spot will be shut off, or that access fees will become too expensive.

Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Aaron Sanderford for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com.(Nebraska Examiner)