History Nebraska

We’re a featured venue in Open Omaha 2024! Come visit the Gerald Ford Conservation Center on August 3rd for FREE!

Open Omaha is a weekend-long showcase of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro’s most fascinating spaces. Hosted by Omaha by Design, the event invites you to explore the places, projects, and stories that shape Omaha.

More about the Ford Center: https://history.nebraska.gov/conservation-center/

Since 1921, Nebraska's Big Rodeo in Burwell has welcomed many rodeo champions and stars onto its historic rodeo grounds. The celebration begins this week!

Do you have plans to attend?

Marker Text: https://history.nebraska.gov/marker-monday-nebraskas-big-rodeo/

The Nebraska State Preservation Office is pleased to announce three new National Register of Historic Places listings in Nebraska.
• Neligh Carnegie Library in Neligh
• First United Methodist Church in Lincoln
• Omaha Fire Department No. 5

To view the full application and to see images of the historic places visit https://history.nebraska.gov/historic-preservation/national-register-historic-places/

Next Tuesday, the Nebraska History Museum welcomes Pulitzer Prize Finalist Gregg Jones to discuss his new book, "Most Honorable Son" the first biography of Ben Kuroki.

Available to the public on July 24th, the museum will be the only location with advanced copies for sale. Event registration is $10 and History Nebraska members save 25%.

Please pre-register to reserve your seat using the link below.
https://secure.everyaction.com/AUBK1JUs80Gv9L68Q0OeeA2

Tomorrow marks the 55th anniversary when Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the Moon. Days following, news outlets nationwide reacted to this historical event including Nebraskan newspapers.

To read the remarks made: https://bit.ly/4cB0aXP

Ten of the twenty-three buffalo soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for actions in frontier conflicts or the Cuban Campaign of 1898 served at Fort Robinson.

This week, discover some of these heroes and how they earned the Medal of Honor.

Listen on your favorite podcast platform or at https://history.nebraska.gov/podcast/.

In May 1936, photographer Arthur Rothstein traveled across Nebraska to document the beginnings of the Resettlement Administration, a New Deal agency that relocated unemployed rural and urban families to planned cooperative communities.

Although the administration wasn't long-lasting, Rothstein’s Depression-era work launched his career as one of America's most renowned photojournalists. https://bit.ly/46nH4lP

📷: "Western hospitality," Chadron, Nebraska. Photo by Arthur Rothstein, May 1936. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

This is Lou. His story is one of many shared in "Portraits of Survival: By David Radler" featuring Holocaust Survivors who made a life in Nebraska, currently on display.

Lou was born in the Netherlands in 1931. Not long after his family went into hiding in 1942, they were discovered by the N***s. Lou escaped and was separated from his parents, who were captured. Wandering on his own, he was caught and handed over to the Dutch Resistance who cared for him until the end of the war.

Lou eventually moved to Israel, worked for several companies, and studied engineering at the Technion in Haifa. After completing his PhD at Purdue University, Lou worked for NASA, the US Army, and in Israel. He joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1975. Even after retirement, Lou worked as a curator in a museum and lectured on the Holocaust until his death in 2015.

To learn more about the exhibit: https://history.nebraska.gov/exhibits/portraits-of-survival-photographs-by-david-radler/

July 17, 1940—It was all in the details...

The Chris Beck Tire and Rubber Company building was on the northeast corner of 12th and P Streets in Lincoln, Nebraska, the present location of Swanson Russell.

📷: MacDonald Studio Collection RG2183-717-1

July 16, 1943 – The U.S. Army announced that the Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant at Fort Crook (now Offutt Air Force Base) would build the new B-29 Boeing Superfortress.

Two years later, one of these B-29s, the "Enola Gay," dropped the first atomic warfare bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

Did you know the Nebraska History Museum will be the only location with advanced copies of "Most Honorable Son" by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Gregg Jones?

On July 23rd, Jones will discuss his new book that brings to life Ben Kuroki's experiences during World War II as a Japanese American from Nebraska. Copies will be available for sale in the gift shop and a book signing will follow.

Event registration is $10 and History Nebraska members save 25%. Please pre-register to reserve your seat at the link below.
https://secure.everyaction.com/AUBK1JUs80Gv9L68Q0OeeA2

During the height of the Cold War, a perceived “missile gap” led to the massive construction of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) sites in the United States in the early 1960s.

Atlas D, near Ashland, was one of America's first missile sites.
https://history.nebraska.gov/marker-monday-atlas-d-missile-site-a/

In 1861, "Wild Bill" Hickock killed David McCanles in a dispute at Rock Creek Station in Jefferson County, Nebraska launching the legend of the famed frontiersman.

https://history.nebraska.gov/weird-wednesday-wild-bill-james-hickok-legend-is-born/

The man, the myth, the legend! Happy 163rd birthday to Senator George Norris—Father of the Nebraska Unicameral and Rural Electrification Act! 🎉🎂

Did you know you can visit Norris's McCook home? It's true!
https://history.nebraska.gov/senator-george-norris-state-historic-site/

On July 23rd, the Nebraska History Museum welcomes Pulitzer Prize Finalist Gregg Jones to discuss his new book, "Most Honorable Son" the first biography of Ben Kuroki.

Available to the public on July 24th, the museum will be the only location with advanced copies for sale. Event registration is $10 and History Nebraska members save 25%. Please pre-register to reserve your seat at the link below.

More details: https://history.nebraska.gov/event/history-unveiled-most-honorable-son

James Bird was one of about 75 members of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska to enlist in the Company "A" Scouts of the 1st Nebraska Volunteers during the Civil War.

