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The history of Omaha, Nebraska begins before the settlement of the city, with speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa staking land across the Missouri River illegally as early as the 1840s. Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country , William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree Ferry to bring settlers from Council Bluffs to Omaha. A treaty with the Omaha Tribe allowed the creation of the Nebraska Territory , and Omaha City was founded on July 4, 1854. With early settlement came Claim Jumper s and Squatter s, and the formation of a Vigilante law group called the Omaha Claim Club , which was one of many Claim Club s across the Midwest . During this period many of the city's Founding Fathers received lots in Scriptown , which was made possible by the actions of the Omaha Claim Club. The club's violent actions led to the U.S. Supreme Court trial, '' Baker V. Morton '', which led to the end of the organization. Surrounded by small towns and cities that competed for business from the Hinterland s farmers, the city suffered a major setback in the Panic Of 1857 . Despite this, Omaha quickly emerged as the largest city in Nebraska. After losing the Nebraska State Capitol to Lincoln in 1867, many business leaders rallied, creating the Jobbers Canyon in downtown Omaha to outfit farmers in Nebraska , South Dakota , Wyoming and further west. These leaders built several mansions in Kountze Place and the Old Gold Coast neighborhoods. With the development of the Omaha Stockyards in the 1870s, several workers areas, including Sheelytown , developed around South Omaha . Its growth happened so quickly the town was nicknamed the "Magic City". The latter part of the 19th century also saw the formation of several Fraternal Organization s, including the formation of Knights Of Aksarben , and Omaha University , which eventually formed in 1908. city leaders rallied for the creation of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898. During the Expo, famous madames Anna Wilson and Ada Everleigh were making a living from the crowds. At the same time, Boss Tom Dennison compounded the city's vices in the notorious Sporting District , with the full support of eight-term mayor "Cowboy" James Dahlman . Many of these early pioneers are buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery . ABOUT Since the 1600's, the passed by the riverbanks that would later become the city of Omaha in 1804, and met on Council Bluff at a point about 20 miles (30 km) north of present-day Omaha, at which point they met with the Otoe. That same area saw the development of Fort Lisa in 1806; Fort Atkinson in 1819, and; Cabanne's Trading Post , built in 1822. The Mormons built a town called Cutler's Park in the area in 1846. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY Omaha's location near the confluence of the Missouri River and Platte River has long made the location a key point of transfer for both people and goods. Since the 1600's, the Pawnee , Otoe , Sioux , and Ioway all variously occupied the land that became Omaha. During the late 1700s and early 1800s when they were the most powerful Indians along the stretch of the Missouri River north of the Platte, and later the Omaha nation moved on the western edge of present-day Bellevue, Nebraska .
After a Smallpox out-break, and their continued cultural degradation, disease, the elimination of the Buffalo , and continued property loss the the Omaha sold the last of their claims and relocated to their present Reservation north in Thurston County, Nebraska in 1856. EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT On July 21 , 1804 , the Lewis And Clark Expedition passed by the riverbanks that would later become the city of Omaha. The expedition stopped at a point about 20 miles (30 km) north of present-day Omaha, at which point they first met with the Otoe, and had a council meeting with members of the tribal leadership on the west side of the Missouri River. The first recorded instance of a Black Person in the Omaha area is " York ", who arrived as a slave of William Clark on the Expedition. The Astor Expedition came through in 1811, and Stephen Long passed through the Omaha area in 1819 on his Platte River Expedition. A decade later, adventurers and Fur Trade rs were frequenting the region, trading at Fort Lisa , built by Manuel Lisa in 1806; Fort Atkinson , built in 1819 as a military outpost adjacent to the location of the earlier council meeting, and; Cabanne's Trading Post , built by the American Fur Company in 1822. The Mormons built a town called Cutler's Park in the area before resuming their westward migration on the Mormon Trail .Federal Writers' Project Staff (1939) ''Nebraska: A guide to the Cornhusker state.'' Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Nebraska. p. 222. In 1854 was presaged on the condition that it remain Slave-free . FOUNDING: 1853 TO 1867 In 1853 arrived in 1854. Aside from Omaha, other early settlements and towns in the area include Fontenelle's Post founded in 1806; Fort Lisa founded 1806; Culter's Park , founded 1846; Bellevue , settled in 1804 and founded 1853; Omaha, founded 1854; East Omaha , founded 185?; Florence , founded 1856, and; Saratoga , founded 1857. The first minister in Omaha was politicians, soldiers from Fort Omaha and the early African American American community was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in North Omaha. Starting in 1887 Douglas County officials started recording the burials of Poor people and people without a known identity in Potter's Field . Located in far North Omaha , today Potter's Field is maintained by Forest Lawn Cemetery , which is located nearby. There is speculation that Mormon pioneers were buried there in the 1850s, as well. The Nebraska State Capitol was moved from Omaha in 1867. Nebraska Territory Capitol Late in 1854 Omaha was chosen as the territorial capital for Nebraska. In 1855 during a Land Grab a group of businessmen formed the Omaha Land Company and platted Scriptown to reward Nebraska Territory legislators for their votes for statehood. After '' Baker V. Morton '' in 1857 this type of Land Baron -like behavior was made illegal; by that time lots had been developed and Scriptown quickly became part of several neighborhoods, including Gifford Park , Prospect Hill and the Near North Side . The small city suffered greatly in the economic in 1867, the city was by then strong enough to maintain Economic Growth for a period of time. In 1859 a local newspaper reported that a "...bill introduced in Omaha City Council, for the Abolition Of Slavery in this Territory, was called up yesterday, and its further consideration postponed for two weeks. A strong effort will be made among the Republicans to secure its passage; we think, however, it will fail. The farce certainly cannot be enacted if the Democrats do their duty.A ''Daily Nebraskian'' newspaper editorial from 1859, as quoted in Bristow, D. (2002) ''A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tale of 19th Century Omaha.'' Caxton Press. While Council Bluffs was chosen as the eastern terminus of the United States' First Transcontinental Railroad in 1862 with the passage of the Pacific Railway Act , construction on the railroad began west from Omaha to avoid the difficulties of constructing a bridge across the Missouri River , effectively ensuring that Omaha would become a major transportation center for the entire country in the years to come. 1868 TO 1900 Towns founded during this period include Benson , founded 1887, Chalco , founded ?; Dundee , founded 1880; Elkhorn , founded 1865; Papillion , founded 1870; Ralston , founded 1888; South Omaha , founded 1886, and; Millard , which was founded in 1871. Omaha's growth was accelerated in the 1880s by the rapid development of the Union Stockyards and the Meat Packing Industry in South Omaha . There were several breweries established throughout the city during this period. The "Big 4" Omaha breweries included the Storz , Krug , Willow Springs and Metz Breweries .Larsen, L.C. and Cotrell, B.J. (1997) ''The Gate City: A History of Omaha.'' University of Nebraska Press. p 144. In the 1880s, Omaha was said to be the fastest-growing city in the United States. Thousands of immigrants from central and southern Europe , as well as African Americans moving from the South, came to Omaha to work in the Union Stockyards and Slaughterhouse s of South Omaha . They created Omaha's original ethnic neighborhoods with names such as Greek Town , Little Italy , Little Bohemia and Little Poland . Other neighborhoods founded during this period included Bemis Park , Country Club , Dog Hollow and Field Club . The Near North Side also developed greatly during this period, with high concentrations of Jews, African Americans and Germans. In 1876 the trial of '' Standing Bear V. Crook '' was held at Fort Omaha . During the trial General Crook testified on behalf of Standing Bear , leading the court to recognize American Indians as persons, the first time this occurred in a U.S. Federal Court .Bristow, D. (2002) were founded in 1895. The Trans-Mississippi Exposition was held in North Omaha from June 1 to November 1 , 1898 . The exposition drew over 2 million visitors and involved construction of attractions spanning over 100 city blocks including a shipworthy lagoon, bridges and magnificent (though temporary) buildings constructed of plaster and horsehair. The Exposition also attracted a number of sideshows, including Buffalo Bill 's Wild West Show and the Everleigh House. Run by Ada and Minna Everleigh , the women closed the house in 1900 when they moved to Chicago . This period also saw the rise of formal crime in Omaha that presaged the arrival of Tom Dennison . The Sporting District was an area in downtown Omaha where many of the city's vice activities happened, including gambling, prostitution and grafting. Anna Wilson was an early madame who got her start in Omaha during this time, eventually opening a 25-room mansion Brothel at Ninth and Douglas Streets. She was the longtime romantic partner of Dan Allen, a well-known and successful riverboat gambler in Omaha. 