First Person
Postcards from Cather Country
I’m still floaty and a little breathless from a trip I took last week to my home state of Nebraska. I traveled with a friend I’ve known since second grade from Lincoln to Red Cloud, the childhood home of Willa Cather, who was born in Virginia in 1873 and moved to Nebraska at age 9. The landscape and people of the waning years of the homestead era imprinted on her strongly, inspiring indelible portrayals of settlers from the Eastern United States and Europe, in particular in her novels My Ántonia and O Pioneers! I’m sure I’m not alone in that when I think of my own unbreakable grandmothers, I think of Ántonia Shimerda, who preceded them by just one generation.
My friend Laurie, a Cather scholar, had curated a two-day Willa Cather immersion tour for us. While my big-city (Omaha) bias had me wondering how we would possibly fill two whole days in a town with a population of 962, I was only 8 or 9 myself when I learned not to argue with Laurie. If Laurie said two days, it’s two days.
And what a couple of days. We saw not only the gently restored childhood home in Red Cloud, but an assortment of town and country churches (with and without floors), five or possibly six rural cemeteries (I don’t want to exaggerate but I do think it was six), plus the homes of some of the people on whom Cather directly based her stories, most movingly the farmstead where Àntonia Shimerda (Anna Sadilek Pavelka in real life) founded her family, after all she went through to get there. The Pavelka fruit cellar moved me to tears, thinking of the little Cuzak children bouncing out of it into the light.
We watched old and new Nebraska educational TV documentaries at the National Willa Cather Center, and for an extra treat spent a happy hour in the archives looking at objects from Cather’s life in Nebraska, Pittsburgh, New York, New Hampshire, and New Brunswick. When I asked, do you have any of her clothes?—the archivist answered by opening a drawer containing a beautiful embroidered green wool jacket seen in portraits of Cather. There is nothing like a piece of well-loved clothing to bring a person back to life.
A highlight was staying in the Cather Second Home, the house where Cather’s family moved after she left home. I slept in the room she stayed in when she visited her folks, awaking each morning to the sun streaming in off the second-floor porch where she liked to sit and read. I ambled to the kitchen to make myself a coffee, wondering what she would make of their house having a wifi password.
Perhaps the peak experience: walking on the never-been-plowed Cather Prairie at sunset, trying to imagine how the Cathers felt when they first arrived by train from the East. Oh yeah, the train station is preserved. The sandstone bank building from A Lost Lady is there, magnificently restored. The opera house is there, still in use. The Cather historians are not messing around.
I came home with a bag full of books and a heart full of tenderness. Getting to have this experience with the North Omaha bestie with whom I read and re-read and re-re-read Wilder’s Little House series so many years ago was a pure prairie gift.
There Was Knitting
I don’t travel without knitting, and I know enough to bring a super easy project in case I can’t concentrate on something more ambitious. But this time the super easy project, a mistake rib scarf, was too easy; it bored me even when we were sitting in the dark watching educational TV. So I kept trying to knit on the yoke of my passion project, The Twigs.
The Twigs has two kinds of stranded motifs in it: the ones you can knit in the car and the ones you can hardly knit at all.
Just kidding! But that big twiggy section with the crossed fronds?—that’s an 80-stitch repeat, worked five times over 400 stitches. And I was at the start of those 19 rounds when I left New York.
If it’s 80 stitches, I have to question how you can call it a repeat—just saying, Junko Okamoto! Call me old fashioned, but I feel like a repeat should…repeat.
I’m just having a laugh—this sweater has my heart precisely because of that 80-stitch pattern; it’s sublime.
In conclusion: I didn’t get that far on The Twigs while Laurie and I rambled around Red Cloud. On the delayed flight home, I got into the groove enough to get through all 19 rounds of twigginess, and now I’m back on the twig-free blacktop of those lovely 4- and 8-stitch repeats. Two rounds from separating sleeves and body! More in love with The Twigs than ever! Go me!
Kay, it seems your yarn choice was phenomenally on point. The colors are beautiful together and the “twigginess” is just so pretty. Your visit sounds interesting, and having your knitting during flight delay is the perfect calm for that moment.
You are right ” Go, you!!”
