Towers of Time Monument and the Missouri National Recreational River Educational Center in Ponca State Park, Nebraska

Capture the beauty of the Missouri River and learn about the dynamics of this spectacular stretch of the Missouri National Recreational River.  Greeting you at the entrance of Ponca State Park, Nebraska, is the Towers of Time art monument dedicated in 2006.  The three towers represent a geological period, and the square fountain depicts indigenous people from four eras. Here is a brief description of each tower and the fountain:

> The 25-foot high tower on the left depicts the late Cretaceous Period (65 million to 99 million years ago) when Nebraska was under water. Scientists say it was the age of the dinosaurs, and Tschetter’s tower shows prehistoric sea and land creatures.

> The 27-foot-high center tower features species from the Pleistocene Period (1.8 million to 10,000 years ago). This was the time of the Ice Age when woolly mammoths, saber-toothed cats and giant sloths roamed the Earth.

> The 25-foot-high tower on the right features a menagerie of the animals of our time, everything from blue herons to buffalo that inhabit the Missouri River region.

> The square fountain includes images of indigenous people from the Folsom culture, Paleolithic period, Earth Mound Builders and recent Natives who occupied the region in the 1800s.

The Missouri National Recreational River Educational Center building is located in Nebraska's Ponca State Park and houses the National Park offices and a large exhibit wing featuring displays on the "rec river."  It is open Mondays-Saturdays from 8 am to 4:30 pm and on Sundays from 1 to 4:30 pm. Hours are extended during the summer.

 For further information call, 402-755-2284.

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 Ponca State Park (state park), Nebraska, United States