A WHOLE NEW WAY TO ZOO.
special sectioN
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She grew up on a farm in Central City, graduated from the Uni-
February 26, 2017
things happening.”
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across the state feels like they are a part of all the great
ebration,” Crook said. “We want to make sure everybody
“We want it to be a yearlong celebration, not just a daylong cel-
will happen on Statehood Day, March 1, many additional events are planned.
braska first lady Susanne Shore, also are involved. • Though many big events
the Celebrating Nebraska Statehood Foundation, which was commissioned by Ne-
tivities that celebrate the state’s 150th anniversary this year. Other groups, including
head up the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission, the foundation overseeing the ac-
Nebraskan, or true red,” she said in a phone interview. • Crook was an obvious choice to
state. • She’s never lived anywhere else, and that’s fine with her. • “I’m pretty true-blue
College. Her license plate reads, “3 1 1867,” for the month, day and year Nebraska became a
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln, lives in rural Nebraska City and teaches state history at Peru State
now 62. “Right here at home.”
the Nebraska state line. • “I said, ‘You know, Dad, this is the best place in the world,’ ” recalled Crook,
up their California visit, got in the car and headed home, she made a comment to her father as they crossed
Sara Crook was 10 when her family drove to Disneyland for a vacation. As Crook, her parents and siblings wrapped
By Maggie O’Brien // WOrld-Herald COrrespOndent
sesquicentennial commission chairwoman sara Crook celebrates the state
True-blue NebraskaN
— Todd A. Williams, “Painting the Legacy of Nebraska” artist
“I want each painting to capture the essence and spirit of the people or landscape of our great state. ”
UNIQUELY OMAHA
outlook 2016
true tales • majestic beauty • noble notables
Nebraska 150 & counting
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• SundaY, FEbruarY 26, 2017
‘LegaCy of Nebraska’
OMaHa WOrLd-HEraLd
Capturing the state on canvas, artist creates stirring homage with painting series By Maggie O’Brien World-Herald Correspondent
Artist and Nebraska native Todd A. Williams says he became a painter so he could capture the beauty he saw around him as a child. To help celebrate Nebraska’s 150th anniversary, he’s completed a series of paintings that depicts every county and is showcased in “Painting the Legacy of Nebraska,” an exhibition heralding nostalgia and history. Endorsed by the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission and managed in part by the Friends of the Nebraska Sesquicentennial, “Painting the Legacy of Nebraska” is traveling to different venues in the state throughout the year, beginning March 1 at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Williams has been giving the public a sneak peek of the exhibition 12 images at a time through a collector’s calendar series. We caught up with him to discuss the project.
Q: How did the project begin, and how has it evolved? A: The project started in 2011. However, I was first inspired to do this collection by prior trips to Europe. I did a series of paintings: Vienna, Prague and throughout Italy. I started painting “Legacy of Nebraska” in my hometown of Central City in Merrick County, and in the surrounding counties. In 2012, I met with Michael Smith at the State Historical Society to explore more of the history and historical landmarks throughout the state. He told me about the sesquicentennial coming up in 2017 and encouraged me to contact the Nebraska 150 committee because he thought it would be a perfect fit for my project. Q: How do you choose your subjects? A: As a child growing up in Nebraska, I was always inspired by the beautiful sunsets, which first led me to become an artist. In choosing the different scenes for each county, I had help from a lot of state and county historical societies, local historians and sponsors.
“Reaping the Harvest,” Keith County, is one of Todd A. Williams’ favorite paintings in “Painting the Legacy of Nebraska,” commemorating Nebraska’s 150th anniversary of statehood.
Q: Which Nebraska county was your favorite? A: Two of my favorites are “Reaping The Harvest,” from Keith County, and “Sioux Encampment,” near Chimney Rock in Morrill County. For “Reaping The Harvest,” I loved the story the painting tells of the work ethic of the Nebraska people. The painting depicts a storm approaching at dusk, yet the workers continue to complete the task at hand – they don’t give up. For “Sioux Encampment,” I’ve always loved the Native American history in Nebraska and the historical significance of Chimney Rock during the migration to the west. Q: Along the same lines, which was the most challenging? A: Each county presented its own
Todd A. Williams paints at Chimney Rock.
challenge. As an artist creating a painting, I deal with a lot of factors. I tried to envision the collection of work as a whole exhibition, with a variety of subjects. Q: Where do you paint each one? A: Some were done on location, while others were done in the studio from a photo reference. Q: How long does each work take? A: I liken it to a surgeon. It takes a lot of experience to know what works and what doesn’t. The time varies with each subject and the research done and can vary from several hours to several weeks or months. Q: Did you research each county first?
A: Yes. I traveled to all 93 counties to research each and gain knowledge from locals. Mostly, I visited with county seat newspaper workers and volunteers from the county historical societies. Q: How did you make each painting a part of “Legacy of Nebraska?” A: I want each painting to capture the essence and spirit of the people or landscape of our great state. It was important to me to show others the great beauty and history that are unique. See the collection and the exhibition schedule, toddwilliamsfineart.com.
150 Events: sales of special license plates helped fund sesquicentennial activities Continued from Page 1 Even so, she added, “March 1 is a big day.” March 1 ceremonies and festivities at the capitol will include the unveiling of a postage stamp depicting sandhill cranes over the Platte River at sunset. Also scheduled are actor portrayals of Willa Cather, Chief Standing Bear and William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, plus Sara music by high Crook school students from around the state. “Painting the Legacy of Nebraska” — an exhibition heralding the nostalgia and history of the state — also will be unveiled. The series of paintings by Central City native Todd A. Williams will tour Nebraska during 2017 and be featured on a commemorative calendar. Crook said Nebraska’s rich history is worth celebrating. From pioneer days to Native American heritage, immigration and farming, Nebraska has
Nebraska: 150 & Counting
A special section produced by the Omaha World-Herald.
embraced its roots. The state’s more recent history is also of interest, she added, from Husker football national championship seasons to the nation’s first all-woman gubernatorial race between Kay Orr and Helen Boosalis in 1986. “We are a state made up of a diverse population, all of which adds its own uniqueness and enthusiasm,” Crook said. “For a long time, we were part of the desert and then the frontier, and nobody wanted to come here. Here we are, 150 years later, and we’ve done some amazing things with agriculture, business and politics. The Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission provided grants to communities and groups planning events and programs recognizing the milestone. The grants, which ranged from $500 to $5,000, were funded through proceeds from special sesquicentennial license plates. “We wanted to encourage communities to do what they wanted to do,” Crook said. “We wanted to plan some things that were statewide and not just a Lincoln or an Omaha thing. The commission is
Project editor Chris Christen, 402444-1094, chris. christen@owh.com
Deputy project editor Howard K. Marcus, 402-4441397, howard. marcus@owh.com
made up of people from all over the state.” Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, for example, has been holding a Nebraska 150 Film Festival to celebrate the state’s anniversary. The festival features nine films that honor Nebraska heritage and highlight those who helped the state grow. The films are being shown at the monument’s education center at 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through the first weekend in March. “We have been so pleased by the number of events that have bubbled up by local organizations,” Crook said. Nebraska 150 Sesquicentennial license plates, which commemorate the state milestone, were unveiled last year by Gov. Pete Ricketts and the first lady. The special plates, which cost $70 per year, incorporate a stylized ear of corn logo developed for the sesquicentennial and can include an optional personal message. Plate sales benefit the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission and have supported 150th birthday programs and events around the state.
