Report on the Platte River Basin, Nebraska Level B Study

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SAND AND GRAVEL The basin's thick deposits of sand and gravel are widely distributed, but those developed commer- cially lie principally along streams and their flood plains. This resource has substantial economic importance with the value of 1970 production at about $7.5 million. Sand and gravel are used mainly in highway construction and concrete manufac- turing but other uses include fillers, railroad ballast, and industrial sands. STONE Only limestone is quarried to any large extent. It exists under most of the basin, but lies at consider- able depth everywhere except in the eastern por- tion. Much of the limestone produced is used for concrete aggregate, roadstone, cement production, riprap, agricultural lime, wallstone, and as a filler in various other products. A limestone known as "native lime" occurs in the upper layers of bedrock at a number of places in the Loup Subbasin. It has been quarried in consider- able quantities near Scotia for use in chemical Cass County limestone quarry. manufacturing and to some extent for local building material. CLAY Clays occur in many geological formations and have a wider distribution than most other commer- cial minerals. They are used for a variety of prod- ucts such as brick, tile, cement, lightweight aggre- gate, and pottery. Most clay is mined from open pits in the eastern part of the basin. VOLCANIC ASH Volcanic ash, a light grayish colored material used primarily as a scouring agent in cleansers, occurs quite widely in the basin in beds varying in thickness from a few inches to 18 feet or more. Commercial production is limited to one plant lo- cated near Callaway, which operates only periodically. Past, Present and Projected Socioeconomic Characteristics American Indians were the first human occu- pants of the Great Plains area, including Nebraska. Most Plains Indian tribes were nomadic, following the bison herds, although other tribes such as the Omahas were less mobile. French explorers in- cluding Bourgmond and the Mullets visited this area in the early 1700's. Continuous settlement by immigrants predates Nebraska's statehood in 1867 by approximately fifty years. Early settlements followed the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and Bellevue, Nebraska's oldest permanently settled community, was the site of a trading post by 1810. Other early settlements in Nebraska usually were located adjacent to a major river —for example, Nebraska City, Brownville, and Fort Atkinson. Custer County emigrants — 1886. 23