On March 15, 2002 Funhog placed the Cottonmill Park letterbox near Kearney,
Buffalo County, Nebraska. Every year in the spring birdwatchers from all
over the country come to this town to encounter huge flocks of waterfowl,
field after field filled with hungry Sandhill Cranes and to see the show of
courting Prairie Chickens. These birds can occasionally be seen on a small
tract of native prairie land at Cottonmill Park, just west of town.

to the trailhead: From Kearney go west on Highway 30 to Cottonmill Road.
Turn right and drive a short distance to the park entrance. Inside the
park, go to the East Shelter parking area. The Prairie Trail begins across
the road.

to the letterbox: Keep barbed wire on your right until you see a shelter
with a covered wagon parked beside it. One hundred fifty years ago the
travelers along the Platte River Road all had to choose between the
short-lived gold fields of California, or the long term security of the
fertile Willamette Valley of Oregon. Here you have a similar choice to
make. If you want to find this letterbox, you're in for the long haul. When
you reach the next resting place along the trail, the letterbox is perched
in a cedar tree twenty-nine steps due North.