John G. Neihardt Historic Site in Bancroft celebrates Nebraska poet laureate’s legacy

BANCROFT, Neb. — In 1932, Nebraska Poet Laureate John G. Neihardt’s most famous work, “Black Elk Speaks,” was published.

Relaying the stories of the Lakota medicine man, the book recounted Black Elk’s experiences of being present at the Battle of Little Bighorn, also referred to as Custer’s Last Stand, in south-central Montana in 1876. Black Elk also survived the Wounded Knee Massacre, in which the U.S. Army killed nearly 300 members of the Lakota Tribe in southwest South Dakota in 1890.

Photographs of Omaha Nation members hang on the wall at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft, Neb.

LIZ RYMAREV, THE WORLD-HERALD

Neihardt’s book recounting Black Elk’s memories brought awareness of Native American culture to a wider audience, said Marianne Reynolds, executive director of the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft.

“When that book was published in the early 1930s, Native Americans were not being published. Black Elk could not have taken his story to a publisher and told that story,” said Reynolds, who saw Neihardt speak when she was a child.

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“Sharing the Great Vision — Mitakuye Oyasin,” sculpted by Herb Mignery of Bartlett, Neb., depicts when Black Elk shared his vision with John G. Neihardt. It is at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft, Neb.

LIZ RYMAREV photos, THE WORLD-HERALD

Today, the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site contains a museum sharing the poet laureate’s life story and works. The site grounds also contain the study building in which Neihardt worked and a well-manicured courtyard adorned with plants and sculptures, including a depiction of Neihardt listening to Black Elk speak.

Black Elk’s story was far from the only story Neihardt shared with the world over the course of his 92 years, from 1881 to 1973. Today, his life and works are chronicled at the eponymous State Historic Site in the northeast Nebraska village of Bancroft.

Nancy Gillis, board member of the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site, gives a tour of the memorial room on Aug. 1.

LIZ RYMAREV, THE WORLD-HERALD

Neihardt moved to Bancroft with his mother and two sisters in 1900 when he was 19. Bancroft is where he produced his greatest volume of poetry and stories. Those works include the 1915 poetry book “The Song of Hugh Glass.” Neihardt’s book centered on the exploits of a frontiersman and trapper whose quest for revenge was most recently prominently depicted in the 2015 Academy Award-winning movie “The Revenant.”

The John G. Neihardt State Historic Site is one of a total of 85 stops in this year’s Nebraska Passport tourism program. The Passport program has been a boon for the historic site located about 75 miles northwest of Omaha, Reynolds said. She said nearly 550 people came to the historic site in June, eclipsing the town’s 2020 Census population of 496 people.

A small bronze bust of John G. Neihardt by Darlis Lamb, of Oakland, Calif., is at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site.

LIZ RYMAREV, THE WORLD-HERALD

People aren’t stopping just to check another Passport stop off the list, Reynolds said.

“I would say 99.5% of people who come in here are eager to learn about who John Neihardt is,” she said.

In addition to increasing attendance, the Neihardt historic site’s inclusion in the Passport program has “created this appreciation for Nebraska history and a thirst for knowledge,” Reynolds said.

She added that, since becoming a Passport stop, people of all ages have visited what is commonly referred to as a hidden gem in the historic site.

“I think people are astonished by it,” Reynolds said.

As Nebraska’s poet laureate in perpetuity, Neihardt’s legacy is still celebrated today. The historic site celebrated the 59th annual Neihardt Day last week.

Historic site members also celebrate the relationship between Neihardt and Black Elk each year by making the hike up Black Elk Peak — which was renamed from Harney Peak in 2016 and, at more than 7,000 feet above sea level, is the highest point of elevation in the Midwest — in western South Dakota.

Reynolds said two of Neihardt’s grandchildren and one of Black Elk’s great-great-grandsons are on the historic site’s board of directors. Reynolds said the descendants of both men are heavily involved in organizing and financing the annual Poet Laureate’s Feast each November.

A view of the restored study that John G. Neihardt rented from 1911 through 1920 at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site.

LIZ RYMAREV, THE WORLD-HERALD

The historic site is considering new ways to continue highlighting Neihardt’s impact and legacy. One idea, according to Reynolds: Renting out his study on a daily basis. The cost? Have people leave a piece of writing or a drawing at the end of their day.

“I think that’d be pretty cool,” Reynolds said.

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