NEBRASKA STATE HISTORY

American Explorers

The first American expedition to visit Nebraska in 1804 to 1806 was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who traveled up the Missouri River and explored the state's eastern edge. In 1806, Lt. Zebulon Pike visited south-central Nebraska as part of a U.S. government program to explore the Louisiana Purchase.

The Spanish-American trader Manuel Lisa established trading posts along the Missouri River between 1807 and 1820. One established in 1812 was near the site where Lewis and Clark held council with the Indians, in present-day Washington County.

In 1811, the Hunt party of Astorians skirted Nebraska on its way to Oregon. The following year, fur agent Robert Stuart set out for New York City from the Astoria trading post in Oregon, entering Nebraska early in 1813. Stuart's seven-man party followed the North Platte River to its junction with the South Platte, then along the Platte to the Missouri River. This route later came to be known as the Oregon Trail.

In 1819, the U.S. Army established Nebraska's first military post, Fort Atkinson (located near the present-day community of Fort Calhoun in Washington County) to protect the frontier. The fort, with more than 1,000 people, also became the site of Nebraska's first school, library, grist mill and brickyard before it was abandoned in 1827. The village of Bellevue, founded on the Missouri River in 1823, became Nebraska's first permanent white settlement.

In 1820, Maj. Stephen Long, with a 20-man party, traveled from the Missouri River up the Platte River, to the South Platte headwaters near Denver, Colo. In his reports, Long described the land including western Nebraska a "barren and uncongenial district," and " almost wholly unfit for cultivation, and of course uninhabitable by a people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence." A map drawn by the cartographer of Long's expedition labeled the region a "Great Desert."

Missionaries

The Rev. Moses Merrill and his wife, Eliza Wilcox Merrill, were the first resident missionaries to the Nebraska Indians. They arrived in Bellevue in 1833 and continued their work until Rev. Merrill's death in 1840. The Rev. Samuel Allis and the Rev. John Dunbar, who arrived in Bellevue in 1834, served as missionaries to the Pawnee tribe for 12 years. Father De Smet, a Catholic missionary, came to Nebraska in 1835, ministering to Indians west of the Missouri River for 35 years.

The "Great Migration"

In the early 1830s, Nebraska's Platte River valley began to play an important role in the "Great Migration," the westward movement of thousands of pioneers. They followed trails crossing Nebraska, including:

the Oregon Trail, which followed the Little Blue and Platte River valleys

the Mormon Trail, which started from present-day Omaha and and traveled along the north bank of the Platte River

the Denver Trail, which extended from the Missouri River to Denver the "steam wagon road" or Nebraska City Cut-Off, which led from Nebraska City up the West Blue River to the Platte River and on to Denver

These trails were traveled extensively until railroad construction reached the Pacific coast. Between April 3, 1860, and October 24, 1861, Pony Express riders also followed the Platte River valley, carrying mail to the west coast. Fort Kearny was established near the present-day city of Kearney to protect travelers crossing Nebraska along trails.

In 1832, the steamboat Yellowstone began the first annual fur-trading voyages up the Missouri River, stopping at points along the Nebraska border. Steamboats were important forms of transportation until the construction of railroads in the 1860s, with 40 to 50 steamboats involved in river trade.

Until Nebraska became part of the Nebraska Territory in 1854, the U.S. government designated the area as Indian country, refusing to allow white families to settle there. Between 1830 and 1854, rugged frontier conditions prevailed in the state. The only two white settlements of any size were Fort Kearny and Bellevue.

Ft. Kearny, near the present-day city of Kearney, was founded in September of 1848. Yet this early military outpost was not the first Ft. Kearny in Nebraska. Two years earlier, the original Ft. Kearney had been located on the Missouri, in what is now downtown Nebraska City. The first fort had as its purpose the protection of traffic on the overland trail. Soon most of that traffic bypassed the Missouri location, so a new site was selected some 97 miles further west. The new Ft. Kearny rapidly developed into one of the most important stops on the way West. Literally thousands of emigrants passed by it each year. Ft. Kearny was viewed as the jumping-off place to the great unknown. The route to the east was fairly safe and settled, but west of the Fort lay Indian country, and the geographic wonders of the West. By 1871, railroad lines connected the country, and the Indian troubles had moved further west. Ft. Kearny was abandoned, having served its purpose well. .