Lovely work. I knit one of her designs and broke the large repeat into smaller chunks to give myself interim landmarks. I marked lines on the chart- say every 20 stitches and then used distinctive stitch markers to denote the full 80 stitch repeat and bulb marks at the 20 stitch intervals between those markers. It helped keep me on track
Wish I’d’ve thought of that Susan! 20-stitch chunks would have made it loads easier.
Love this story of your time in Nebraska. Thanks for sharing.
Oh thank you Kay. I just checked to make sure I still have my copy of My Ántonia. I need to reread it. Thank you for the links.
And your sweater – WOW. One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
Thank you, Kay. Loved your Nebraska and Cather stories. And that Twigs sweater!! You are always inspiring, but this is extra amazing. You Go, Girl!
All the hearts for this.
Thank you so much, Ann, for sharing your trip. Willa Cather reminds me of my Grandmother and inspires me to read some of her work. Things we all need to be reminded about I think.
Love the sweater, love the story! Your humor is positively dickensian (and he always had a knitting reference as well), but the warmth and tenderness is all you. Thank you for spotlighting Willa Cather for me. I will be checking her out.
Realizing that I have never read her work, I went right to Libby to borrow 3 of Cather’s books to read while knitting fingerless mitts.
That green jacket is inspiring in its style and quality.
Your article put me where you were and now I will stay a while while reading about her life. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your Nebraska experience. I grew up in Kansas and love the prairie. You and Willa Cather had me looking out over the prairie this morning.
When we were looking for the Cather Memorial Prairie we overshot it on the first pass and crossed into Kansas!
Continue the Willa Cather saga and visit her grave in Jaffrey,NH.
Make it a knitting trip and go to Harrisville. A few miles down the road.
Wonderful! I loved reading about this & now I feel the need to re-read a Cather book or two. And that jacket is AMAZING!!!
Lovely. Thank you for sharing about your heartwarming visit.
Never been to the Midwest but sounds like a wonderful getaway! Kay the colors are exquisite and the pattern is super ambitious – what a start! Please continue to show us your progress!
Thank you, Kay! I loved this.
Oh so delightful. I would love to do this
Wow, the Twigs is coming along nicely.
Aah, the prairie..
And my sis and I did the same thing with the Little House books-& show (Monday nights were reserved)
I’m on a cruise working on a dishcloth. Not the most ambitious project but one I can manage with all the distractions! I may keep it as a really weird souvenir of the trip. Wish I had the patience for that beautiful sweater.
Yeah,Go you!
Phenomenal!
When you hear the word “capsule” you probably think “wardrobe”…? When I hear it, it links with “time” and here it is – what a great story. This village with all its elements is like a trip in time, not that distant, but still… and archetype of sorts – so many other places full of pioneers and let’s face it, immigrants and our ancestors searched for a better life in open prairies of North America and some areas of South America and Australia. Thank you for this short trip into the 4th dimension!
Your photographs are really beautiful! They lend an almost mystical quality to your trip. And I can’t wait to see your finished Twigs and how you wear it. I’ve often thought of knitting it but just haven’t—I think it’s the size thing that’s held me back. But I’m sure you’ll style yours beautifully.
Now I’m going to have to get some Willa Cather books. Xo
I absolutely loved this… Willa and I share the same December 7th birthday! Also “followed her to Santa Fe” in Death Came to the Archbishop.
You took us on your precious journey. Thank you!
Gorgeous photos, love you in your Waffle! And there really are no words for the Twigs project. What a terrific theme for a field trip. Thanks so much for sharing this and all your other journeys Kay.
I had the joy of performing in CATHER COUNTY, a wonderful musical by Ed Dixon. Was this work mentioned on the tour?
Thank you for sharing your trip, Kay…the photos and background information are wonderful, and as always, your knitting feats are impressive!
So interesting! I never realized she died in my lifetime (just barely). But now I want to go to Omaha. By train! Thank you for the photo gallery. Your Twigs is a thing of beauty. Wirth all the work! Can’t wait to see you modeling it. By contrast my mistake stitch scarf was satisfyingly squishy but sheer punishment to knit. Such an irritating stitch. And took forever. Good luck on yours, Kay!
I have never read anything by Willa Cather, so the time is now! I think I would have emjoyed that tour. That sweater is awe inspiring. I can’t wait to see you wear it. The colors you chose are perfect.
Love these photos, the Cather travelogue, and the Twigs update. Thank you!
