The Native American Raids of 1864 will be remembered and re-enacted on Saturday, Aug. 6, when the residents of Oak and their friends continue a tradition which began with the Nebraska Centennial in 1967. That year, many Nuckolls County communities did something special to mark the state centennial. Angus, for example, constructed a sod house on a vacant lot across from the community post office. Nora hosted a rodeo and Superior staged a pageant.

Today Oak is a village of about 50 people located near the Little Blue River in northeastern Nuckolls County. Today’s population is less than half of...