Nebraska Territory

The word "Nebraska" first began to appear in publications of 1842, when Lt. John C. Fremont explored the plains and mountains of the western U.S. His report mentions the "Nebraska River," the Oto Indian name for the Platte River. The term was taken from the Oto word "Nebrathka" meaning "flat water." U.S. Secretary of War William Wilkins, in his report of Nov. 30, 1844, stated: "The Platte or Nebraska River being the central stream would very properly furnish a name to the (proposed) territory."

The first bill to organize the new Nebraska Territory, introduced in Congress on Dec. 17, 1844, by Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas, failed to pass. Another attempt for statehood was denied because of the territory's laws on disenfranchisements. A fourth bill, called the Kansas-Nebraska Act, was passed after a long, bitter struggle and signed by President Franklin Pierce on May 30, 1854. The struggle between the slave and free states for control in the Nebraska region gave rise to the Republican Party and caused border conflicts before the Civil War. Slaves were first bought and sold in the 1850s in Nebraska City and at one time, the Underground Railroad operated in Nebraska.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act officially created the Kansas and Nebraska territories, opening the area to settlement west of the Missouri River. The Nebraska Territory's boundaries extended from the 40th parallel of the Canadian border and from the Missouri River to the Continental Divide, including parts of present-day Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado, as well as Nebraska. By 1863, Congress created several more new territories from this region, reducing the Nebraska Territory to about the state's present size.

President Pierce appointed Francis Burt of South Carolina as the first governor of the Nebraska Territory. When Burt died two days after his inauguration on Jan. 16, 1854, the territory's secretary of state, Thomas Cuming, became acting governor. Cuming organized the territorial government and took a census so that legislative elections could be held.

In 1856 the New York Times gave this description of the Legislature: "It is a decidedly rich treat to visit the general assemble of Nebraska. You see a motley group in a small room, crowded to overflowing, some behind their little school-boy desks, some seated on top, some with feet perched on their neighbor's chair or desk, some whittling, half a dozen walking about. A lobbyist stalks inside the bar, and from one to the other he goes, talking the advantage of his bill. A fight starts up in the Secretary's room and away goes the honorable body to see the fun. Then a thirsty member moves an adjournment and in a few minutes the drinking saloons are well patronized." Some cynical observers might wonder if the old adage is true, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." .

A struggle between the new town of Omaha and the old town of Bellevue to be the territorial capital was decided in favor of Omaha by Cuming, who called the first session of the legislature to meet there. However, the issue was not settled until Nebraska achieved statehood in 1867, when the capital was moved to Lancaster, now known as Lincoln.

During Nebraska's early territorial days, settling the countryside, land and currency laws, the proposed transcontinental railroad, the capital's location, the rivalry between north and south regions of the Platte River, the Republican Party formation and the defeat of the first efforts to make Nebraska a state were the prevalent issues of the time. The territories population grew 2,732 in November 1854 to 28,841 in 1860.

When Nebraska territory opened to settlement in 1854, mail was delivered haphazardly. Anyone crossing the Missouri, usually on their own business, might be asked to carry the mail. When there were enough settlers to justify the expense, a contract for mail service was awarded to John B. Bennet and his brother, William. The contract provided for mail to be carried from northeast Kansas to the mouth of the Iowa River, northwest of Sioux City. The Bennets received $3500 a year for the service. Settlements had their own postmasters--usually anyone responsible who could be convinced to bother with the duties. Pay depended on the number of stamps cancelled at the post office. 20 or 25 dollars a year was average. Mail might be kept in a cigar box, or even an old hat. Once a month a long list of "uncalled for" letters would appear in the local paper. By the 1870s, many places had postmistresses. Few men wanted to bother with the position. But the job was ideal for women because they could locate the post office in their homes-- often dugouts or soddies. No home delivery--everyone came to the post office to get the mail.

