Valentine Public Library
The first Valentine Public Library was established in 1921 with 600 volumes. Today it provides over 30,000 volumes and various resources to communities throughout Cherry County.
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Valentine Public Library 324 N. Main Street Valentine, Nebraska 69201 (402) 376-3160 |
Monday (10:00am-8:00pm) Tuesday-Friday (10:00am-6:00pm) Saturday (10:00am-3:00pm) Sunday (Closed) |
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The Valentine Public Library uses an online catalogue that is available through its computers and internet connection inside the facility. The library’s collection is sectioned into children’s and juvenile literature, adult non-fiction, reference materials, newspapers and magazines, and city histories. There is also one section dedicated to the works of Mari Sandoz, as well as related books on the topics of Native American history and literature and Nebraska history and literature.
Scope of Archive Collection
Topics of interest for American History Education include:
Historical works by Sandoz and other Nebraska historians, such as Frederick Luebke and James Olson, are available in this section. There are also numerous editions of Nebraska History. The Valentine Public Library also has a “Mari Sandoz American Indian Collection” which consists of some of the author’s original publications and books that are related to Native American literature, history, and photographic works.
Primary Materials Available
The section of “city histories” offers collections of marriage records, obituaries, high school yearbooks, and city centennial celebrations (from Merriman and Valentine). Old county newspapers that begin in the year 1892 are also available on microfilm:
Monitor, Midland News, Merriman Maverick, Democratic Blade, The Cody Cow Boy, and the Cherry County Independent.
Accessibility of Artifacts and Displays
The “Mari Sandoz American Indian Collection” is available for visitors to look through with the assistance of a librarian. All of the items are kept in a locked cabinet. Only a few of the items are available for circulation.
Cherry County Historical Society
Cherry County was named after Lieutenant Samuel A. Cherry of the Fifth Calvary. Behind the Cherry County Historical Museum stands an original section of the old jail house.
| Cherry County Historical Society Main Street and Highway 20 Valentine, NE 69201 (402) 376-2015 |
Hours: Please make an appointment to tour the museum. Individual and group tours are available. |
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The museum is organized chronologically and topically throughout the building.
Scope of Archive Collections
The collection consists of early settlement histories of several Cherry County towns, including Wood Lake, Brownlee, Merriman, Cody, and Valentine. There is also information regarding “The Colored Settlement” that existed southwest of Brownlee in the late 1800s. Information includes personal memoirs, photographs, and some newspapers.
There is a display of the women in the early days (late-1800s) of Cherry County who worked as caretakers when nurses and physicians were not available in the county’s remote areas.
There is a display on Lieutenant Samuel A. Cherry, whose name was honored in the naming of the county. When he died in 1882 he was buried near Ft. Niobrara, but his fiancé moved his remains to Indian, the state of his birth.
Displays on the first herds brought to Cherry County, open range ranching, Ft. Niobrara (1880s-1906), and the Lakota tribes on the Rosebud Reservation are also available for viewing.
Information on the Niobrara Division of the Nebraska National Forest and the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge are also on display.
Primary Materials Available
Individual donations consist of memorabilia and materials related to the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the “Valentine’s Day Coronation” (a parade held in Valentine, Nebraska). Many items that are from old schools and churches throughout Cherry County also exist, such as Bibles, hymnals, workbooks, individual chalk boards, school songs, church pews, and school desks.
Large items such as hay sleds and other ranching equipment have also been collected, but are located in another building. These items are available for viewing.