Designer Kiley Cruse Contributors Maggie O’Brien, Jeff Barnes, Carol Bicak, Kim Carpenter, David
NEBRASKA JUNK JAUNT
Hendee, Todd von Kampen, Sue Story Truax, Kurt A. Keeler
Crook applied for her commemorative license plate the day registration opened. She says she’ll never change it. “I’ve had a special place in my heart for Nebraska my entire life. We are fiercely proud of what our state has accomplished. And we’ve got the nicest and hardest-working people around.” Events celebrating Nebraska’s 150th anniversary are scheduled around the state on Statehood Day and throughout the year. Peru State College, where Crook is a professor, is celebrating its own sesquicentennial with the slogan: “Shaping the Future Since 1867.” The college will kick off anniversary activities at its May 6 graduation ceremony with the opening of a new Visitors and Interpretive Center, which is housed in a former “little red schoolhouse” on campus. Peru State was the first state college in Nebraska. An alumni reunion is scheduled the weekend of June 16-18, followed by a daylong event June 20 to celebrate Charter Day. The June 20 event will conclude with “Meet the Chautauquas” and a large banquet
On the cover “Chimney Rock,” Morrill County, by Todd Williams
featuring circuit chautauquas — traveling shows that brought many forms of entertainment to towns across the country. Theodore Roosevelt called the shows “the most American thing in America.” The rest of the week, Humanities Nebraska will sponsor Chautauqua in Nebraska City. The performance, “World War I: Legacies of a Forgotten War,” will focus on how the war changed the country’s role in international relations, how it impacted gender, race, ethnicity and class issues at home, and how it influenced technology. Faculty and student organizations at Peru have planned monthly events to celebrate the anniversary, starting when classes resume in August. Homecoming on Oct. 28 coincides closely to Peru’s first day of classes, which happened Oct. 24, 1867. Special events are scheduled throughout the week. Monthly events will continue, including two Nebraska art exhibits on loan from the Museum of Nebraska Art. Peru’s sesquicentennial activities will conclude during the May 2018 commencement.
a SaMpLing OF cELEbratiOnS » NE 150 Union Pacific Whistle-Stop Tour — a threeday railroad tour with stops and events in communities along the way. » Time Machine: Nebraska Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow — a state-ofthe-art mobile children’s museum that will tour 40 Nebraska communities for 26 weeks. » Nebraska Atlas Project — an opportunity for fourthgrade students to learn about the state, its history and people. » A Salute to the Good Life — a large-scale celebration on Centennial Mall in Lincoln will pay tribute to Nebraska history and culture through performances, music, fireworks and food. » Husker homecoming weekend at UNL — events are scheduled for Sept. 22-23. Go to ne150.org for more information and an updated event list.
For special section advertising information, contact dan.matuella@owh. com.
2017 GREAT PLAINS CONFERENCE
SEPT EMBER 22, 23 & 24 2017
350 miles of garage/yard sales 30 towns and over 750 vendors selling vintage,
2007964-01
ant iques, ethnic foods and f un in Central Nebraska.
junkjaunt.com | 308-346-5151
MAPPING NEBRASKA & THE GREAT PLAINS The Center for Great Plains Studies invites the public to an exploration of how we map our region and how mapping influences our culture, society, economy, environment, and more.
Lincoln, NE | March 30-31, 2017 | 402-472-0602 go.unl.edu/gp2017
801 S 10TH STREET | 402-444-5071 DURHAMMUSEUM.ORG
OMaHa WOrLd-HeraLd
Sunday, February 26, 2017
IllumInatIng our hIstory
• 3y
Chief standing Bear and susan la Flesche Picotte
By Kim Carpenter World-Herald staff Writer
Standing Bear, the Ponca chief whose quest to bury his only son ended in a landmark court case, and Native American physician Susan La Flesche Picotte stand as monuments to civil rights and were Nebraskans who deserve the same kind of national acclaim as better known figures in history. So says Joe Starita, author of “I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear’s Journey for Justice,” published in 2010, and “A Warrior of the People: How Susan La Flesche Overcame Racial and Gender Inequality to Become America’s First Indian Doctor,” which made its debut last November. Starita is a professor at the University Joe of Nebraska Starita College of Journalism and Mass Communications in Lincoln and a former investigative reporter with The Miami Herald, where he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. For him, writing about Chief Standing Bear and La Flesche Picotte meshed with interests that began as a child. “I have always been interested in native history from Day One,” he said. “Who knows how that happens? You get exposed to one thing as a youngster. The native imprint in Nebraska was a very large one, and it was something that started clicking at a very early age and never stopped.” He became intrigued with Standing Bear’s story 15 years ago over lunch with his friend Judi gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. “She’s Ponca, and during the course of the lunch, she started talking about a project she was involved in that included Chief Standing Bear. It’s a name I had heard but I knew nothing about the narrative arc of the story.” Over the course of the threehour lunch, Starita learned about the Ponca chief, whose tribe had been relocated by the federal government from along
n e B r a s k a s tat e h I s t o r I C a l s o C I e t y
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, left, at her home in Bancroft with her mother and her sons in 1906.
Chief Standing Bear the Niobrara River to “Indian Territory,” now Oklahoma. When Standing Bear’s only son requested on his deathbed that his body be returned to their homeland for burial, the chief complied. On Jan. 2, 1879, with a major blizzard coming in from Canada, Standing Bear dressed his son in his best clothes, wrapped him in a buffalo robe and walked 550 miles with no food, no money and no winter clothing. Along the way, he tunneled into haystacks to keep from freezing to death and rummaged for field corn, which he boiled for sustenance. At the end of his journey,
Gen. George Crook apprehended Standing Bear and held him at Fort Omaha to await removal back to Indian Territory. Crook was sympathetic to the Ponca chief’s plight and delayed the process. Assisted by a newspaperman and an attorney willing to take his case pro bono, Standing Bear filed a writ of habeas corpus. That May a judge ruled in a federal courtroom on the corner of 15th and Dodge Streets in Omaha that a Native American had to be regarded as a person within the meaning of the law. It was a major civil-rights win.
“ ‘Enthralled’ is a very understated adjective. I was absolutely obsessed with the majesty of this narrative arc. This wasn’t something out of the Bible. It wasn’t something out of Shakespeare. This was something that happened in the state that I lived in, and I really didn’t know the details of it,” Starita said. “Standing Bear reflects and evinces every single character trait that we as Americans hold dear. His story is the story of courage, honor, integrity, perseverance, belief in a powerful god, the belief in the righteousness and justice of people. You
cannot separate anything that we as an American culture value in an individual and not find it in Standing Bear.” He felt the same way about Susan La Flesche Picotte. Born on the Omaha Indian reservation in eastern Nebraska in 1865, she faced major gender and racial biases. Nevertheless, she graduated first from an East coast medical school (one of the few at the time to admit women) and became a physician. She returned to the Omaha reservation and cared for both her people and the wider community, treating more than 1,000 patients with illnesses such as tuberculosis, cholera and influenza. She also taught hygiene practices and strongly advocated for temperance, keenly aware of the increasing devastation alcoholism was having on the native population. “No matter how many diseases, no matter how many land grabs, no matter how much racial prejudice, no matter how much gender bias, none of those could stamp out Susan’s spirit. She was going to become a doctor, and it didn’t matter what 19th-century America thought of Indians and
what the white male-dominated society thought about women,” Starita said. “Imagine the spirit that must have been burning inside of her for her people. I think that’s just one of the really powerful things about her. At a time when the federal government was hellbent on re-shaping the identity of native people, along comes this petite 24-year-old woman from an obscure corner of the Great Plains who found a way to triumph in the white world without ever losing her native soul. Along the way, she created a role model where none existed before: the model of this hard-working, dedicated, courageous, 19th-century Indian woman.” For Starita, both figures are significant for understanding not just Native American and Nebraska history, but American history as a whole. “These are powerful stories of who we are as a people, and some of the heroic things that they have done have far too often played out under the radar,” Starita said. “Our values as Americans are illuminated and illustrated by the lives that Standing Bear and Susan La Flesche lived.”