Overland freighting was a major business in the days of Nebraska territory. Gold-mining settlements in Colorado and Montana imported most of their goods via Nebraska, and were willing to pay high prices. No railroads had yet been built, so wagon trains hauled the freight. Special wagons were constructed for crossing the Plains. They were wide-tracked, heavy-tired, and used five or six yoke of oxen. A wagon load averaged about seven thousand pounds. A freight train usually consisted of twenty-six wagons. Trains traveled an average of 17 or 18 miles a day. Freight loads ranged from corn, to the cats miners desperately needed to control their mice population. Staples such as flour, sugar, salt, bacon, coffee, and whiskey made up the common loads. Enterprising freighters often manufactured their own liquor to supplement the load. Freighting remained an important part of the Nebraska economy until the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.

Impact of the Civil War and Railroad Construction

The election of Abraham Lincoln as president and the Civil War which followed had a definite impact on Nebraska's development. The 1st Nebraska Cavalry, under Brig. Gen. John M. Thayer, was raised for service in the Union Army. Nebraska's entry into the Union was delayed until after the Civil War ended.

In 1865, the Union Pacific Railroad began building a line extending westward from Omaha, which stretched across Nebraska two years later. By the mid-1880s, the Burlington Railroad lines crisscrossed the state. Many railroads received land grants from state and federal governments to offset construction costs. These lands were sold to new settlers through extensive advertising campaigns. The railroads sent company representatives and pamphlets, which included glowing descriptions of Nebraska's farmland, to people in the east and even Europe. These campaigns, plus an influx of discharged Civil War veterans seeking land, helped swell Nebraska's population to 122,993 by 1870.

Statehood

In early 1867, Congress passed an act admitting Nebraska to the Union, provided that certain changes were made in its constitution. President Andrew Johnson, convinced that this stipulation violated the U.S. Constitution, vetoed the act, but Congress overrode his veto. Johnson, a Democrat, also did not want Nebraska admitted to the Union because the territory had a Republican majority.

Nebraska joined the Union as the 37th state on March 1, 1867. The people elected David Butler as the first governor and the state capital was moved to Lincoln on July 29. A state university and agriculture college were established on Feb. 15, 1869. In 1872, Nebraska became the first state to celebrate Arbor Day - a special day for planting trees - largely due to the efforts of Nebraska City publisher J. Sterling Morton.

Arbor Day is the holiday Nebraska gave to the world. The first celebration of Arbor Day took place April 10, 1872. J. Sterling Morton, the holiday's founder, and the State Board of Agriculture offered as a prize, "a farm library of twenty five dollars worth of books to the person who, on that day, shall plant properly, in Nebraska, the greatest number of trees." Nearly a million trees were planted that first Arbor Day. The winner of the prize was one J.D. Smith, who planted an unbelievable 35,500 trees in one day. In 1875, Governor Robert Furnas declared April 8th Arbor Day. Ten years later the legislature designated April 22, J. Sterling Morton's birthday, as Arbor Day. The day became a legal holiday that year. Arbor Day is now observed in nearly all the states and U.S. Territories, and has spread to foreign countries as well. It is a unique holiday because, in the words of its founder, "Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future." .

Peru State College is Nebraska's oldest institution of higher learning, and the only one chartered in territorial days. Peru Seminary, an institution of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was chartered in 1860. The school existed in name only until 1865, when the Methodists of Peru obtained pledges for $10,000 and 60 acres of land. The first cornerstone was laid in 1866, but building delays forced the first classes to be held in rented structures. Peru's early days were filled with challenges. Many pledges were never paid, and funds were exhausted before the new building was roofed. New faculty and trustees tarred a makeshift roof themselves. They were better teachers than roofers: some sections of the roof leaked terribly, while other parts were blown away by strong winds. The trustees offered the school to the territory. An appropriation of $3,000 finished the building, purchased equipment, and enabled Peru to open in 1867 as Nebraska's first state normal school.

Hard Times

Nebraska's people have always been one of the state's greatest resources. One early Nebraska promoter, L.D. Burch, had this to say about our citizenry in 1878: "The people of Nebraska represent the best intelligence, working power, faith, and ambition of the country. If any easterner fancies these people a race of stupidities, living a sort of semi- barbarous life on the confines of the 'Great American Desert' a six week's tour of this beautiful prairie State will effectually take the conceit out of him." "The whole State is settled by strong, self-asserting men who know the value of opportunity. If they give less consequence to conventional etiquette, gold and empty pretense, and have a higher appreciation for character, action and working power than their Eastern friends, the difference is clearly in their favor. It is the Western habit to measure men by what they do rather than by what they were before they came here. The superficial man stands no chance among this people of quick, clear perceptions and close discrimination. Taken as a whole, the average Nebraskan leads a much more rational and satisfactory life than his friends of the older states." .

