History of North Omaha, Nebraska
Pre-European contact
Bands from the
In 1879, Ponca leader Standing Bear was held captive by the United States government at Fort Omaha in North Omaha. During the trial, Judge Elmer S. Dundy ruled that "an Indian is a person" within the meaning of habeas corpus. Standing Bear was allowed to leave North Omaha and return to his homeland.
Mid-19th century
The first settlements in North Omaha were the 1812
Early towns
Founded in August 1846, Cutler's Park was an early tent settlement for pioneers of
The disagreement between the Oto and Omaha over the Mormons' use of the land persuaded the pioneers to move that fall three miles (5 km) east to a bluff by the Missouri River where the Oto did not demand a tax. There they created a settlement called the
In 1854
South of Florence was a town founded in 1856 for speculators from New York. The
In between Saratoga and Florence was a wide, smooth plain. In the mid-1850s a large group of Irish immigrants built dugouts and
Scriptown was an area of North Omaha bound by 16th street on the east, 24th on the west, and Lake Street to the north. It was originally platted in 1855 to provide land to Nebraska Territory legislators who voted for Nebraska statehood. Consequently, the area was developed quickly, and included a number of prominent homes.[3] From its development following the Scriptown platting, North Omaha was the dominion of a mixed European immigrant community that mingled extensively with the African-American community that grew around the start of the 20th century. The Jewish community in the area was rich, with several synagogues the provided social and cultural activities. The B'nai Jacob Synagogue was located at North 25th and Nicholas Streets; the B'nai Israel Synagogue was at North 18th and Chicago Streets; and the Adass Yeshuren Synagogue was at North 25th and Seward Streets. There are several Jewish cemeteries in the area as well.[4]
Other early communities in the area included
Late 19th century
The rest of the area comprising modern-day North Omaha developed in spurts. The
Early businesses and housing were propelled by the introduction of a horse-driven street railroad in the 1870s, and electrical streetcar lines operated in North Omaha until 1955.[7] Many early businesses in North Omaha were established by Jewish immigrants,[8] who became part of the larger community of successful business people who built downtown Omaha.
In 1875, the Omaha Driving Park Association purchased a parcel of land located between Laird and Boyd Streets, and 16th to 20th Streets for horse racing, specifically, trotters. A fair association leased it, added some features, and held the Douglas County Fair and the Nebraska State Fair there for many years. The park fell into disuse by 1899; there is a report that this area was re-opened as Sunset Driving Park in 1904.[9]
During this period early Omaha banker
Kountze Place developed after the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, with developments including large homes and several mansions built around the Expo's only remnant,
Also in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many European Jewish immigrants became involved in the Progressive and socialist movements. Some later became labor organizers in the meatpacking industry, which after two efforts, finally organized in the late 1930s and early 40s.
Catholic parishes grew extensively with new Irish and German immigrant families.[13] The importance of several arterial streets was confirmed in a prominent business journal in 1890, that noted, "North Sixteenth, Cuming and North Twenty-fourth streets on the north and northwest are... prominent business streets, radiating from the commercial center into the resident portions of the city."[14] Activities in North Omaha, particularly the locating of the Nebraska State Fair at the Omaha Driving Park, led to the formation of the civic and business association Ak-Sar-Ben in 1895.[15]
20th century
North Omaha has suffered in severe Plains weather. In 1902 a major early spring storm demolished a lot of the neighborhood in the
Starting with the development of the
Recruited for jobs by the meatpacking industry, African American migrants doubled their population in Omaha between 1910 and 1920, with a population among western cities second only to Los Angeles. By the late 19th century, the community already had three churches, which contributed much to its life. The African-American community culture in North Omaha developed a musical legacy of blues and jazz through the 1950s. In 1938 Mildred Brown and her husband founded the Omaha Star newspaper, since 1945 the only black paper in the state. Brown kept it going by herself for more than 40 years until her death in 1989. Since her death, her niece took it over.
In the 1930s and 40s, the black community together with white labor organizing partners worked against the segregated practices of the meatpacking plants. Through their organizing the interracial United Packinghouse Workers of America, part of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), they began to win concessions from management. The UPWA was integrated and progressive, also supporting integration of public facilities in Omaha, and the larger Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
From the early 1930s through the 1950s, the Reed Ice Cream Company operated 63 small "ice cream bungalows" that distributed their ice cream across Omaha, including dozens in this neighborhood. One of the bungalows was located 620 N. 40th Street. Co-founded in 1929 by Claude Reed, and his business partner Christian F. Becker, the company plant was located at 3106 N 24th Street. The company sold ice cream in Omaha and Council Bluffs, with a volume of up to 22,000 cones a day. By 1955 there were a few commercial buildings along Ames Avenue and North 30th Street. Two businesses along North 30th Street included the Wax Paper Products Company and the Independent Biscuit Company.[21]
Restructuring of the railroad and meatpacking industries resulted in massive job losses, more than 10,000, for working-class people in Omaha. Changes started to affect the neighborhood in the late 1960s. Families who remained became more poor and the area became predominantly black. Demographics have continued to change, but the city's improving economy has allowed reinvestment in the community. Other businesses in North Omaha included the Vercruysse Dairy, located on the southwest corner of North 52nd Street and Ames Avenue, the Omaha Safe Deposit and Trust Company, and the J.F. Smith Brickyard located on North 30th Street.
