Mari Sandoz (1896-1966), Nebraska historian and novelist, lived at this site, 1226 J Street, from 1925 to 1937. Here in 1928, she began writing Old Jules, the biography of her father. From the J Street curb, she often wrote and watched construction of the capitol, completed in 1932. That same year, Sandoz submitted Old Jules to the Atlantic Monthly Press nonfiction contest, but it was rejected seven months later. Frustrated, she burned over 70 short stories behind the house, and in January 1934, Sandoz began work for the Nebraska State Historical Society on the ninth floor of the capitol. In 1935, Sandoz revised Old Jules for the Atlantic Press contest. Two days before the deadline, the manuscript fell into a scrub bucket, but Sandoz managed to retype it with the help of friends. Then on June 13, 1935, Sandoz received a telegram at the capitol. Old Jules won the first-place, $5,000 prize. Its subsequent publication launched Sandoz' prolific writing career.
]]>William Frederick Cody (1846-1917), known to the world a "Buffalo Bill," was the most noted Nebraskan of his day. The Many national and European tours of his various "Wild West" exhibitions made him the living symbol of the American West. Cody came to Nebraska in 1869 as guide and scout for the 5th Cavalry at nearby Fort McPherson. He also served as guide for the wealthy and famous on buffalo hunts. Buffalo Bill first went on the stage in 1872, and he formed his first "Wild West" in 1883. He was also involved in ranching and farming, and he was a pioneer in the development of irrigation in both Nebraska and Wyoming Scout's Rest was built for Buffalo Bill in 1886 as a place to relax between show tours. Here he entertained in elaborate style his famous contemporaries as well as his old friends of frontier days. Scout's Rest was named to the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 1978. The house is in Second Empire style with Italianate and Eastlake features; it cost $3,900. The rear addition was added in 1909.
]]>With the discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountains in the late 1850's, overland freighting and travel intensified. Every few miles westward along the trails, enterprising individuals established road ranches which offered lodgings and provisions to travelers. A variety of goods was available: the Cheese Creek Ranche in eastern Nebraska was named for its main product; the Freeman Ranche at Plum Creek was noted for fresh bread and milk. Some ranches, like McDonald's at Cottonwood Springs, presented such delicacies as fresh pineapple and imported French wines. Many ranches, however, were scorned because of their poor service and unsanitary conditions. Even when located within walking distance of neighbors, ranche personnel felt isolated and endangered. Many ranches were burned during the Indian trouble of the mid-1860's, and some ranchers and their families were killed or taken prisoner. Ranchers who were not discouraged by the hazardous trail life often became prominent in Nebraska's history. James Boyd, once a road rancher, became governor of the state. When the Union Pacific Railroad built through the area in 1866 and 1867, overland freighting and stage travel ended, hastening the disappearance of the colorful road ranches.
]]>A few miles west of here on the south side of the Platte River is the site of Fort McPherson, 1863-1880. During the Indian troubles of the middle 1860's, troops of the post were occupied in keeping the telegraph lines in operation and the mail and stage lines running. When the Union Pacific Railroad reached this area in late 1866, the military played an important role in guarding construction crews. Early in 1867 the town of North Platte was established fifteen miles west of the fort. The town was located on the watershed just above the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers, and was designated a division point for the railroad. Two brick roundhouses were among the first buildings in the village. Many frontier and military figures are important in the history of both the fort and the town. Although the fort was totally razed after its abandonment, the Fort McPherson National Cemetery is located on a part of the old military reservation. It is the resting place of hundreds of soldiers from various western military posts, as well as servicemen from later wars. North Platte, now grown into one of Nebraska's major trading centers, still retains a lively interest in the exciting history of the region.
]]>This is the Platte River Valley, America's great road west. It provided a natural pathway for westward expansion across the continent during the nineteenth century. Here passed the Oregon Trail, following the South Platte River along much the same route as the highway over which you now travel. Beginning in 1841, nearly 250,000 travelers crossed the plains to Oregon and California over this important overland route. Here at O'Fallon's Bluffs, the wagon trains faced one of the most difficult and dangerous spots on the trail. The Platte River cut directly against the bluff, making it necessary to travel the narrow roadway over O'Fallon's Bluffs. Deep sand caught the wagon wheels, and Indian attacks were always a danger. A few feet southeast of this point, ruts made by thousands of wagon wheels still remain. Although first traveled primarily by immigrants, the trail was later used by the Pony Express and became an important freight and military route. With the completion of the trans-continental railroad across Nebraska in 1867, travel on the trail declined. Although the dangers and hardships faced by early travelers no longer exist, the Great Platte Valley route remains an important modern thoroughfare across Nebraska and across the nation.
]]>This is the Platte River Valley, America's great road west. It provided a natural pathway for westward expansion across the continent during the nineteenth century. Here passed the Oregon Trail, following the South Platte River along much the same route as the highway over which you now travel. Beginning in 1841, nearly 250,000 travelers crossed the plains to Oregon and California over this important overland route. Here at O'Fallon's Bluffs, the wagon trains faced one of the most difficult and dangerous spots on the trail. The Platte River cut directly against the bluff, making it necessary to travel the narrow roadway over O'Fallon's Bluffs. Deep sand caught the wagon wheels, and Indian attacks were always a danger. A few feet southeast of this point, ruts made by thousands of wagon wheels still remain. Although first traveled primarily by immigrants, the trail was later used by the Pony Express and became an important freight and military route. With the completion of the trans-continental railroad across Nebraska in 1867, travel on the trail declined. Although the dangers and hardships faced by early travelers no longer exist, the Great Platte Valley route remains an important modern thoroughfare across Nebraska and across the nation.