Upon the veterans' return in the summer of 1866, a homecoming celebration was held and has been annually to commemorate Chief Little Priest and the Scouts.

John Vachon (1914-1975) was not yet a famous photographer when he arrived in Omaha in October 1938. It was his first extensive solo trip shooting photos for the U.S. government’s Farm Security Administration. Partly as a way to build support for the New Deal, the agency was creating a nationwide pictorial record of the Great Depression.

Vachon’s supervisor gave the 24-year-old a great deal of leeway in the Omaha assignment. Vachon recognized the opportunity he had been given: “For the past year, I had been sedulously aping the masters. And in Omaha, I realized that I had developed my own style with the camera. I knew that I would photograph only what pleased me or astonished my eye, and only in the way I saw it.”

Read "The Great Depression through John Vachon’s Lens": https://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2024/06/john-vachon/

📝: David L. Bristow, History Nebraska
📷: Library of Congress | "Unemployed man in Omaha, Nebraska"

This campaign pin might be a bit inscrutable now, but it made quite a buzz during the 1896 presidential election.

That year, Nebraska's very own William Jennings Bryan was campaigning and at issue were matters of silver and gold.

https://history.nebraska.gov/the-silver-bugs-of-1896/

Justin Haag, Nebraskaland Magazine captured some amazing photos of the Buffalo Soldiers of the American West over the weekend!

If you're interested in learning more about the Buffalo Soldiers and Fort Robinson, Fort Robinson State Park offers many opportunities for history buffs including the Fort Robinson History Center (open daily 9AM-4PM), exhibit buildings, and the University of Nebraska Trailside Museum.

https://history.nebraska.gov/fort-robinson-history-center/

A few images from this weekend’s appearance by the Buffalo Soldiers of the American West, a not-for-profit organization that exists to educate the public about the historical significance of the Ninth and 10th cavalries of the U.S. Army. The regiments, which consisted almost entirely of Black soldiers, were garrisoned at Fort Robinson at different times. The Ninth was there from 1887-1898 and the 10th in 1902-1907.

The show not only featured horseback riders in cavalry uniforms — always a fitting sight at Fort Robinson — but also conveyed interesting historical tidbits. I learned, for instance, that some uncertainty exists about why Native Americans gave the soldiers their unofficial name. From the organization’s website:

“The name ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ has become interesting lore in itself. There seem to be three possible reasons for the name. One, it is said that the curly hair of the soldiers reminded them of the buffalo. Two, they were given the name because their fierce, brave nature reminded them of the way buffalos fought. Third, it may have been because they wore thick coats made from buffalo hide during winter. Whatever the reason, the term was used respectfully and with honor.”

The soldiers were an important part of the fort’s 150-year history and continue to receive respect and honor at Fort Robinson State Park through its primary facility for big meetings and indoor events, the Buffalo Soldiers Barracks. The reconstructed building, which features displays about the soldiers, opened in 2003.

📍 Fort Robinson State Park, July 6, 2024

What a crowd! 🤩 Thanks to everyone who joined us and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at Fort Robinson State Park in welcoming the Buffalo Soldiers of the American West for the Fort's 150th anniversary!

Thanks to Christine A., we have a new photo for the Nebraska historical marker describing the history and recovery of World War II Japanese balloon bombs in Sheridan County.

You too can have your historical marker photo shared! Submit your masterpiece at https://history.nebraska.gov/nebraska-historical-marker-photo-submission/.

Marker text: https://history.nebraska.gov/marker-monday-japanese-balloon-bombs/

The first European settlers of Hall County, Nebraska, nearly all German immigrants, arrived on July 5, 1857.

The O.K. Store, located near the Mormon Trail, was opened in 1862. It was the first frame building in what would become Grand Island, Nebraska.

Nebraskans in the 1910s knew how to show off their patriotic spirit with star-spangled clothing. How are you celebrating the Fourth of July?

📷: John Nelson Collection RG3542, c. 1910.

To mark the 100th birthday of the United States, the young state of Nebraska made a creditable showing among other states, territories, and countries at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia.

Although, it was not all smooth sailing...

Available tomorrow at 6am CT. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or at https://history.nebraska.gov/podcast/.

History Nebraska HQ and the Nebraska History Museum will be closed tomorrow in recognition of the Fourth of July holiday.

Our sites at Chimney Rock, Fort Robinson, and Neligh Mill will be open! https://history.nebraska.gov/explore/

We hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!

This weekend, witness living history with the Buffalo Soldiers of the American West through a historical cavalry demonstration on July 6th and 7th!

Nicknamed "Buffalo Soldiers," segregated black soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry garrisoned Fort Robinson for over a decade. Their notable role in American history will be highlighted during Fort Robinson's 150th anniversary.

To learn more, visit https://history.nebraska.gov/event/buffalo-soldiers-of-the-american-west-demonstration/.

126 years ago—The N. Pearson family stood amongst livestock and hired hands on their ranch in northwest Nebraska on July 2, 1898.

📷: George E. Condra Collection, RG3474-2303.

Starting today, if your family receives food assistance (SNAP) benefits, you pay just $2 per adult and $1 per child with presentation of an EBT card when you visit the Nebraska History Museum, Chimney Rock Museum, and Fort Robinson History Center.

Similar free and reduced admission is available to eligible members of the public at more than 850 museums across the country. The Museums for All program is part of History Nebraska’s broad commitment to seek, include, and welcome all audiences.

See a full list of Museums participating in this program and learn more at Museums4All.org.

Did you know Sutton, Nebraska was the hometown of a nationally renowned political cartoonist? We joined Pure Nebraska to discuss more...

History Nebraska: Sutton native became nationally renowned political cartoonist Pure Nebraska