If you are looking to immerse yourself in the history of Western Nebraska, the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center is the perfect place to be! Located in the heart of Alliance, the museum is as special as the town it calls home.

Inside the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center, you’ll come face-to-face with five areas of local history: Life in the Sandhills, Native American Life, Life in the Country, Life in the Town, and The Railroad, which is historically known for tying these wildly different lifestyles together. Pioneer memorabilia, Native American artifacts, and relics of the iron horse are some highlights of the vast collection found inside these walls. The exploration continues with the theme of Rogues, Rascals, and Visionaries which introduces you to the characters that settled the area, many of whom have remarkable, unforgettable, and sometimes surprising stories about their home in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Along with innovative exhibits, the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center houses the Heritage Room, one of the largest collections for genealogical and historical research in the area. The majority of the city and county records, as well as many Western Nebraska records are accessible through the Heritage Room, connecting visitors to the past through microfilmed local newspapers, area authors, historic photos, and many other genealogical files. The history doesn’t stop there though! The Daughters of the American Revolution has found its home at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center as well. This supplemental collection of valuable resource books includes several out of print volumes and is a useful library for researching general family history.

The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center continues to preserve, honor, and educate others about the Sandhills pioneer spirit and the story of Alliance and Western Nebraska. If the museum leaves you wanting more, the history continues just down the road at the Sallows Military Museum. Dedicated to the men and women who served our country in times of conflict, here you can discover weapons, uniforms, pictures, written documents, and much more, all of which have connections to western Nebraska.