Love the « postcard » and the amazing color choice on « the twigs »
As a little girl in the ’50s in Omaha, I was always thrilled to go to the Willa Cather Library–a girl from Nebraska could grow up to be so famous that a whole library would be named after her!
On Center Street, right? Or am I misremembering?
My home away from home (a few blocks away) for my formative years. The mid-century modern seating was dreamy. Yes, 42-ish/Center.
Your sweater is coming along beautifully!
I’m a big fan of Willa Cather’s books. I’ve read most of them at least once. We read My Antonia in high school. I love your shawl. I can’t imagine trying to knit that pattern away from home.
Thanks for sharing your article!!
Enjoyed this very much! My dad was a native Nebraskan and, while he and my mom, an Iowan, moved to California in 1950 and raised us here, we made many visits to relatives in Nebraska and Iowa – all by car with 5 kids. Long hours driving through the prairies – your wonderful pictures bring back the memories. We never visited Red Cloud, though I did read My Antonia. Putting this on my bucket list for a future visit. Thanks for the inspiration. The Twigs is inspiring, too. Amazing work!
I also have Nebraska roots, though I’ve never been there! My grandparents met and married there, and my grandfather was part of the team that installed the first telephone lines into Grand Island and surrounds in the 19-aughts. Now I’m going to have to dive into Willa Cather (which I’m sorry to say I’ve not done). I did fall hard for “A Lantern in Her Hand”, set in Nebraska, and still own a copy.
Your sweater is dreamy. Every time I see that shade of blue, I think of it as Kay Blue. You aren’t the only one who remembers your obsession with Rowan Denim!
Gave away my copy of A Lantern in Her Hand – Bess Streeter Aldrich author – but it lives in memory – a wonderful read – happy to know of someone else familiar with this!
My great grandfather Thomas Gardiner was on the team that electrified Omaha and sadly died in the effort. His two elder daughters each worked for the power company for 50 years, and my grandfather switched his apprenticeship (he was 11) from electrician to bricklayer. Deep Gardiner family lore!
What a wonderful trip!
Thanks for the photos of the jacket!
Proud of both our Nebraska girls.
Kay, thanks for bringing us along on this fascinating journey into the life of Willa Cather. The photos were lovely and I enjoyed learning about a part of the country that I have never seen.
Time to revisit Willa Cather’s books!
A most wonderful post, Kay! A year or so ago, I read My Ántonia with the book club at my local book shop. Her writing is so evocative of place and now to see your photos is a treat. Your story makes me want to go to Nebraska now. (Maybe in the spring when the sandhill cranes migrate through!) Your Twigs sweater is gorgeous.
In spring you’d have the additional treat of seeing the preserved prairie full of wild flowers. It was beautiful in November but…grassy. I’ve heard it looks very different in spring.
Kay – what a wonderful trip – loved hearing about Willa Cather. It reminded me of my visit last April to the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum in Mansfield, Missouri. Definitely worth the visit.
A friend of mind suggested “Shadows On The Rock,” a lovely novel about a winter in 17th-century Quebec, which I was curious to read as I was planning a trip to Canada, and I don’t associate Cather with novels about our wonderful northern neighbor. It’s a delight, perfect for a cozy winter read!
Your sweater is really beautiful. I can’t wait to see you model it.
Beautiful, evocative essay–thanks for bringing us on your Cather journey, Kay! My brain stopped at “never-been-plowed” though. What a miracle! That prairie has at least 20 ft of loam below it. Let’s keep it a secret, shall we? 🙂
I’ve never read any Cather despite being a born Iowan and having a master’s in English. I’ll have to get on that.
Thank you! For a trip down memory lane. We “had” to read My Ántonia” in sixth grade, and it left a permanent mark on my psyche, a good one. I couldn’t put it down!
As for that wonderful Twigs! Thank you for the update! I feel like you’re part of our knitting group sharing your progress.
Your Trip!! It had that feeling of Nebraska! I visited Senica with my mom. And we enjoyed the pace and family history. The city is gone now.
Kay, your post today is a gift. Your trip to Willa Cather country, Red Cloud itself, the descriptions of your childhood friend Laurie (then & now), and your deep Gardiner lore from Omaha touched my heart. In August 2014, my husband and I traveled across the country stopping at all the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites and in Red Cloud, as Laura and Willa are two of my favorite writers. It was SO hot in the upstairs of that sweet house (the docent said they slept outside in the summer on the porch or in the backyard, thank goodness!). Your photos are beautiful and your “The Twigs” sweater equal to it all. Thank you so much for these wonderful recollections.