A CITY SO GREAT THEY NAMED A STATE AFTER IT. As one of Nebraska’s oldest communities, we have proudly helped our fair state celebrate each of her 150 birthdays. This year, we decided to pull out all the stops and showcase everything from the Humanities Nebraska Chautauqua to a Farm-to-Fork downtown meal to Spirit of Brownville Riverboat Cruises to a brand-spanking-new festival designed to celebrate the Steamboat Trace Trail. All this, plus our traditional Arbor Day and AppleJack awesomeness? Now that’s what I call a happy birthday.
Find out more at www.GoNebraskaCity.com
Otoe County Visitors Committee
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• sunday, FeBruary 26, 2017
omaha world-herald
FOUNDED ON DREAMS AND FAITH Every town tells a story. Vignettes of early Nebraska communities By Todd von Kampen // World-Herald Correspondent
Only one substantial pioneer settlement could be found in present-day Nebraska when it became a U.S. territory in 1854. By the enactment of statehood in 1867, dozens of communities had sprouted throughout the eastern one-third of the state. More than a few of those towns didn’t survive. Little to no trace remains of some. But those that have endured to the present often have fascinating histories. Here’s a sampling. Bellevue Nebraska’s oldest continuous pioneer settlement owes its name and founding to the Western fur trade — though which event came first is disputed. Early settlers traced the name to Manuel Lisa, who set up Fort Lisa north of Omaha after the 1804-06 Lewis and Clark Expedition. One day in 1810, it was said, Lisa visited the Missouri River bluffs near Papillion Creek and exclaimed, “Belle vue!” (“Beautiful view!”). Lisa’s successors applied the name “Bellevue” to a Missouri Fur Company post at those bluffs in 1823. A later proprietor, Peter A. Sarpy (namesake of Sarpy County), helped nurture Bellevue into a thriving community before Nebraska Territory was founded in 1854. Bellevue might have become the territorial capital had not Francis Burt, the first territorial governor, died two days after taking his oath of office there. The acting governor, Thomas Cuming, favored the new settlement of Omaha. Despite years of protests, Omaha held the capital until statehood.
MORE INFORMATION » Sarpy County Museum, 2402 Clay St., Bellevue, 402-292-1880, sarpycountymuseum.org
Fort Calhoun This Washington County community is just west of the “Council Bluff” above the Missouri River, where Lewis and Clark met with the Oto and Missouria nations Aug. 3, 1804. The U.S. Army later chose the bluff for a permanent fort, originally dubbed Fort Calhoun (for then-Secretary of War John C. Calhoun) on the map of Maj. Stephen Long’s 1820 expedition to the Rocky Mountains. Later renamed for its first commander, Col. Henry Atkinson, the fort operated from 1820 to 1827 but fell into ruin after the Army left. Upon Nebraska Territory’s founding, a new wave of settlers around the old fort site reclaimed Long’s name for their town. Fort Calhoun, the first Washington County seat, holds Heritage Days the first weekend of October.
MORE INFORMATION » Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, 201 S. Seventh St., Fort Calhoun, 402-468-5611, outdoornebraska.gov/fortatkinson » Washington County Museum, 102 N. 14th St., Fort Calhoun, 402-468-5740, wchamuseum.com
Fontanelle Born along with Nebraska Territory in 1854, this village west of Blair sprouted quickly, then gradually lost almost everything except its identity. It rose on 20 square miles of Elkhorn River land bought from Logan Fontenelle, a prominent Omaha Indian leader. The town, named for its former owner (but misspelled with an “a”), quickly put itself forward as territorial capital but lost the prize to Omaha. Fontanelle’s leaders won the Dodge County seat in 1855, then lost it to Fremont in 1860 when territorial lawmakers redrew county lines to put the town in Washington County. Lawmakers granted Fontanelle a charter to establish the first Nebraska University, but the school burned down in 1865 and rebuilt before closing for good in 1872. Left off the railroad lines as well, Fontanelle slowly lost most of its population. But its community spirit lives on at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, founded in 1860. Fontanelle Township Hall, built between 1855 and 1865, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
MORE INFORMATION » Washington County Historical Association, wchamuseum.com/fontanelltshall.php
neBraska City Almost from the birth of its namesake territory and future state, Nebraska City attracted commerce and attention. The U.S. Army built and operated the first Fort Kearny near the future town from 1846 to 1848. After Nebraska Territory’s 1854 creation, settlers built a bustling Missouri River steamboat port that spurred Pony Express operators Russell, Majors and Waddell to build a wagon-train freight depot. Among the earliest arrivals was young J. Sterling Morton (1832-1902), famous as the “father of Arbor Day.” He also launched Nebraska’s oldest continuously operating newspaper, served as acting territorial governor and became U.S. secretary of agriculture. Arbor Lodge, his impressive home, is a state historical park. All the threads of Nebraska City’s rich history, especially the apple-growing industry that Morton helped cultivate, are celebrated at September’s annual AppleJack Festival.
MORE INFORMATION » Nebraska City Chamber of Commerce, 806 First Ave., Nebraska City, 402-873-6654, gonebraskacity.com » Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arbor Day Farm, 2611 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, 402-8738717, arbordayfarm.org
Brownville Now a tiny but bustling cultural center, Brownville owes its early prominence and long-term survival to Robert W. Furnas (18241905), Nebraska’s governor from 1873 to 1875. He arrived in the Missouri River town in 1856, the year Brownville became the first Nemaha County seat and two years after Richard Brown built its first home. Like J. Sterling Morton, Furnas became a leading politician, influential journalist and fervent promoter of agriculture and tree-planting in the territory and young state. Furnas, who helped Morton found Arbor Day, also planted and nurtured a large fruit-tree nursery in Brownville. His success inspired others to plant fruit orchards and vineyards, which kept the town going after it lost the county seat to Auburn in 1886. Since its 1957 founding, the Brownville Historical Society has led the town’s renaissance as a tourist destination highlighting the culinary, visual, performing and literary arts. Its busy festival schedule includes Brownville’s Old Time Autumn celebration in October.
MORE INFORMATION » Brownville Historical Society, 213 E.
“Nebraska State Capitol,” Lancaster County by Todd A. Williams.
Main St., Brownville, 402-825-6001, brownvillehistoricalsociety.org
Plattsmouth Transportation has loomed large in the history of the Cass County seat, as suggested by its name, which notes its strategic location south of the junction of the Platte and Missouri rivers. Plattsmouth’s first white settlers, who arrived in late 1854, quickly developed a thriving port for steamboats working the Missouri. The town was a natural jumping-off point for overland freighting companies, whose wagon trains hugged the Platte’s south shore on their way to Fort Kearny (spelled different from the town we know today). After the Civil War, the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad — a predecessor to today’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe — made Plattsmouth its Nebraska headquarters. The railroad bridged the Missouri in 1880 and built up extensive shops, the last of which closed in 1968. Today, Plattsmouth’s four-lane highway to the Omaha metropolitan area fuels the community’s economic vitality. But many surviving Victorian-era buildings and residences and the city’s September harvest festival remind residents of their town’s rich heritage.