Beginning in 1873, the state's growth and development were slowed by a combination of problems. Between 1874 and 1877, swarms of grasshoppers severely damaged farmers' oat, barley, corn and wheat crops. Discouraged, many settlers left their land and returned to the East. However, another wave of settlers took their place in the 1880s.

Nebraska settlers were tested by falling land prices in the 1890s. Land prices, which had soared during the 1880s, collapsed in 1890 due to drought, overuse of credit, and low prices for farmers' products.

The farmers blamed the railroads, banks and other business interests for their problems. Many farmers joined the new Grange organization, which opposed high freight costs imposed by the railroads.

After Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, its use rapidly spread across the country. In May 1879, the Omaha Electrical Company formed to operate a telephone exchange. In one month's time the company established an exchange and put up poles and wires along principal streets of the city. At first there were about 70 subscribers, but by 1882 the number had increased to 200. The company boasted 260 miles of wire in the city and 13 employees. Fremont installed a few phones as early as 1880. Two years later there were 66 subscribers to the phone system in Hastings. Monthly rates were $3.50 for business phones and $2.50 for residential service. Once local communities organized to meet their own needs, they combined efforts to provide long-distance service. In July of 1883 the American District Telephone Company was organized. This company ran toll lines, connecting many cities in southeastern Nebraska. Connections on these lines were hardly clear as a bell.

Nebraska farmers also swelled the ranks of the Populist Party, which advocated agricultural reforms. The Populists nearly carried the state in the presidential election of 1892, and from 1895 through 1901, they held the governor's office.

Nebraska also supplied national leadership for the Populist movement. In 1896, Nebraskan William Jennings Bryan unsuccessfully ran for president as a Democrat on an essentially Populist platform. Although he was nominated twice more as the Democratic presidential candidate, he was not elected. He did, however, win election to Congress and served as U.S. secretary of state.

African-Americans in Nebraska after the Civil War

Following the Civil War, African-Americans began to establish themselves in Nebraska. In 1860, there were an estimated 82 African-Americans living in the state. By 1900 that number had risen to 6,269. Most African-Americans moved to Omaha, where chances were greater of finding work. Most opportunities for employment were found with the railroads, packing houses or other labor fields. The 1910 census, however, states that one physician and surgeon, 25 musicians and teachers of music and 14 clergymen of African-American descent lived in Nebraska.

History books indicate that African-Americans contributed to the settlement of Nebraska. In 1870, Robert Anderson was the first African-American to homestead in Box Butte County. Other homesteaders included L.B. Mattingly who resided near David City, and David Patrick, who lived in Hamilton County.

Robert Ball Anderson was like a lot of pioneers in Western Nebraska. He started out by staking a claim on government land near Hemingford. Like many of his neighbors, he proved up on his claim, worked hard, and hung on during the hard times. Like other successful ranchers, he gradually built up his holdings, buying out neighbors who went broke or quit. When he died in 1930 at the age of 87, Robert Ball Anderson left behind a large herd of cattle and horses, and a 2,000 acre ranch. In some ways, Robert Anderson was a typical pioneer. But in one important way, he was different. Robert Anderson was born a slave in Green County Kentucky. During the Civil War he escaped and joined the Union Army. Coming to Nebraska in 1879, Anderson faced the myriad of challenges all settlers encountered. His determination and perseverance enabled him to meet those challenges, and become a respected member of the Hemingford community. At the time of his death, Robert Anderson was the largest black landholder in Nebraska. .

African-American organizations began to crop up in Omaha such as the Women's Club in 1895 and newspapers such as the Progress, the Afro-American Sentinel, and The Enterprise in the 1880s and 1890s. Early African-American churches in Omaha included St. John AME Church, St. Phillip the Deacon, and the Zion Baptist Church.

Many African-Americans from this area distinquished themselves in public life: Dr. Matthew O. Ricketts was the first African- American to serve in the Nebraska Legislature in 1892; Silas Robbins was the first African-American to be admitted to the Nebraska State Bar Association in 1895; and Clarence W. Wigington was the first African-American to design a home in Nebraska.