1900-1941 In the decades before World War II , Omaha went through a prosperous period marked with rapid development, cultural growth and massive growth of population throughout the city. A number of new residents established communities throughout the city, older immigrant populations became further assimilated into the city's culture, and new neighborhoods were built to the north and south of Downtown Omaha . The city also suffered greatly during the Great Depression , and was only relieved through strong federal intervention throughout the 1930s. Sports See Also: Sports in Omaha, Nebraska Omaha University was founded in the Kountze Place neighborhood in 1908, moving to their present campus in 1929. Their football team played on the Saratoga School fields until 1952.(1993) A History of UNO . University of Nebraska at Omaha. Retrieved 5/29/07. The Omaha Omahogs was a Baseball Team started in 1900 as part of the new Western League . Their name changed to the Omaha Indians in 1902. In 1904 the team was fielded as the Omaha Packers, and in 1906 as the Omaha Rourkes. They kept that name until 1921, when the name changed to the Omaha Buffaloes, which stuck until 1928 when it changed to the Omaha Crickets. In 1930 the team changed its name back to the Omaha Packers, and kept that name until 1935, when they moved to Council Bluffs and subsequently folded. A new team called the Omaha Robin Hoods formed in 1936, but moved to Rock Island, Illinois late in the year. The team reformed shortly thereafter as the Omaha Cardinals , remaining as such for several years. Greek Town riot See Also: Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska In 1909 a mob of 1,000 Omahans almost lynched a South Omaha Greek man for being involved with a " White " woman. After their efforts were thwarted, a mob of 2,000 swarmed upon Greek Town in South Omaha, destroying homes, businesses and a school, beating Greek immigrants, and completely destroying all of the area by burning it to the ground. No person was ever indited for a crime related to the incident. Easter Sunday Tornado See Also: Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado (1913) In 1913 a devastating tornado ripped through Omaha, becoming known as the Easter Sunday tornado. It killed more than 100 people, destroyed hundreds of homes, and struck the heart of North Omaha's African American commercial district, which suffered the most damage. In July of that same year U.S. President Gerald Ford (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.) was born at 3202 Woolworth Avenue . He spent his first 16 days there, later growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan . Omaha Race Riot See Also: Omaha Race Riot of 1919 The Omaha Race Riot of 1919 occurred after a Black Man named Will Brown was arrested and accused of raping a white woman. A mob formed and removed him from the Douglas County Jail , on the top floor of the County Courthouse. Brown was hanged from the lamppost on the south side of the courthouse, his body was dismembered, burned and dragged through the streets by a crowd of European-born immigrants and European American s. The mayor attempted to intervene and was hanged himself; he survived only in a last minute rescue by federal agents. The city courthouse was set on fire and seriously damaged. This incident was dramatized by playwright Max Sparber and produced by the Blue Barn Theatre in 1998 at the Douglas County Courthouse, the site of the riot. Social and cultural developments Job's Daughters International, a Masonic Youth Organization for girls, was founded in Omaha in 1920. Aleph Zadik Aleph , the men's Order of B'nai B'rith Youth Organization , began in Omaha as a College Fraternity in Omaha in 1923. In 1925 Malcolm X was born (as Malcolm Little) at 3446 Pinkney Street in North Omaha. His family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he was a year old after threats on their lives from the Ku Klux Klan . The Nebraska chapter of the German-American National Alliance was founded and led in Omaha by Valentin J. Peter , the publisher and editor of the German Language '' Omaha Tribune '' in 1907. By the 1920s the organization was working closely with breweries throughout Omaha to challenge the complete political and social assimilation of German immigrants in Nebraska. During the same period Peter was buying other German language newspapers across the U.S. The GANA folded in the late 1920s; Peter's business, the Interstate Publishing Company]], still operates in Omaha today. Tom Dennison See Also: Tom Dennison (Political boss) The reign of Omaha political boss Tom Dennison ended in 1933. For more than thirty-five years he controlled gambling, drinking, prostitution and other criminal interests throughout Omaha, particularly in his seedy Sporting District . He controlled bootlegging operations in Little Italy through the Prohibition Era, as well as the performance of James Dahlman , Omaha's only eight-term mayor. Dennison was also likely the root cause of the Omaha Race Riot in 1919. World War II In 1945 the Enola Gay and Bockscar were two of 536 B-29 Superfortress es manufactured at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Factory (now Offutt Air Force Base ) in suburban Bellevue near the end of World War II . That same year a Japanese Fire Balloon exploded over Dundee . The incident was part of a large World War II campaign by the Japanese military to cause mass chaos in American cities. However, the story was suppressed by the American military until after the war was over. Nobody was hurt in the explosion.