MORE INFORMATION » Cass County Historical Society Museum, 646 Main St., Plattsmouth, 402-296-4770, casscountynemuseum.org » Plattsmouth Harvest Festival, plattsmouthharvestfestival.com/Home.html
Fremont The name of Dodge County’s largest city honors a major star of America’s westward migration: John C. Frémont, known as the “Pathfinder,” whose 1842 Pacific expedition popularized the classic path of the Oregon Trail. But though the Mormon Trail passed by the future townsite along the Platte River’s north bank in 1847, Frémont’s trail angled across northeast Kansas and met the Platte in central Nebraska, going nowhere near his namesake town. When pioneers arrived in 1856, Frémont was the new Republican Party’s first presidential candidate. Political and military figures were common inspirations for city and county names, and settlers expected that railroads would build new trails where the Platte and Elkhorn River valleys combine. They were proved right when the Union Pacific and two other railroads arrived after the Civil War. Though rail heritage runs deep in Fremont, so does the memory of its namesake, who is celebrated each July during John C. Fremont Days.
MORE INFORMATION » Louis E. May Museum, 1643 N. Nye Ave., Fremont, 402-721-4515, maymuseum.com » John C. Fremont Days, johncfremontdays.org
ColumBus Like their neighbors in Fremont, the founders of Columbus dreamed of railroads — largely because the Platte River Valley was one of
the logical routes when Americans built their first transcontinental line. The rail bug infected 13 men from Columbus, Ohio, who formed a “town company” named after their thencurrent hometown. They arrived in Nebraska Territory in the spring of 1856, a few months before Fremont’s first settlers, and began building their town at the junction of the Loup and Platte rivers. It took a decade of patience, but the arrival of Union Pacific track-laying crews in 1866 brought Columbus its long-expected railroad. The town later hosted the 1883 dress rehearsal of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s first Wild West Show. Columbus also was the birthplace of Andrew Jackson Higgins, designer of the “Higgins boat” landing craft vital to Allied victory in World War II. Columbus, the Platte County seat, recalls its heritage each August during Columbus Days.
MORE INFORMATION » Platte County Historical Society Museum, 2916 16th St., Columbus, 402-564-1856, megavision. net/museum
BeatriCe Founded on the Fourth of July in 1857, Beatrice was named for the daughter of Judge John F. Kinney, an early settler who lent his aid to the town’s founders. But locals long have pronounced the name as “Be-AT-rice” (rather than “BE-a-trice,” the usual British pronunciation). By the end of the 1880s, the Gage County seat had become a southeast Nebraska railroad hub and begun serving developmentally disabled youths at what now is known as the Beatrice State Developmental Center. The area’s lasting fame was quietly assured Jan. 1, 1863, when Civil War soldier Daniel Freeman filed the first 160-acre claim under the new Homestead Act. Freeman returned after his service to develop his land four miles west of Beatrice, where Homestead National Monument was created in 1936. The city celebrates Homestead Days each June.
MORE INFORMATION » Gage County Historical Society and Museum, 101 N. Second St., Beatrice, 402-228-1679, gagecountymuseum.info » Homestead National Monument of America, 8523 West Highway 4, Beatrice, 402-223-3514, nps.gov/home/index.htm
Grand island The tale of Nebraska’s largest city west of Lincoln begins with a failed town on a long-gone island. As the Platte River curves northeast from Kearney, it divides into three channels. The north channel once was naturally linked to the Wood River to its north, creating a 40-mile-long island inside the Platte’s course. French fur traders dubbed it “La Grande Isle.” A group of German settlers built the first town of Grand Island in mid-1857 toward the north end of the island. Various disasters drove most settlers away, but a few hung on until the Union Pacific Railroad laid out a new town north of
the Wood River in 1866. The link between the Wood and the Platte’s north channel disappeared over time. But parts of the original town lie within present-day Grand Island, home to Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer since 1967 and the Nebraska State Fair since 2010.
MORE INFORMATION » Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, 3133 West U.S. Highway 34, Grand Island, 308-3855316, stuhrmuseum.org
Falls City As pro-slavery and abolitionist settlers rehearsed the Civil War in “Bleeding Kansas,” the first settlers of Nebraska Territory’s most southeastern county — Richardson — found their region turned into a lively highway in and out of the conflict. Falls City, founded in 1857, served as a way station for anti-slavery settlers headed south on the Jim Lane Trail to make Kansas a free territory and state. Meanwhile, abolitionists secretly guided escaping slaves through the area on the nation’s westernmost branch of the Underground Railroad, which traveled north through southeast Nebraska before entering Iowa at Nebraska City. The abolitionist John Brown traveled both directions through or near Falls City in the late 1850s. He was in his grave by 1860, executed for his botched attempt to set off a slave rebellion “back East,” when Falls City was vying with two other towns for the Richardson County seat.
MORE INFORMATION » Richardson County Historical Society Museum, 1401 Chase St., Falls City, 402-245-4407, rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nericchs
linColn (lanCaster) Prior to Nebraska’s 1867 admission to the Union, the small county-seat town of Lancaster — founded in 1859 in an effort to exploit salt reserves that never really paid off — seemed likely to starve to death on its broken dreams. But political leaders south of the Platte, who spent Nebraska Territory’s 13-year life constantly trying to wrest the capital from Omaha, had enough power to prevail at last. Soon after statehood was proclaimed, a three-man committee settled on Lancaster as the most promising site for a new capital. Lawmakers north of the Platte then proposed renaming Lancaster for Abraham Lincoln. Knowing sympathy for slavery and the recently defeated Confederacy had been stronger south of the river, they hoped their move would prove a “poison pill.” But instead of giving up in disgust, south-of-the-Platte lawmakers agreed and Lincoln — home of the University of Nebraska, Cornhusker football and one of America’s most impressive capitol buildings — has been Nebraska’s capital ever since.
MORE INFORMATION » Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, 402-471-4754, nebraskahistory. org/sites/mnh
OMaHa WOrLd-HeraLd
In the begInnIng
Sunday, February 26, 2017
• 5y
For sure signs of early settlers, head for Florence
By Jeff Barnes World-Herald Correspondent
When a state hits a landmark birthday — such as Nebraska in its 150th year of statehood — there’s a greater appreciation for what has been around for the duration. In terms of buildings, you’ll find pre-statehood structures in river towns like Bellevue and Nebraska City, and — perhaps surprisingly — the north Omaha neighborhood of Florence. Though it’s nearly impossible for a large city to keep its oldest buildings around, in Florence it’s almost as though time stood still. At its northernmost point on North 30th Street is Omaha’s oldest structure, the 1850s-era Florence Mill. Built of timber from a mill the Mormons used during the 1840s Winter Quarters encampment, the restored structure is home to a museum with a history of the Mormons and the mill. A loft gallery features the works of Nebraska artists. In the summer months, a lively farmers market is held on the grounds. The mill is the gateway to Florence history, said Lynn Farris, president of the Florence Historical Foundation. “We are at the center of what would have been the center of Omaha,” he said while giving a tour at the foundation’s historic Bank of Florence Museum. “What became Omaha had much better access to the river, but this was the original site of activity.” The bank museum is a surviving example of that activity. Finished in 1855 and chartered in 1856, the Bank of Florence was a “wildcat” bank, founded in the speculative days of the Nebraska Territory. Early on, it was allowed to print its own money, and survived off and on as a bank through 1930. The building eventually also housed a telephone office and a host of other businesses. Today it’s the centerpiece of the foundation’s historical efforts. That same attention goes into the organization’s Florence Depot Museum, an 1887 rail station originally built to serve passenger traffic between Florence and Omaha. In 1966, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad — then owners of the station — closed it and had it tabbed for demolition. Local organizers bought it and moved it to near 30th and McKinley in 1971 as a museum of Florence’s rail and military history. Farris said the museum is an exam-
R O b e Rt PA s k A C h / t h e w O R l d - h e R A l d
In 1971, the old Florence railroad depot was moved from its original site at 28th and Grebe Streets to 2999 Dick Collins Road. The 1887 rail station is a museum.
