Madison Dodson5/5/14Research PaperA Walk Through the Peaceful Valley: A Look at the History of Arcadia NebraskaWalking the Streets of 'Arcadia Nebraska, you look from one side to the other and I see nothing more than a quiet little town. What you probably don't know is the history of this "small town". Arcadia is built on determination, character and distinctiveness. As you walk down Main Street, you begin to get a glimpse of the past. Arcadia Nebraska is a village with quite a story to tell. Few people know how this small town was founded or even how it came to be. Arcadia has faced struggles and overcome tragedies that most cities would have simply disappeared if faced with. In addition to the charm of Arcadia's perseverance, there are also many fun and interesting facts about Arcadia that will stay in your mind for a long time. Everywhere you look, stories are deeply rooted in Arcadia's family tree. Not every story has a good beginning, which is somewhat the case with the beginning and founding of Arcadia. Arcadia began as nothing more than a flat valley on the banks of the Middle Loup River. Before the peaceful valley was invaded by the settlers and pioneers of the day, it was home to the Indians, according to A View of the Valley. Over time, the valley's natural resources declined as the "Great White Hunter" invaded and killed most of the land and animals. (A View of Valley 24) One of these “great white hunters” was a man named George McKeller. (24) George McKeller was the very first person to settle the land that is now Arcadia, as noted in A View of the Valley. Few people know that George was the first settler of present-day Arcadia. I...... middle of paper......raised, this is how the first embalming was done in Arcadia Nebraska. Other stories classified as "strange" might be related to the story of Walt and his skull. This particular story dates back to around 1933, when the residents of Arcadia were helping to clear the rubble of the recently burned school. Dr. Lee, one of Arcadia's very first doctors, was said to have donated a skeleton to the school. For some reason, one of the volunteers named Walt had a strange urge to find this skeleton's skull among the rubble. Even though people tried to convince him that he had burned in the fire, he did not relent. Eventually, to end his obsession with the skull, another volunteer found a sheep skull on his farm and planted it among the charred remains of the school. Sure enough, Walt saw the skull and was happy to have found what he was looking for..