Gering’s Japanese Hall highlights little-known history and boosts local tourism

Japanese Hall is one of the newest additions to the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering. It showcases the lengthy history of Japanese communities in the region.

Many of the artifacts and stories come from Nebraska native Vickie Sakurada Schaepler, Japanese Hall and History Project coordinator. She was born and grew up in Scottsbluff and now lives in Kearney.

"I've just seen so much interest, just in Nebraska and in the region," she said. "For the Japanese community, it's been such a thrill, because at this point, they're going to be able to share the artifacts, tell us the stories of their experiences at this hall."

Around 1,500 attended the opening, with some potential attendees leaving after seeing the long line at the entrance.

David Wolf, the museum's executive director, said he believes the new addition will help boost local tourism. He noted many who attended the opening ceremony returned to spend more time in the hall.

"We're really excited about the future of not only the Japanese Hall, but the museum in general," Wolf said. "And if people have not been out here, it's definitely worth the drive to come out and experience a piece of Nebraska history that they never would have really thought was going to be in Nebraska."

The project was the result of communities working together. Sakurada Schaepler said once they knew about the project, many Japanese families with roots in western Nebraska became excited to share their stories. As for Nebraskans who don't have a Japanese heritage, she found many knew nothing about the rich history of Asians in the state.

Many immigrants from Japan reached Nebraska in the late 1900s. They contributed to the state's agriculture, business economy and served in the military.

"For so many of the families, they now have a place to bring their pictures, to bring their stories, to tell stories of those that came out of the [World War II internment] camps, to tell stories of those that stayed in the military, those that were killed in the military," Sakurada Schaepler said. "Our project goes from the early settlers all the way up to the new Japanese that are coming to our state."

Even though much of the sanseis, or third-generation Japanese, have moved away, Sakurada Schaepler hopes it will continue to preserve the state’s Japanese history for years to come.