kIleY CRuse/the wORld-heRAld
“A Tragedy of Winter Quarters” by Avard T. Fairbanks at the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery. ple of the Florence community’s work to preserve its heritage. “The Boy Scouts went the distance in painting the entire depot to a more accurate historic color,” he said. “They took it even further by removing the
dirt from the top of a brick patio that was here and putting in a couple of planters.” Just a short drive up State Street from 30th — or a longer and somewhat strenuous walk — is the Mormon Trail
Center at Historic Winter Quarters. Operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the center is a family-friendly, interactive museum that tells the story of Winter Quarters and the great western migration of church members. Across Northridge Drive is the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, the permanent memorial to the hundreds of Mormons who died here during the harsh Nebraska winters while waiting for the spring migration. A statue — “Tragedy at Winter Quarters” by Avard T. Fairbanks, who himself lost ancestors here — dominates the hilltop cemetery. After hiking around history in Florence, you’ll have worked up an appetite, and you won’t have to go far to satisfy it. Harold’s Koffee House, the longtime diner at the corner of 30th and State Streets, is the kind of folksy place where the coffee is always pouring and breakfast is always served. Save room for a slice of homemade pie, baked from the original 1950s recipe. In recent years, more flavors of
comfort food have become available in Florence. Fat Shack BBQ, on the south side of Florence at 30th and Weber Streets, offers ribs, brisket and other barbecue favorites. Many regulars dig into a gastronomic delight called the Shack Attack — hand-cut fries topped by meat, barbecue sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing, jalapeños and chives. The Old World put down roots in Florence with the addition of Enzo’s, which offers classic Italian dishes in a warm, intimate space within an updated 1920s brick building next to the Bank of Florence. Across 30th Street from Enzo’s is Mouth of the South, another addition to Florence’s growing list of homegrown options. Ryan Ernst, owner of the Southern-cuisine restaurant, said Florence was an attractive location for his eatery, which opened three years ago. “It’s got that great small-town feel in a large city,” he said. “It wasn’t long before we had regulars and knew people by name. I love everything about being here.”
FAmOus FOlk – nAmes tO knOw Omaha streets, schools and landmarks carry the names of several pioneer businessmen and political leaders with Omaha connections. Among them:
Edward Creighton. Helped build the first telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast. First president of First National Bank of Omaha. His widow’s gift of money founded Creighton University.
Gen. Grenville Dodge. The general and his brother N.P. Dodge established a real estate company that continues today. Grenville’s house in Council Bluffs is a historic site. (Omaha’s Dodge Street is named for an Iowa U.S. senator who supported westward expansion, not the Dodge brothers.)
Andrew J. Hanscom. Territorial legislator and member of Omaha school board and City Council. Organizer of Trinity Episcopal Church. Gave the city the tract of land that became Hanscom Park.
Augustus Kountze. Banker and director of the Union Pacific Railroad. First treasurer of the State of Nebraska in 1867. Matched pledges for construction of Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church.
Andrew Poppleton. Territorial legislator and second mayor of Omaha. Influential real estate businessman and attorney. Successfully defended Ponca Chief Standing Bear in case that determined American Indians have the rights of citizenship.
Byron Reed. Surveyor, abstractor and land developer. Performed the original survey for the City of Omaha before opening the first real estate office in Nebraska. His collection of rare coins, documents and relics is housed at the Durham Museum.
Sarah Joslyn. Philanthropist. She founded the Joslyn Art Museum, which opened in 1931, as a tribute to her late husband, businessman George A. Joslyn. Joslyn Castle also bears the couple’s name. It was their residence.
— Compiled by David Hendee
ys a D y a H n o s Atkin August 17-20
AtkinsonH
Ezra Millard. Territorial legislator and real estate promoter. First president of Omaha National Bank. Mayor of Omaha from 1869 to 1871. Laid out the town of Millard on the Union Pacific line in 1870.
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• Sunday, FeBruary 26, 2017
oMaha world-herald
M at t M i l l e r / t H e w o r l d - H e r a l d
A sandhill crane dances in a cornfield before heading to the Platte River to roost for the night near Alda.
How we see Nebraska 20 iconic images
Compiled by Sue Story truax
character that served as a mascot for all Husker athletic teams. The current version of Herbie debuted prior to the 2003 Husker season opener. In 2006, Herbie was named national mascot of the year.
World-Herald Correspondent
Sandhill CraneS Closed windows and the whoosh of a car heater can’t block the bird call cacophony from the sandhill cranes’ migration through the Platte River Valley. Each year, 80 percent of the world’s sandhill cranes stop for four to six weeks to fatten up on foraged corn and wetland invertebrates. The extra calories prepare the 4-foot-tall birds for their journey to breeding grounds in Alaska, Canada and Siberia. Up to 10,000 birds may migrate in one flock. The annual March and April migration draws between 12,000 and 15,000 human visitors worldwide to the 80-mile-wide flyway. The human visitors add $8 million to Nebraska’s economy each year.
holy FaMily Shrine
CHris MaCHiaN/tHe world-Herald
kiley Cruse/tHe world-Herald
The Holy Family Shrine sits on 23 acres overlooking the Platte valley.
Memorial Stadium is a sea of red on Husker football game days.
This ethereal structure in Gretna is perched atop a hill, visible from eastbound and westbound Interstate 80 traffic. The shrine beckons travelers to stop, pray and learn about Catholicism. Two streams flow along the outside of the pews toward the front, forming a pool that makes the altar appear to float. The shrine’s interior looks out on the prairie and the Platte River Valley. BCDM Architects of Omaha designed the stone-andwood structure, which opened in 2002.
Prairie SChooner or Covered wagon
SMiTh FallS STaTe Park
Hollywood and history have given us a romanticized view of the pioneer migrations of the 1800s, when thousands of Americans took farm wagons across the Great Plains. Travel by covered wagon — the predominant form of transport in pre-industrial America — was hard and unromantic, yet the covered wagon is iconic. Migrants fitted a sturdy wagon with wooden or metal bows that they covered with heavy-duty canvas, creating the famed silhouette. Dubbed the “prairie schooner,” it conjured the image of a ship with billowing sails. Covered wagons primarily hauled cargo, young children, the elderly and infirm. Everyone else walked.
Those who know Nebraska only through relatively flat Interstate 80 might be stunned to learn that the Niobrara National Scenic River is home to more than 230 waterfalls. Smith Falls, at 63 feet, is the state’s highest. The state park, on the Niobrara River near Valentine, is a popular destination for campers, canoers, kayakers and floaters. Another fun fact: Despite being landlocked, Nebraska has more miles of river than any other state, though Alaska has the most rivers. Besides the Niobrara, Nebraska has three other major rivers: the Republican; the Platte, which bisects the state; and the Missouri, which forms the state’s eastern border.
“The Sower” As a nod to Nebraska’s predominant industry, New York sculptor Lee Lawrie created “The Sower” sculpture — a 19½-foot figure on a 12½-foot pedestal of bundles of wheat and corn — as an integral part of the State Capitol’s architecture. Raised to the top of the capitol dome on April 24, 1930, the work features a barefoot man with his shirtsleeves and pants rolled up and wearing a sun hood. The 3/8-inch-thick bronze sculpture is reinforced by an interior steel framework and weighs nearly 9½ tons. “The Sower” points northwesterly, the direction that encompasses the greatest portion of Nebraska’s territory. Images of Lawrie’s sculpture appear throughout the Capitol’s interior, most frequently in bas-relief. A drawing of “The Sower” is on the current Nebraska license plate. Lawrie also is known for works such as “Atlas” in Rockefeller Plaza and the chapel at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
STaTe CaPiTol Visible for 30 miles, the Nebraska State Capitol stands as the “Tower on the Plains.” New York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue won a design contest for the present capitol — the third on the site and the first state capitol nationwide to incorporate an office tower. The building was completed in 1932, 10 years after construction began. The highly decorated building, furnishings and landscaping were fully paid for when completed at a cost of just less than $10 million. The capitol is clad with Indiana limestone.
