Wishin' Jupiter is a 1,500 acre grass ranch nestled up to Nebraska's legendary sandhills. The Keya Paha River forms part of its southern border. Buffalo Creek runs through on the east. Turtle Pond, Tick Nhat Pond and Blackbird Pond provide some decent fishing, and along with three or four other ponds, there's enough water for cattle. The South Dakota border is one mile north, and the east/west location is almost directly in the center of the state, in Keya Paha County.
After resisting for more than ten years we've finally capitulated to modernity and installed internet and Wi-Fi. The reception is great.
The nearest towns are about a half-hour away.
Star Scape
This amazing photo is proof of the beautiful tracks the stars make. It was shot by Charlie Kehm from the front yard of the ranch house at Wishin' Jupiter.
Early Morning on Turtle Pond
The fishing ponds on Wishin' Jupiter were created by manmade dams: Blackbird, spring fed, has the largest variety of fish. Tich Nhat Pond, also spring fed, was devastated by beavers, reportedly the largest beaver a local man had ever seen. Turtle pond is a run-off pond, meaning it doesn’t have underground springs, but it does have huge bass.
A Tour of Wishin' Jupiter Ranch
In 1884 the land north of the Niobrara River was separated from Brown County and made into a separate county. Keya Paha is in north-central Nebraska, on the South Dakota border, has a population of less than 300 people. The last time I checked, only five of them were registered Democrats. The name Keya Paha is from the Dakota Sioux, meaning “Turtle Hill” largely because of the shape of the small rolling hills is similar to a turtle’s back. It was settled largely by homesteaders who planned to farm the dry, sandy soil. While several small towns sprung up with high hopes, many have been abandoned. Now ranching, raising cattle on the abundant prairie grasses, is the main occupation. But significantly more land is required to feed cattle than would typically used in farming.
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The Murphy Place
is a second small household on the ranch. Established by a woman homesteader, it’s been owned and worked by a succession of farmer/ranchers who haven’t stayed. Just north of the current place, we found the remains of a dugout in a pretty meadow. We believe it got flooded out. School teachers used to board with locals, and there’s a sad story about a man who went to court a teacher who was staying at the Murphy Place. He proposed and the teacher refused him. The next morning, the rancher went out to do his chores and found the local man hanging in the barn. It’s a work in progress, but our priority was to make sure any sad vibes are banished, and to make the place cheerful and welcoming again. We’d be happy to share before and after photos.
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The Prairie Dog Town
Prairie dogs are usually considered to be pests, but we like ours and let them thrive. Our prairie dogs are located on the far northwest corner of the ranch. Prairie dogs have a complex social structure and are incredible architects of their underground borrows, which have multiple entries. The borrows also provide homes for burrowing owls and salamanders. Their sentries “bark” to warn the others about danger. Prairie Dog towns and their juicy young draw predators: rattle snakes -- which tend not to occupies areas already infested with bull snakes, also coyotes, bobcats, badgers, foxes, and birds of prey. Maybe even an occasional mountain lion. We have lots of funny stories about a man who came to our ranch to capture prairie dogs and start them up at his cabin on the Platte River near Mahoney Park. His most successful attempt involved a big truck, a giant dryer hose and soap suds!!
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Cedar Remediation Area
Eastern red cedar is a noxious weed in this area. A few years ago, an extremely damaging fire burned tens of thousands of acres in the county, and it was blamed largely on the cedars, which dry out and provide endless supplies of fuel to large fires. Although it is a native plant, it has become invasive. It crowds out all other trees, takes the water and nutrients. Left unchecked cedars will eliminate all other species. In Nebraska, eastern red cedar expands 25,000 acres of new prairie every year and claims another 13,000 acres by converting in-place forests – that’s almost 40,000 acres lost each year. Feel free to pitch in and cut one down while you’re here.
Ranch Overview
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Wishin' Jupiter lies on either side of the banks of the Keya Paha River. It has six ponds and several creeks, and lots of underground springs. In the summer it provides grazing for 150 cow/calf pairs. We also grow hay and prairie grass to be baled and used for cattle feed in the winter. We lease our prairies from mid-May to October. Cows (a “cow” is always female) and the calves that were born in the spring, are brought to our place in trucks, along with ten bulls. The cow’s summer job is to feed her baby (usually one, but sometimes two) and get pregnant. In October, using horses and four-wheelers, the herd is walked/“driven” to their home ranch where the calves are weaned. Very noisy time, as the calves get very upset when they can’t get to their mamas! From there, calves are usually sold or taken to a feedlot to fatten for market.(!) Cows and bulls go to “winter pastures,” pastures that haven’t been grazed in the summer, or to a pasture where they’ll need to be fed (mostly prairie hay) all winter. Cows will have their calves during the winter months, which can be a tough proposition in a blizzard. By local standards, Wishin’ Jupiter is a fairly small ranch. It takes lots of acres to feed enough cattle to make a living.
The Hillside
When two biologists from the State visited the ranch to do a study on bees, they agreed that a small hillside overlooking a creek next to the prairie dog town was one of the best, most biodiverse remaining original prairies they’d seen in Nebraska with a large variety of flowers and plants, some of them rare.
Shy spring wildflowers flirting with the moon
