Spanish Colonial Soldiers in the Platte Valley.
In the summer of 1720, a group of Spanish soldiers and Indians set out of Sante Fe, New Mexico, under the command of Captain Pedro de Villasur. The Spanish troops were to drive the French settlers out of the Platte Valley. The French trappers were considered by the Spaniards as trespassing on what was considered Spanish land. On August 13, 1720, Vilasur's troops camped where the Loup River enters the Platte, near present-day Columbus, Nebraska.
That evening, the Spanish soldiers were attacked by Pawnee Indians who were possibly being aided by the French. Only about a dozen of Villasur's soldiers escaped death in the battle. The Indians took most of the Spaniards' belongings. Despite Spanish claims to the region, the French continued to explore the area. The French and Spanish argued over who owned the vast territory for the next two decades .
In the 1860's, the Union Pacific Railroad brought thousands of settlers into the state. It had been given land grants of millions of acres by both the state and federal governments as a sort of reward for building the rail systems across the state. The Union Pacific developed land companies to encourage settlers to come to the state and settle in communities along their tracks. The town of Columbus was founded by these settlers from Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Our next stop is Central City, Nebr. Columbus to Central City is 32 miles. You will need to jog 16 miles. We will meet you there!
Columbus 
Central City 32 miles
Fitness
Reminder!
In order to jog long distances you need to build up your aerobic endurance. Aerobic endurance is the ability of the heart, lungs,and muscles to do exercise over a long period of time. Choose a movement, such as walking or jogging to participate in. Begin walking or jogging for a short period of time (2 or 3 minutes) and gradually increase this amount of exercise time each time you participate.
Physical Fitness concepts review
Warm-up and Cool-down
Finding your pulse and heart rate
Aerobic Endurance
Before students participate in the jogging, their medical
status should be reviewed. Health problems should be
considered prior to participation in any physical
activity.
Nebraska
Platte River History Jog
Fort
Atkinson
Fremont
Columbus
Central
City
Grand
Island
Kearney
Lexington
Cozad
Gothenburg
North
Platte
Ogallala
Oshkosh
Bridgeport
Scottsbluff
Morrill
Teacher
Information
References