MeMorial STadiuM Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Husker football’s home since 1923, extends its NCAA-record consecutive sellout streak with each home game. The sellouts began in 1962 and are approaching 400. Capacity is 90,000, which makes the
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Herbie Husker is the symbol that embodies a Cornhusker.
stadium the state’s third-largest “city” during each home game. The stadium also is one of the country’s most high tech and was the first on-campus stadium to feature big-screen instant-replay boards. The “memorial” portion of the stadium name honors all Nebraskans who served in the Civil and Spanish-American wars and Nebraskans who died in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.
greaT PlaTTe river road arChway This eye-catching structure near Kearney spans 310 feet over Interstate 80. Displays and stories inside the archway detail 170 years of westward U.S. expansion. The story begins in 1840 at Fort Kearny, where the Oregon, Mormon and California trails converged. Visitors to the Archway can also listen to a telegraph message about the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War and hear the sound of a steam locomotive.
deSerT doMe Stand inside Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium’s Desert Dome and gaze up. The top of the world’s largest glazed geodesic dome is 13 stories above, composed of 1,760 acrylic panels both clear and tinted in three shades. The tinting lets in maximum winter sunlight and shields the interior from summer’s scorching rays, making the whole building more energyefficient. Flora and fauna from three of the world’s deserts greet visitors on two levels. Beneath the desert floor is the Kingdoms of the Night, the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit. The Desert Dome is easily visible from Interstate 80 near the Missouri River and has become a skyline symbol for Omaha.
“he ain’T heavy, FaTher. . . he’S M’ BroTher” STaTue The Rev. Edward J. Flanagan, an Irish immigrant, borrowed $90 from a friend and opened Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home in December 1917. In 1921 he
bought the 160-acre Overlook Farm, the site of present-day Boys Town. The “He Ain’t Heavy, Father… He’s M’ Brother” phrase and statue have become Boys Town symbols. The Rev. Steven Boes, executive director of Boys Town, retold the story of the iconic words in a 2014 blog. An excerpt: “Back in 1918, a boy named Howard Loomis was abandoned by his mother... Howard had polio and wore heavy leg braces. Walking was very difficult for him... Soon, several of the older boys were carrying Howard up and down the stairs. One day, Father Flanagan asked Reuben Granger, one of those older boys, if carrying Howard was hard. Reuben replied, ‘He ain’t heavy, Father... he’s m’ brother.’ ”
world’S largeST PerManenT ShaMroCk It’s fitting that the world’s largest permanent shamrock fills a street intersection in O’Neill — a town named for an Irish immigrant, settled by Irish immigrants and the Legislature-proclaimed Irish Capital of Nebraska. Besides this being Nebraska’s sesquicentennial year, 2017 marks the 50th anniversary year of O’Neill’s record-setting shamrock. The 65-by-55-foot shamrock of colored concrete is in the roadbed at the intersection of U.S. Highways 20, 275 and 281. It gets so much road traffic that it’s painted annually before St. Patrick’s Day. The job takes 20 gallons of paint. John O’Neill, a native of Ireland and veteran of the U.S. Civil War, directed settlers to this Holt County site that bears his name in 1874.
golden SPike Tower and viSiTor CenTer The Golden Spike Tower gives visitors a panoramic view of Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard in North Platte, the world’s largest train classification yard. There, Union Pacific workers sort, service and repair locomotives and cars headed all across North America. The tower and visitor center opened in 2008, with a seventh-
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An old boot atop a fence post in Sarpy County.
floor open-air observation deck and the eighth-floor enclosed viewing area. The tower is spikeshaped because North Platte is where east meets west on U.P.’s rail line, just as east met west at Promontory Summit, Utah, when the transcontinental railroad was built. Union Pacific built from Omaha and the Central Pacific built from Sacramento, California, meeting and driving the Golden Spike to complete the transcontinental railroad and open the West.
SaPP BroS. CoFFeePoT The coffeepot and maybe the coffee, too, are always ready at Sapp Bros. Travel Center at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highway 50 in Omaha. The coffeepot wasn’t always a recognizable icon. When first constructed in 1971, it was just a water tower supplying area businesses that lacked city sewer and water services. Not much time passed before a handle and spout were added, turning the tank into a coffeepot. The now-familiar landmark was the first Sapp Bros. coffeepot to welcome travelers to what are now locations in six states.
ChiMney roCk naTional hiSToriC SiTe Chimney Rock both excited and flummoxed Oregon, California and Mormon trail pioneers. Though pioneers recognized the geological marker near Bayard as putting them closer to their goal, they found the spire to be an optical illusion. Some trail journals claimed Chimney Rock could be seen 30 miles away, but others noted that the closer one traveled to the spire, the farther in the distance it appeared to be. Hundreds of pioneer journals referenced Chimney Rock, making it the most frequently mentioned landmark in journals from the time, according to historian Merrill Mattes. Today’s estimate for its height is 325 feet from tip to base and 120 feet for the spire.
dala horSeS Swedish Americans recognize Dala horses, which began as carved wooden toys for children, as an unofficial symbol of Sweden. The horses, known as “Dalahäst,” originated in Sweden’s Dalarna Province. Stromsburg, Wausa and Oakland were settled by Swedish immigrants, so it makes sense that the colorful horses hang from Broadway Street lamp posts in Wausa and decorate the entrances to homes. Stromsburg’s Dala horses adorn businesses, houses and churches. Some of the 2.5- to 3-foot horses are displayed year-round. Others come out for the town’s annual Swedish festival. In Oakland, Dala horses hang from poles and at other spots around town.
BooTS on FenCe PoSTS Drive a few Sand Hills roads and you’ll see old cowboy boots and sometimes shoes, too, inverted on fence posts. The boots may be simple decorations or a take-apair, leave-a-pair boot exchange. But the boots can tell a story, too. They may be a tribute to a deceased friend or horse, a sign of farewell to a former employee, a coverup to stall the rotting of a fence post, a communication that “I’ve worn out another pair” working here, or a message board of sorts in which the toe points to the field or building where the homeowner is working.
herBie huSker Nebraskans yell “Go Big Red,” but what symbol embodies a Cornhusker? “Herbie Husker.” The character evolved out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln football team’s trip to the 1974 Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Artist Dirk West of Lubbock, Texas, designed a Cornhusker cartoon for the Cotton Bowl press headquarters. Former Husker Sports Information Director Don Bryant liked the cartoon and sought West’s OK to use Herbie Husker. UNL commissioned West to draw an original Cornhusker cartoon
SCoTTS BluFF naTional MonuMenT Scotts Bluff, near Gering, towers 800 feet above the North Platte River. Emigrants heading west frequently mentioned the bluff in their journals. After Nebraska’s Chimney Rock, Scotts Bluff was the second-most mentioned landmark on the Oregon, Mormon and California trails. From 184369, a quarter-million people traveled through the area. Scotts Bluff National Monument was established in 1919. The bluff was named for Hiram Scott, who worked for the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. A plaque dedicated to his memory can be found along the North Overlook Trail on the summit of the bluff.
lake MCConaughy As early as the 1880s, southcentral Nebraskans discussed bringing irrigation to the area. Interest grew with each drought cycle. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s finally convinced government officials and community leaders. Construction began in 1936. Kingsley Dam was closed and dedicated in 1941. The dam and reservoir are named for two leading promoters of the project: Minden banker George P. Kingsley and Holdrege Mayor C.W. McConaughy. Kingsley Dam is more than 162 feet high and 3.1 miles long. It holds Lake McConaughy near Ogallala, which is 22 miles long and 142 feet deep. “Big Mac” offers boating, fishing, swimming and camping.
