Sterling's beloved museum began as a joint venture between the Logan County Historical and Natural History Society and the local office of the Works Progress Administration. Built during the height of the Great Depression and initially called Logan County Museum, this original building was dedicated on November 11, 1936, Armistice Day, now called Veterans Day. Its stone walls and two 18-foot towers gave the exterior the appearance of a frontier fort, while the interior walls were constructed of rock found along the nearby South Platte River. Its most distinctive feature was perhaps the fireplace mantle, made of petrified wood discovered near Stoneham, about twenty-five miles west of Sterling. From this modest building blossomed the treasure of the High Plains fondly known as the Overland Trail Museum.