Settlement of Western Nebraska

The development of irrigation and new dry land farming methods during the 1890s and early 1900s greatly contributed to the settlement of western Nebraska. Congress passed the Reclamation Act of 1902, which earmarked federal aid for irrigation projects. New crops, such as winter wheat, alfalfa and sugar beets, also helped make farming a viable venture in this part of the state.

Bessey National Forest was originally a forest without trees. It is the only forest in the national system that is planted, rather than natural. Dr. Charles Bessey, botanist at the University of Nebraska, believed the sandhills could grow trees. Bessey had seen trees successfully cultivated in the sand dune regions of his native Michigan. With his colleague Professor Bruner, he began planting trees in Holt County in 1891. Ten years passed. Bessey was sure the trees had died, but a government surveyor found them 18 to 20 feet high. This success led to the establishment of forest reservations in Thomas and Cherry County the next year. Bessey National Forest is located between the Dismal and Middle Loup rivers, in an area once described as, "the worst portion of the hills." Tress are still planted, rather than propagating naturally, but Bessey's dream of a forest in the desert has come true. 

Settlers wishing to farm in western Nebraska were frequently opposed, often with armed violence, by ranchers who had preceded them. The farmers rejoiced when Congress passed the Kinkaid Act, which provided for 640-acre homesteads in western Nebraska. The act triggered a new population boom in the Sandhills area. But when the new settlers found much of the land unsuitable for farming, they sold their homesteads to cattle ranchers.

Turn-of-the-century advertisements show us the wide variety of automobiles which were available to Nebraskans. But a look at vehicle registrations shows us what early motorists actually drove, and who the pioneers of the highways were. Oldsmobiles, Fords, and Cadillacs are among the familiar makes listed. Reos, and Maxwells were also favorites with Nebraskans, along with Jeffreys and Ramblers. Some cars were "do-it-yourself" projects built from mail-order kits. Leslie Cushman of Lincoln registered a 1 & 1/2 horse power car of his own make in 1907. He would have been blown off the road by Gould Dietz's 40 horse power Thomas, purchased direct from the factory for 3,000 dollars. Nebraska doctors were among the earliest auto enthusiasts. Dr. D.H. Shall of Berlin was typical of these modern physicians as he motored to his housecalls in his shiny Locomobile. Surprisingly, many early car owners had two-car families. The second, usually smaller vehicle was registered in the wife's name. Frank Young of Broken Bow drove the twelve horsepower Stanley Steamer, while his wife buzzed around town in a 4 1/2 horsepower Olds

World War I and the Great Depression

World War I made a notable impact on life in Nebraska. The state furnished 47,801 men for the war, with about 1,000 soldiers killed in the line of duty. The state also gave about $300 million to war causes. Nebraska also contributed food to the war effort. Demand for the state's farm products brought new economic prosperity.

But when the war was over, the economic boom collapsed. The 1929 stock market crash caused farm prices to fall even further. The Great Depression which followed, together with a severe drought which hit the Midwest, created economic disaster for farmers. Many faced bankruptcy and loss of their land to banks and insurance companies.

However, some farmers refused to give up their land. By 1932, conditions had become so desperate that groups of farmers began preventing foreclosures by threatening physical violence at public land sales. Sympathetic sheriffs often refused to carry out court orders for the public sale of land marked for foreclosure. In 1933, Gov. Charles Bryan imposed a moratorium on farm foreclosures. Federal aid came to Nebraska farmers through New Deal long-term, low-interest loans and other relief programs.

Progressive Legislation

Many progressive laws were enacted in Nebraska between 1890 and 1940. Among the measures adopted were provisions for the Australian ballot, direct primary election, and initiative and referendum. The state's educational system was greatly expanded. High school education was made available to all students, and a public-ownership-of-textbooks law was passed. A state highway system was built from money raised by a new gasoline tax and federal aid. During the 1930s, the state enacted Social Security legislation and imposed new liquor and head taxes, along with other gasoline taxes, to furnish funds for state aid. Another significant development during this period was the creation of a unicameral (one-house) legislature, the first of its kind in the nation.

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