Sand hillS The Sand Hills, which cover more than one-fourth of north-central Nebraska, are 400-foot dunes that are as long as 20 miles. An intricate wetland ecosystem with land that is unsuitable for crops but perfect for cattle ranching, they rest on the Ogallala, one of the world’s largest aquifers, and offer unparalleled views of starry night skies.
oMaha World-herald
humble beginnings
sunday, FeBruary 26, 2017
• 7y
Omaha’s world-renowned zoo had simple start
By Carol BiCak World-Herald correspondent
If Mayor George Bemis and the other City of Omaha officials who established Riverview Park near the end of the 19th century could have gazed into the future, they probably wouldn’t have believed their eyes. They would have seen the modest-but-pretty park overlooking the Missouri River become Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, an internationally acclaimed institution celebrated not only for impressive natural habitat exhibits but also for scientific research and the conservation of endangered species. “The zoo grew organically,” said current director and CEO Dennis Pate. In the beginning, “it was just cages in a park along the roadside.” According to historical accounts, the zoo has been a product of city government, pioneering movers and shakers in the city, loyal and committed personnel and visionary zoo leadership. In 1894, the Omaha Board of Park Commissioners saw the land on the south edge of town as a contribution to the city design concept of the parks and boulevards created by American landscape architect Horace Cleveland. He became ill before work on his plan began, so it fell to Omaha Park Superintendent W.R. Adams to initiate it. Riverview Park was born. The park, with its swimming pool, lagoon and pavilion, required use of eminent domain and funding from an 1891 voter-approved bond issue which financed the city’s park system. The zoo was there almost from the beginning. Its collection of animals was borrowed or purchased from circuses, hunters and from animal collectors whose exotic “pets” became too much to handle. Records show a moose was purchased for $150 and a bear for $25. William “Buffalo Bill” Cody loaned the zoo two bison. Tigers, lions and chimps joined the growing menagerie. The Park Commission realized the zoo setup was not sufficient, and an attempt to improve it was launched, said former zoo director Dr. Lee “Doc” Simmons, whose firsthand knowledge of the zoo spans nearly 50 years. Gould Dietz, an Omaha veterinarian, donated new cat cages in the 1920s; the Works Progress Administration built additional cages for cats and bears in the 1930s. As the zoo continued to grow, the Omaha Zoological Society was founded in 1952 to help the city administer the attraction. It really started to be a serious enterprise when, in 1963, Margaret
Hitchcock Doorly donated $750,000 on the condition that the zoo be named after her late husband, World Publishing chairman Henry Doorly. Construction magnate Peter Kiewit donated another $250,000, giving the Society $1 million to work with, Simmons said. The donation and conditions were a watershed moment in the zoo’s history. The contribution called for fewer cages, better animal housing and more humane treatment of the animals, Pate said. Warren Thomas was appointed zoo director, and in 1965 the zoo took over the park entirely. The next benchmark moment came in 1966 when Thomas hired Simmons, a veterinarian from the zoo in Columbus, Ohio, to be the zoo’s resident vet. Simmons’ impact would be enormous. “By the time I got here, the money ($1 million) had been spent and they were in debt,” Simmons said. The annual budget of $100,000 was paid by the city. By 1970, Simmons had risen to the position of zoo director after Thomas left to go to Brownsville, Texas. Simmons was a visionary as much as a practical director. As soon as he assumed leadership, he knew that the zoo needed “to get rid of the 1920s stuff.” He redesigned major exhibits and totally changed the zoo’s appearance, dismantling the old barred cages, building new large structures and eventually adding more staff. Beyond being an idea man, Simmons had another talent. He was able to make others — individuals, families, corporations — care about the zoo and become eager donors for whatever new project he envisioned. Many of Omaha’s leading families became part of the zoo’s expansion: Owen (sea lion exhibit in the old Riverview Park swimming pool), Hubbard (Gorilla Valley and Orangutan Forest), Grewcock (Butterfly & Insect Pavilion, Center for Conservation and Research), Lozier (IMAX Theater), Durham (Bear Canyon, Treetops Restaurant), Mahoney (Kingdoms of the Night) and Scott (Aquarium). Even non-Omahans showed a love for the zoo, such as the Lied family, whose name adorns the Lied Jungle, the zoo’s first total-immersion exhibit. Other additions during the Simmons era included the Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom Pavilion, Simmons Aviary, Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari, Sue’s Wildlife
Carousel, Garden of the Senses, Desert Dome and Cheetah Valley. Trains and a tram service were added. One of the first influential partners with the zoo was the Union Pacific Railroad. “They were instrumental in bringing the zoo along,” Simmons said. UP salvaged refrigerator cars made of mahogany to build barns and enclosures, laid track for the zoo railroad and helped get a 1908 well working again. “They played a big role early on, quietly, behind the scenes,” Simmons said. “If we needed materials for something, we could call on them.” As a scientist, Simmons believed that in addition to being a place for visitors to see animals, a zoo could contribute to the world community by conducting research and promoting conservation and survival of endangered species. One of his first projects was the Cat Complex, built specifically for breeding big cats. A hospital and nursery were added. The Grewcock Center for Conservation and Research saw the first test-tube tiger, first test-tube gorilla and first artificially inseminated tiger. Its mission focuses on education and technology sharing, conservation medicine, molecular genetics, reproductive physiology, horticulture and nutrition. Margaret From oversees the Department for Plant Conservation, which houses a collection of rare orchid and fern seeds. Dr. Ed Louis, director of the Conservation and Genetics Department, has worked in Madagascar since 1998, discovering new species of lemurs. The zoo’s Madagascar Biodiversity Plan won the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Conservation Award. Other notable achievements include the black-footed ferret breeding program, which was so successful, that all the animals were released into the wild. Research and breeding programs for amphibians and reptiles, ocean coral and many other species continue. All these things required funding. In an interview with The World-Herald last December, Simmons said: “One of our major donors over the years has accused me of being an unfair, rotten SOB because every time we had a baby gorilla or
a baby (orangutan) or baby tiger, I would make sure to put it in his wife’s hands. Not in his hands — in his wife’s hands.” In addition to individual and family donations, the zoo’s corporate partners have included Aksarben, Mutual of Omaha, The Omaha World-Herald, FirstTier, US West and Omaha Steaks. Simmons retired as zoo director in 2009 but didn’t sever his zoo connection. He is now chairman of the Omaha Zoo Foundation. In that capacity, he has helped the foundation raise more than $205 million. “I’ve gone from a one-man band of director-doctor-fundraiser to a staff of six.” Another auspicious hire in 2009 helped the zoo continue its upward trajectory. Dennis Pate, who came from the zoo in Jacksonville, Florida, became the new director and CEO. His first thought about his new home base? “This is a big zoo. A BIG zoo.” With Pate came another vision: A 15-year, $200 million master plan to transform the zoo. Again. Plans call for animals in most cases being exhibited in natural settings with other animals from their indigenous parts of the world. For example, instead of being housed together in the Cat Complex, lions would roam an African exhibit, while tigers would make their home in an Asian area. But the first step in Pate’s plan was to make the zoo more visitor-friendly. “Dr. Simmons had built great structures, so I had the luxury of having those already from the start,” he said. “I recognized a need for increased guest services.” A new front entrance was built, and improvements and additions were made to bathrooms, snack bars and restaurants, shady areas and gift shops. Efforts were made to reduce waiting times and long lines. “If their visit is more comfortable and easy, they are more likely to come back,” Pate said of zoo visitors. Under Pate’s direction, new exhibits (some started by Simmons) have included Expedition Madagascar, the renovated Scott Aquarium and the addition of the attached Education and Conference Center, Stingray Beach, Alaskan Adventures splash ground and the newly opened, $73-million African Grasslands. Construction on the next big exhibit of the master plan, the Asian Highlands, is scheduled to
