The first state park at the mouth of the Niobrara River was called Niobrara Island State Park. Niobrara Island had been a Niobrara town park until it was transferred to the state in 1930. Both the state and the Civilian Conservation Corps made improvements to the site in the 1930s. The park's present-day site opened in 1987 after the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission purchased 1,231 acres of higher land to the west of the original park. Cabins at the old park that were still in use in 1987 were subsequently abandoned because of high water in the area.[3]
Activities and amenities
Park facilities include a swimming pool and interpretive center. Visitors can tour the park via seven miles (11 km) of roads and fourteen miles (23 km) of hiking trails. The park offers RV and primitive camping as well as cabins that overlook the river.[5]White-tailed deer and wild turkeys roam the park by day while at night coyotes and whip-poor-wills mingle their cries and calls.[7]
^Carl McWilliams, Research Historian (June 26, 1992). "Niobrara River Bridge". NPGallery Digital Asset Management System. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved June 10, 2020.