Bridgeport Pioneer Trails Museum

05/27/2026

Your sloppy Joes are now being prepared with loving care! Please plan on enjoying fun and good food at the end of the great scavenger hunt with the museum staff and members of the Morrill County Sheriff's department.

The Morrill County Sheriff's Office has joined in on the Camp Clarke Days celebration with a Family Scavenger Hunt!

Participants are welcome to join as a group or individually as they begin at the Sheriff's Office, scan QR codes, follow clues and gather code words along the way before finishing at the Pioneer Trails Museum.

Participants - for everyone's safety, please remember:
♦️Obey all traffic laws while traveling between checkpoints.
♦️Children should remain with an adult or group.
♦️Be respectful of all public and private property.
♦️Codes are earned, not given - keep it honest, keep it fun!

The museum will be open for participants to explore and collect their prizes. We'll also be serving sloppy Joe's starting at 6 PM!

We're proud to take part in activities that bring our community together and celebrate the history of Morrill County.

Come celebrate 150 years of Camp Clarke Days with us!

05/26/2026

Camp Clarke Days 2026 is now underway! Please stop at the Prairie Winds Community Center to register you and your family during your visit this week. A copy of the pioneer register for the 1st Camp Clarke Days in 1932 and the last pioneer register in 1950 is available at the community center. The original pioneer register that includes 1932 through 1950 is located at the Pioneer Trails Museum if you would like to search more into the pioneers (your ancestors?) who settled here.

05/20/2026

The Pioneer Trails Museum will be closed on Monday, May 25th in honor of Memorial Day. A private tour of the museum in the afternoon may be arranged by calling 775-291-3354 or we will see you during our regular hours the rest of the week.

05/13/2026

The museum staff is busy preparing for the season opening on Friday, May 22, 2026. Please join us the first week for an exciting week long Camp Clarke Days celebration on the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Camp Clarke Bridge!

04/26/2026

A huge thank you to the incredible team of students from the Bridgeport High School who volunteered for the spring clean up at the museum on Earth Day. You were such a hard working team and your help with our pre-opening preparations were a godsend. Thank you from the entire staff. We are looking forward to your visits this summer!

09/05/2025

Lunchbox Lecture: The Archeology of Courthouse and Jail Rocks: 12,000 Years in the Making
Explore the history of Courthouse and Jail Rocks with archeologist Nolan Johnson!
Celebrate Nebraska Archeology Month during September’s Lunchbox Lecture program led by our very own Nebraska State Archeology team member, Nolan Johnson! Nolan will share insights into the fascinating history of the Courthouse and Jail Rocks, highlight his own research and fieldwork, and explore the important archeology conducted by the Nebraska State Historical Society. Don’t miss this chance to dig into Nebraska’s past with an expert guide!

Event admission is free. LNKTV will record the lecture and make it available to the public.

Special thanks to the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation for providing funding for the recording of this event.

08/20/2025

The museum had a wonderful multi-generation family visit today. Meet the Gustin members from Montana and the Martinez members from Morrill.

08/19/2025

We had some extraordinary assistance from a few local residents this morning! The Dean boys also gave a little performance on the organ. We thoroughly enjoy the local residents who stop for a visit.

08/19/2025

We are rapidly approaching the end of our 2025 season. Have you stopped in to visit this year yet? The ladies have been working hard to bring you even better displays of our historic treasures and documents. Please remember that we will be available for tours by appointment by calling 775-291-3354

08/07/2025

The Bridgeport News-Blade published on August 5, 1965 that Between May 1st and July 28 a total of 1,691 people had visited the Pioneer Trails Museum in Bridgeport. Thirty-three of the 50 states were represented. There were also visitors from Canada and England. - This year the museum did not open until May 22nd. Between May 22nd and July 31st the visitor count has dropped to only 426 guests. Thirty-six of the 50 states have been represented with visitors also from Germany. The count of Bridgeport residents has increased over the past few years with 98 (with a few repeats) of our 214 Nebraska guests recorded as our own. - WHERE ARE YOU? The dedication and hard work by the team at the museum is rewarded by YOUR appreciation and seeing your smiling faces!!