start this spring. Pate has improved training of both staff and animals. He has increased the zoo’s role in education, working in cooperation with Omaha Public Schools and Papillion-La Vista School District. The Zoo Academy has all-day kindergarten for students at Bancroft Elementary and high school classes for teens from both school districts. There also is a Little Lions Preschool, and camps and other classes are available to kids all year. Rosenblatt Stadium was purchased and torn down, which provided space for more parking. The yearly budget has increased from $350,000 in 1970 when Simmons became director to $41 million for 2017. Only a small portion of that comes from city funding. Even though the zoo is Nebraska’s top tourist attraction, the state does not contribute any funding. Entrance fees and memberships are a big part of the annual budget, which doesn’t include the foundation’s money-raising efforts that have built the newest exhibits and will fund most of the master plan. The number of employees in the last 45 years has risen from fewer than 20 to at least 250, augmented by hundreds of volunteers. Though attendance records weren’t kept in the early years, more than 2 million visited the zoo last year. Of the zoo’s 162 acres, more than seven acres are indoors, so unlike in the early years, it no longer has to shut down in winter. Skyfari, an overhead ride for visitors who want to look down on zoo offerings, was added. Pate said Eric Thompson of the Bureau of Business Research provides figures for the zoo’s impact on Nebraska’s economy. In 2015, it added $226.22 million. As an accredited member of AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), the zoo participates in scientific breeding programs and works with other member institutions in conservation, innovation and research. Last March, about 900 zoo officials from around the world met in Omaha for the AZA’s mid-year meeting, and Pate served a term as chairman of the AZA board. And those 120 animals from the first zoo? They’ve grown to more than 17,000 animals from every corner of the world. So over the past century, pretty Riverview Park, designed to be a green space in developing Omaha, was transformed into what has been ranked as one of the top 10 zoos in the world. While they know it is difficult to maintain such a high ranking and worldwide popularity, Simmons’ and Pate’s vision of growth and change shows no sign of diminishing any time soon.
b i l l b at s O n / t h e w O r l d - h e r a l d
Only in nebraska — COrnhusker state Oddities Carhenge
Columbian mammoth might have looked like when alive. The 14-foot-tall Archie, discovered in Nebraska’s Lincoln County, is the state fossil. Lincoln artist Fred Hoppe created the 2½-ton bronze statue, which measures almost 16 feet from tusks to tail.
Can’t make it to England’s Stonehenge anytime soon? Visit Carhenge near Alliance. Its nearly 40 pieces are vintage autos spray-painted gray and set in an arrangement that mirrors the Stonehenge monoliths in size and orientation. Experimental artist Jim Reinders built Carhenge as a memorial to his father, who once lived on the property. Carhenge was dedicated at the 1987 summer solstice. On Aug. 21, Carhenge will be directly in the path of the total solar eclipse at 11:40 a.m. CDT.
World’s largest tiMe CaPsule
Martin Brothers MonuMent It was August 1864, the year of an Indian uprising in the Platte Valley. English immigrant George Martin and his two sons were loading hay near their homestead when a small group of Sioux Indians attacked. With their father offering rifle cover, sons Nat, 15, and Robert, 12, jumped on a single horse and headed for home. Robert, in front, controlled the reins, and Nat held onto his brother. One of the arrows aimed at them passed through Nat’s body and into Robert’s back, pinning the boys. They fell off the horse but survived. Robert lived until middle age but never fully recovered from his injuries. Nat nearly died from his wounds but lived to old age. A stone monument near Alda marks the location where the arrow pinned the brothers. Identical sculptures
kiley Cruse/the wOrld-herald
Carhenge at sunset.
are at the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island and the Hastings Museum. The arrow that pinned Nat and Robert is displayed in the Hastings Museum.
toadstool geologiC Park “It’s like being on the moon,” is how one traveler described a visit to Toadstool Geologic Park in the Oglala National Grassland near Crawford. The park is named for its rock formations, many of
which look like toadstools. The park is said to be Nebraska’s Badlands. Wind and water erosion created the park’s formations. One tip for visitors: Bring your own water; the park has none.
arChie the ColuMBian MaMMoth skeleton and statue Archie’s skeletal remains are displayed inside the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. Outside the museum, an Archie sculpture depicts what the
What do bikini panties, a leisure suit, a motorcycle and a Chevy Vega have in common? They are buried in Harold Keith Davisson’s time capsule in Seward — the world’s largest. His reason: He wanted his grandchildren to know what his life was like in 1975. That was when Davisson had the 45-ton vault buried. He filled it with 5,000 items and sealed it July 4, 1975. It’s to be opened July 4, 2025. In 1977, the Guinness Book of World Records certified his time capsule as the world’s largest. But Atlanta’s Oglethorpe University maintained its “Crypt of Civilization” was bigger. Davisson settled the matter in 1983 by building a second time capsule over his first. He died in 1999 at age 91.
harold WarP’s Pioneer Village A visit to Pioneer Village in Minden is a walk through history. More than 25 buildings on 20 acres house the 50,000-plus items that tell the history of Americans’ everyday life from 1830 forward. A dozen historic buildings —
including a frontier fort, real Pony Express Station, locomotive, sod house, general store, toy store, one-room schoolhouse used until 1935, country church and original Elm Creek stockade — ring the green.
naVal aMMunition dePot From the air, the plant-covered buildings near Hastings look like the farm fields that surround them. From the ground, the humps stretch for miles, puzzling those who don’t know their history. They made up the Naval Ammunition Depot, the largest U.S. naval ammunition plant. The complex provided up to 40 percent of the Navy’s ammunition during World War II and had 2,000 buildings, bunkers and other structures. The depot produced and stored munitions from 40mm shells to 16-inch projectiles, plus rockets, bombs, depth charges, mines and torpedoes. It was one of Nebraska’s four former major ammunition plants, which also included the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant at Grand Island, the Nebraska Ordnance Plant at Mead and the Martin Bomber Plant at Bellevue. Today, the former depot is home to the USDA Roman L. Hruska Meat Animal Research Center, plus a community college, racetrack, industrial park, country club and golf course, small businesses and more. — Compiled by Sue Story Truax
8Y
nebraSka: 150 & COunting
• SundaY, FebruarY 26, 2017
Celebrating 150 Years of Shaping Nebraska’s Future
One of the first acts of the newly formed state of Nebraska was to found Peru State College on June 20, 1867. Today, the college continues its dedication to education in state-of-the-art facilities on a beautiful, historic campus. Faculty, staff and students have played an integral role in shaping the future of this region and our nation . Peru State alumni have aided our nation’s efforts to entertain millions, eradicate disease, understand the cosmos, universally educate and more!
Look for our celebration events coming up! June 16-18 June 20 October 28
All-College Reunion Charter Day Celebration Homecoming Celebration
Learn more at peru.edu/150
OMaHa WOrLd-HeraLd