Local residents hope to resurrect highway's historic Shady Bend

To Craig Woodward, Shady Bend is a relic of his childhood, a heirloom of his father's and grandfather's livelihood.

So when he decided to restore his family's former Lincoln Highway tourist attraction, he said it was to bring back its glory and pride.

He just didn't know so many other people cared about the 77-year-old building located at Highway 30 and Shady Bend Road.

For its role in commerce and transportation in Nebraska, the Shady Bend Gas Station, Grocery and Diner officially found a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

A spot on the register means the building tells something about the past that cannot be learned another way, said Stacy Stupka-Burda with the Nebraska State Historical Society.

The recognition, she said, is likened to the being placed on a school's honor role.

"In my view, it's the saloon and gunsmoke of this area," Craig said.

He, his wife Karen and their daughter Jennifer Drapel are working to re-open Shady Bend as a bar and restaurant.

Craig's grandfather, H.O. Woodward built Shady Bend in 1931 as a place for travelers to get food, gas and to stay in one of more than 30 cabins on the property.

After Interstate 80's completion, Highway 30 lost many of its tourists.

Eventually, the cabins were sold and, over the years, local residents grew to rely on Shady Bend as a place where they could eat, drink, meet friends and catch up on the most recent news.

And everyone enjoyed M.O.'s buffalo herd, which began as a hobby but soon became an advertised attraction.

"I grew up thinking that everyone had buffalo in their yard," Craig said.

He soon realized his grandfather and father's diner was more than the average family business.

"Everyone I run into is excited to bring this place back," he said. "They remember the buffalo, they remember eating there and hanging out there."

For the past few years, the Shady Bend has been rented or vacant. Craig took sole ownership at the beginning of the year.

"We truly would like to have a gathering place again," he said.

Built in a Southwestern stucco fashion, Shady Bend's unique architectural style will be retained, adding only the electrical improvements needed to make it functional.

"Even the electricians looking at the old thing were pointing out where their old seats at the bar used to be," Craig said.

Grand Island's Webb & Co. Architects is restoring the building. Owner Marvin Webb said the company works closely with the historical society to research and preserve all possible details of the building.

"The society has information on everything you can think of, from windows, to stucco, to floor tile, to roofs," Webb said. "We're really doing something here, not just tearing it down and rebuilding."

When members from the historical society toured Shady Bend, Craig said they doted on facets for which he hadn't previously known their significance.

"This has been one of our favorite properties for a long time," Stupka-Burda said.