Love to read other people’s Comments. What a warm-hearted community. Which prompted me to revisit your photo gallery and how it struck me how haunting those prairie images are. Decades ago a train whisked me through prairie country and I never really appreciated it. Your photos captured what I missed. Also that mistake rib experience of mine: Purl Soho’s scarf photo showed miles of it and my brief survey of Ravelry did not yield any dissatisfaction with that stitch. So probably it is just me. Don’t want to dissuade others. The end result is certainly sumptuous. At least with the yarn I chose.
Kay, I thought your twigs were menorahs!
Did you visit the post office in Red Cloud? It was opened in the 1930’s and has WPA murals in the lobby, pretty neat. About a block from Cather’s house.
Thank you so much for sharing the story and lovely photos of your trip. I haven’t read her books from the prairie in many, many years, but I still have images from them in my mind. Happily, I am planning a course for next year that will include My Ántonia, so I will be revisiting it and your description and links from your trip will enhance the experience for my students. Thank you again!
And your Twigs is stunning! The colors of the wool are so beautiful. What a lovely set of yarns to bring home from Rhinebeck.
I’m from Omaha, too! Willa Cather has always been one of my favorite authors. What a cool bit of travel and knitting!
Thanks, Kay. A road trip is now in order. I just looked up Red Cloud on Google. It’s north of the World’s Largest Ball of Twine which seems like a worthy destination in its own right. I will put both on my list of travel stops and be sure to see the murals in the post office. I, sadly, won’t be knitting your beautiful sweater when I go. Ball band dishclothes are more my speed for travel knitting.
I was introduced to Willa Cather by a wonderful woman in a book club several years ago. She grew up near Willa Cathers home. I also used to have a house near Jaffrey, NH where she is buried but now live 2000 from there. Sadly, I didn’t know to visit her grave when we were in that area of NH all the time. I’d love to go visit now and make a side trip to the great yarn stores mentioned by others in that area. Thanks for this great story. Love love
Thank you so much for sharing your Willa Cather tour details. I’ve loved her books for a long time, and now I think I’ll have to re-read some and find the others. I’m in Minnesota and we have at least some prairie here too – it’s not for everyone but I’ve grown to love it so much I am restoring about 20 acres of it on my family farm.
Love the Twiggs sweater too – I have the pattern in my Ravelry queue but think it may be time to buy it and find the perfect yarn…it IS sweater knitting season, after all!
I absolutely loved this story. When people ask me what my favorite book is, I tell them it’s My Antonia. If they don’t like it, I jokingly (sort of) tell them we can’t be friends.
It evokes such emotions. Thanks for reminding me to read it again!
As a Nebraskan and a Cather fan, I am so pleased to read this story and see the beautiful sweater in progress. The preserved prairie is a treasure. Thanks for showcasing Cather and her Nebraska roots.
You’re a Nebraskan?? I did NOT know that, or managed to miss it somehow. I was born in Omaha. Eighty years ago. My brother remembers Nebraska but, sadly, I don’t. I was quite young when my dad said ENOUGH to Midwest winters and moved us to sunny Southern California. I do have fond memories of our summers on my grandparents’ farm in South Dakota. And prairies? Oh my, yes! Everyone should experience a prairie and miles of flat roads through corn and wheat fields. You’ve now encouraged me to take the Willa Cather books off the shelf and finally read them. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Sigh…
What a dream trip! Nothing compares to a childhood bestie. Someone outside your family who remembers your grandmother! Oh, I may need to read some of the Cather I’ve never read and revisit the lovely Antonia. Thanks.
I’m late to the party, but I grew up in Harlan County just 2 counties west of Red Cloud. Red Cloud was a school trip destination, and I fell in love with Willa Cather as a kid. As an English major at the University of Kansas I was lucky to study her up close as one of America’s great writers. Her heritage mirrors my own Great Plains homesteader heritage. Kay, thank you for writing and keeping Willa Cather alive. You made my day today.
Such a lovely record of your visit to Cather country, and wonderful photos—thank you. I thought you might like to read another, from a Northeasterner who’d never been to your state before this trip.
https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2025/05/four-days-two-quests-and-736000-sandhill-cranes/