The Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands encompass two national forests: the Oglala National Grassland in the northwest, and Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest in central Nebraska. The combined area of these regions is over 350,000 acres, offering diverse landscapes from sandhills to pine ridges.

Established by President Theodore Roosevelt's proclamation on April 16th, 1902 as a forest reserve before becoming a national forest later that year; this was part of an effort to create woodlands where none existed naturally through tree planting initiatives like Charles E. Bessey Nursery project-the world's largest hand-planted forest at one point-making it unique among U.S. federal forests for its man-made origin.

Visitors can enjoy recreational activities such as hiking, horseback riding, hunting or bird watching amidst grassy plains and scattered woodland areas while also exploring historical sites including old fire lookouts or remnants of homesteading days gone by.

The area now known as the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands has a rich history of land use and ownership. Prior to European-American settlement, Native American tribes such as the Sioux, Pawnee, Cheyenne, and others inhabited these lands for centuries.

With westward expansion in the 19th century came homesteaders who attempted to farm this semi-arid region. However, due largely to overgrazing by cattle and challenging agricultural conditions on what was then called "the Great American Desert," many settlers abandoned their claims.

In an effort to rehabilitate these degraded lands at the turn of the 20th century-specifically starting around 1902-the federal government under President Theodore Roosevelt took action through conservation efforts led by Gifford Pinchot's U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The USFS began purchasing exhausted farmland from willing sellers using funds provided by Congress via The Weeks Act of 1911 which allowed purchase outside traditional forested areas for watershed protection purposes.