]]>Beneath this platform, evidence of the great westward migration still remains. These shallow depressions were once deep ruts created by thousands of hooves, shoes and wheels. The Overland Trail is often visualized as a single, well-defined roadway. However, except in narrow spots such as this, the actual route through the Platte Valley during any given year varied considerably, depending upon such factors as soil conditions and the availability of grass for the animals. Traveling an average of fifteen to twenty miles a day in various conveyances, the emigrants spent from four to six months on the trail during the long trek from the Missouri River to Oregon or California. At best, the journey was arduous, often marked only by the dusty monotony of daily routine. At other times, disease and Indian attacks were very real dangers, and the number of fresh graves along the road bore testimony to the sacrifices made by many pioneers. Some emigrants were better equipped than others, some were wiser, some were simply luckier; but all suffered weariness, hardship and danger. However, as the many overland diaries and letters testify, this was a great human experience, one which was vital to the settlement of the West.
]]>Sioux Lookout, the highest point in Lincoln County, was a prominent landmark on the overland trials. From its lofty summit the development of the West unfolded before the eyes of the Sioux and other Indians. Trappers and traders came by here in 1813, the first wagon train in 1830, and the first missionary in 1834. In 1836 Narcissa Whitman and Elizabeth Spalding became the first white women to travel the trail. During the Indian War of 1864-1865, its prominence gave a clear view of troop and Indian movements below.
Gold seekers enroute to California, homesteaders seeking free land in the West and a religious people seeking a haven in Utah--all are part of the history of this valley. Here echoed the hooves of the Pony Express. From 1840 to 1866 some 2,500,000 people traveled the valley, engraving into the sod a wide, deep trail. Indians called the route "The Great Medicine Road of the Whites." In 1869 the transcontinental railroad was completed, ending much of the trail travel. Yet even today, the valley with its ribbons of concrete remains the Great Platte River Road to the West.
]]>The North Bottoms neighborhood was settled by Germans from Russia beginning in the 1870s. During the preceding century they had colonized in Russia, attracted by offers of free land, military exemption, and political autonomy. In 1871, when the Czar revoked these privileges, a flood of German emigration to the Americas began.
Immigrants were drawn to the Great Plains by land and jobs. Lincoln became a majordestination. Here most took residence along the bottom lands of Salt Creek, where frequent flooding diminished land values and rail yards offered employment. Settler from the same villages clustered together, creating a distinct neighborhood.
The North Bottoms ethnic enclave developed its own businesses, social groups, churches, and schools. Small houses on long, narrow lots followed either Old World models or the new American styles. In the backyards, chicken coops, tiny barns, and summer kitchens recalled the old country agricultural community. Descendants have largely dispersed throughout Lincoln and the nation, but North Bottoms reminds us of the old "urban villages" immigrants built in a new land.
]]>The Territorial Legislature at Omaha drew the boundaries of Lancaster County in 1855. Settlers first arrived in 1856 and a county government was established "on paper" in 1859. Methodist Elder John M. Young arrived at the head of a colony in 1863, staked out claims, and laid out the townsite of Lancaster centered on this block the following year. Young erected on the block a two-story female seminary which served as a school and religious-governmental meeting hall before burning in 1867. The destiny of Lancaster, population 30, was determined in County Commissioner William T. Donovan's home (located near 9th and Q Streets) on July 29, 1867. There the State Capital Commission (Governor David Butler, Secretary of State Thomas P. Kennard, and State Auditor John Gillespie), after traveling throughout eastern Nebraska, designated Lancaster the site of the new seat of State Government to be known as Lincoln after the martyred President. This block accommodated much of Lincoln's early commerce: hotels, business houses, stagecoach depot, government offices, and religious halls. Lincoln's first church building, erected on this corner in 1968, was the predecessor to St. Paul's Methodist Church, 12th and M Streets.
]]>Chartered as a Land-Grant institution by the first regular session of the State Legislature on February 15, 1869, the University opened its doors to 20 collegiate students and 110 preparatory school pupils on September 7, 1871. Lincoln was then a raw prairie village of about 2,400 people.
University Hall, the original four-story building, stood on this site. Its lumber was hauled by wagon from Nebraska City; its brick made locally. It was finally razed in October, 1948.
Despite financial crises and ideological disputes, the University survived its early years and in 1886 inaugurated the first program of graduate instruction west of the Mississippi. Recognized for its high scholastic standards, the University was accorded membership in the Association of American Universities in 1908.
As a major institution of higher education, the University performed a key role in the early development of the State and continues now as a prime source of further Nebraska progress.
]]>From 1854 to 1867 the seat of territorial and state government was in Omaha. In 1867 the State Legislature appointed a Capital Commission to select a location for the new state capitol. Commission members Governor David Butler, Auditor John Gillespie and Secretary of State Thomas P. Kennard on July 29, 1867 selected the present site.
In 1869 John K. Winchell of Chicago designed masonry homes in Lincoln for each of the Commissioners. These showplaces did much to instill confidence in Lincoln's future. Of these three structures, only the Kennard House stands today. It is apparently the oldest house within the original plat of Lincoln and is one of the finest remaining Nebraska examples of Italianate domestic architecture, the leading American style from about 1855 to 1875, Nebraska's pioneer period.
In 1965 the State Legislature designated the structure the "Nebraska Statehood Memorial" and assigned responsibility for the memorial to the Nebraska State Historical Society. Thus the house stands today, a symbol of the confidence early Nebraskans had in their state.
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