(2004) "Omaha Was Bombed During WWII: Keeping Secret Was Some People's Effort To Help War," KETV.com. 7/14/07. Retrieved 7/7/07. (nd) Dundee Bombing . HistoricOmaha.com. Retrieved 7/7/07. Civil Rights Movement See Also: Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska Civil Rights Activism in Omaha began in 1912 with the formation of a local chapter of the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People . It continued through the coming years under the local-grown influence of Whitney Young , George Wells Parker and Harry Haywood , as well as the leadership of Citizens Civic Committee for Civil Liberties (4CL), Creighton University 's DePorres Club , and the student-led Black Association For Nationalism Through Unity (BANTU). Mainstream organizations including the Urban League Of Nebraska also supported the movement. Their successes eventually led to the end of Redlining and racist neighborhood Covenants , as well as the implementation of a school Integration plan. 1950-1999 In 1955 the Omaha Cardinals joined the AAA American Association , and thrived until the late 1950s. That team folded in 1959. In 1961-62 the Omaha Dodgers were the farm team for the L.A. Dodgers , and after six years without a professional team, the Omaha Royals started in 1969. They have continued since. The 1960s saw the Omaha Stockyards become the world's largest livestock processing center, taking that distinction from Chicago's Union Stock Yards in the late 1950s. As improved truck and boxcar refrigeration capabilities encouraged the slaughtering process to move closer to feedlots, all centralized stockyard activity declined and the Omaha Stockyards were closed in 1999. The Omaha Tornado Of 1975 is another grim day in Omaha's past. An F4 Tornado ripped through neighborhoods along 72nd Street on May 6 , 1975 , killing 3 and injuring 133. In terms of damage, it was the most costly tornado in American history to that date, with damage estimates between $250 million and $500 million. In January 1975, the city was paralyzed by a devastating Blizzard which dumped several feet of snow on the city. 2000-PRESENT Omaha demolished a downtown district of brick warehouses called " Jobbers Canyon " in 1988, which was once listed in the National Register Of Historic Places . The delisting and demolition of Jobbers Canyon made way for the campus headquarters of ConAgra Foods and the city's Heartland of America Park. On August 20 , 2001 , Nebraska Methodist Health Systems demolished the Indian Hills Theater , a "super- Cinerama " Movie Theater containing the largest indoor screen of its type in the world. The location of the Indian Hills Theater now serves as a Parking Lot . The downtown area has experienced a resurgence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with several billion dollars of new construction. The new developments include the Qwest Center Omaha arena/convention center complex, the Holland Performing Arts Center , the Gallup University campus, The '' River City Star '' riverboat landing, National Park Service Midwest Region headquarters, new High-rise headquarters towers for First National Bank Of Omaha and Union Pacific Railroad and hundreds of Condominium units. The First National Bank of Omaha tower is the tallest building between Denver and Minneapolis , including its direct rival to the south, Kansas City , passing Its Tallest by 1ft. HISTORIC LANDMARKS See Also: Landmarks in Omaha, Nebraska Omaha has numerous historic landmarks that date from before the city's founding. The site of Fort Lisa and Cabanne's Trading Post , both located in the city's far northside, were first occupied in the early 1800s. Landmarks from the mid-1800s include Culter's Park , or "Winter Quarters" located in Florence, and Fontenelle's Post located south of the city. Downtown is the location of historical plaques marking the first building in Omaha and the first burial, and Historical Landmarks In North Omaha number in the dozens, including the former town of Saratoga . South Omaha , Dundee and Benson also have numerous historical landmarks. Kountze Park was the site of the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition . HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS OF OMAHA
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