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Piece of Nebraska history washes up on shores of Lake Manawa

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    OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — A piece of Nebraska history submerged for over a century has washed up on the shore of Lake Manawa.

The man who found it tells says he had no idea the journey this piece of wood would take him on.

“One morning I noticed something was different down here by the sea wall.”

For just about 10 years, Bill Kabourek and his wife Jan have split their year between the waters of Lake Manawa and Florida.

“A little town called Mount Dora, it’s a small little lake community,” said Kabourek.

The self-proclaimed snowbird enjoys the serenity of his home – often finding himself sitting beside the dock. But one morning something unexpected washed up.

“It was about as large as the diameter of that tree over there. And about 12 ft tall,” said Kabourek.

Initially, he thought it was a tree.

“But it turns out I could tell quickly it wasn’t a tree,” said Kabourek.

After getting into the lake and taking a closer look, he large piece of wood was carved into a point on one side – confirming his theory.

Knowing some of the area’s history with amusement parks and tourist attractions in the 1900′s he gave the historical society a call.

“They put me in touch with a guy by the name of John Barnes. And John got over here right away, and he got very excited,” said Kabourek.

John and local historian Troy Stolp got the piling out of the water and immediately had an idea of what it could be.

“The piece of history that was pulled the other day was part of the building called the Kursaal,” said Stolp.

The Kursaal Dance Hall was the main attraction in what was once the largest amusement park west of the Mississippi.

“It was actually a two-state park if you believe it,” said Stolp.

Unfortunately, the deadly 1913 Easter tornado destroyed the Kursaal, sinking the broken pieces of the depths of Lake Manawa.

For over 100 years, they’ve laid there on the bottom until dredging or boat activity on the lake brought them to the surface.

A piece of Nebraska history uncovered just by happenstance after all of these years.

“When you get another piece that actually shows up from that era, it’s interesting. It’s intriguing,” said Kabourek.

Right now, Stolp is waiting on the company that originally built the Kursaal to verify the piece of piling. Once it’s verified, the piece will be preserved and place at the Lake Manawa Museum.

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