During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state’s unique flavor. Originally published in 1939, the Cornhusker State is thoroughly detailed in this WPA Guide to Nebraska. In photographs and essays, the guide primarily depicts an agrarian state but it also contains an interesting essay on the state’s unicameral legislature; Nebraska is the only state in the union with this form of government.

As a New Deal program, the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) aimed to put unemployed writers, teachers, and librarians to work. The contributors were to collect information, write essays, conduct interviews, and edit material with the goal of producing guidebooks in each of the then forty-eight states and U.S. territories. Project administrators hoped that these guides, known as the American Guide Series, would promote a national appreciation for America's history, culture, and diversity and preserve democracy at a time when militarism was on the rise and parts of the world were dominated by fascism. Marilyn Irvin Holt focuses on the Nebraska project, which was one of the most prolific branches of the national program. Best remembered for its state guide and series of folklore and pioneer pamphlets, the project also produced town guides, published a volume on African Americans in Nebraska, and created an ethnic study of Italians in Omaha. In Nebraska during the New Deal Holt examines Nebraska’s contribution to the project, both in terms of its place within the national FWP as well as its operation in comparison to other state projects.

Hiking Nebraska features detailed hike descriptions, miles and directions, trailhead GPS coordinates, and informative maps for 45 of the greatest hikes in the cornhusker state. Hikes will take readers through the wide-open grasslands, rugged cliffs and canyons, and towering buttes that comprise the diverse natural beauty of Nebraska. From the wooded bluffs near the Missouri River to the badlands of the western half of the state, discover the plethora of hiking trails that might just be Nebraska’s best kept secret.