The Sandhills begin where the pavement thins and the ground thickens with prairie grass. In this 20,000-square-mile sweep of rolling dunes, cattle outnumber people and the rhythms of life are measured not in hours, but in seasons.

This land, once feared as uninhabitable, has long been home to some of Nebraska’s toughest and most devoted stewards – ranching families whose lives are intertwined with the grass beneath their boots.

Over decades of traipsing these oil roads, two-tracks and trails, Alan J. Bartels has come to know them – not just the landscape, but the people who call it home. In doing so, he’s glimpsed a culture defined by grit, grace and generational reverence.

A lifelong Nebraskan and former editor of Nebraska Life, Bartels now works for the Lower Loup Natural Resources District and lives in Howard County. He first fell in love with the Sandhills after moving to Greeley as a teenager. His newest book, Secret Nebraska Sandhills: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, which will be released in April 2026, explores the region not as a travel guide, but as a deep dive into its culture and lifestyle.

The Sandhills cover a quarter of the state, yet its nearly untouched, grass-stabilized dune fields are often overlooked. Much of the region was settled after the Kinkaid Act of 1904, and cattle ranching remains the primary industry – often through sixth- and seventh-generation ranchers.

“These families would hate to fail those ancestors who homesteaded the land they now work,” Bartels said. “That weighs heavily on these folks.”

These values are ingrained in Sandhills cowboys, who live by the mantra: “If you take care of the land, the land will take care of you.” Making a living in the howling winds and sandy dunes requires unbounding resilience passed down through generations.

“There’s a romance with the land out there, but it’s realism,” Bartels said. “People are on horseback every day – not because it’s cool, but because in a lot of places, horses get around a lot better than a four-wheeler or a pickup.”

Sandhills ranchers are private people, but they appreciate when someone shows genuine interest in their remote way of life. “You’ve got to get to know them first before the camera even comes out,” Bartels said.

Over the last two decades, he’s become an honorary member of the Switzer family in Loup County and discovered a best friend in Bruce, a third-generation landowner. Bartels has returned year after year to photograph the family and eventually tell their story, capturing memories like “Kid Sliding in Blowout.” The whimsical image portrays Bruce’s grandson, Henry Sortum, at 5 years old; he’s now 17, and Bartels keeps in touch.

“The Switzers have allowed me into their family and onto their land, which for a Sandhills ranch family who appreciates their privacy, was probably not always easy for them to do… at least that’s my side of the story,” Bartels said. “But once you earn the trust of a Sandhiller, as long as you never break it, you’re friends for life.”

His photographs will be featured in a 50-piece gallery exhibition called “West Intentions” at the Carnegie Arts Center in Alliance from Sept. 30 to Nov. 15 – a visual portrait of life in the Sandhills. Nearly 200 images will also appear in Secret Nebraska Sandhills.

“Part of what fuels these adventures is that I don’t have that strong generational connection to a place like many Sandhillers do,” Bartels said. “But I appreciate theirs.”

He may not carry a family name tied to a pioneering deed, but Bartels’ lens has earned him something just as lasting: trust. In a place where friendships are forged through honesty, firm handshakes and promises kept, that trust is everything in sharing their stories.