Other historically significant businesses included the Storz Brewery, which was located at the corners of Sherman Avenue (also called 16th Street) and Clark Street and finished in 1894. The Storz Brewery was 600 feet (180 m) tall and had a capacity of 150,000 barrels a year, making it one of the largest breweries in the region. The entire facility occupied more than 15 buildings with red-tiled floors and walls, burnished stainless steel and copper fixtures.
In the 1940s, North Omaha was the home to the African-American players of the
In 1947 a total of 15,000 people worked in the
Historical residences
North Omaha's earliest homes were built in the Florence area soon after Winter Quarters were disassembled. Its first identification as a distinct bedroom suburb of Omaha occurred in the early 1870s, when professionals who worked in downtown Omaha built their homes a mile north of downtown Omaha,.
West Central-Cathedral Landmark Heritage District developed around the
The area of far North Omaha from Ames Avenue north was not commonly acknowledged as an incorporated part of the city until before the
Because of problems with crime, maintenance and segregation, as well as changing ideas about housing, in the early 2000s, the city tore down these facilities, including the
Racism in housing
After the 1919 Omaha Race Riot, landlords began enforcing race-restrictive covenants. Properties for rent and sale were restricted on the basis of race, with the primary intent of keeping North Omaha "black" and the rest of the city "white." Redlining by banks in decisions about loans supported such restrictions and limited reinvestment in North Omaha.[33] The federal government's effort to insure mortgage lending led to racial discrimination in awards of loans. Such restrictions were ruled illegal in 1940.
Boyd and Taylor Streets and North 30th Street between Manderson and Bedford are reported to have developed in the 1920s. Harry Buford was a well-to-do member of North Omaha's African-American community with a large home built in 1929 at 1804 North 30th Street. According to one report, "The location of the family home on the west side of North 30th Street indicated the status of the Buford family in Omaha during a period of racial segregation."
In an effort to improve working class housing in North Omaha during the Depression, in the 1930s the Federal government built the Logan-Fontenelle projects, which housed up to 2100 people in 556 apartments. The development was similar to a project of public housing on the South Side of Omaha. Every street was landscaped with trees. The project was named after a leader of the Omaha nation. Originally the housing was intended to be temporary, for working people with families. It was a significant improvement over housing then available to them. With later losses of jobs in Omaha, more people who were unemployed lived in the projects. Logan Fontenelle became heavily segregated as well and suffered from a concentration of poor families with difficulties.
Racial tension
Omaha's African-American residents were spread throughout the small city from its founding through the 1900s. In 1891 a white mob lynched an African-American man named
In 1919, after Red Summer, a time of racial riots in several major industrial cities, a mostly ethnic immigrant white mob from South Omaha terrorized the city's African-American population. Spurred on by sensational journalism the mob of an estimated 20,000 people began by dragging
In 1969 a white police officer shot and killed, without warning, an 14-year old African American girl, Vivian Strong. This incident setoff three days of unrest resulting in an estimated $750,000 in damages.[37]
Riots, including arson and significant property damage, skirmishes with local police, and a bombing in the mid- to late-20th century were demonstrations of other racial tensions. The area continues to be somewhat racially charged, as it remains largely composed of poor African-American constituents. A long history of police brutality has plagued the residents and continues to do so two decades into the 21st century. Violent crime is also still higher than in other areas of the city. This is due in large part to the apathy of the city’s law enforcement. Little if any effort is put into solving violent crime perpetrated in the community which creates a pocket of impunity that continues to snowball the problems. [38] However, it has not experienced any major race incidents since 1993.[35]
Historical architecture
Early North Omaha buildings and homes were characterized by their modest purposes. An example of such simplicity is located in the four-square-style houses located at N 38th Street and Glenwood Avenue. Craftsman and Craftsman-style bungalows were also popular in more affluent areas.[39] According to one report, "many neighborhoods generally consist of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century vernacular and period revival style houses, commercial, educational, and religious resources, and concentrations of post-World War II housing and public housing."[40]
Due to its exceptionally diverse history, particularly in respect to the rest of
Historical government
Historical transportation
An early horse-drawn coach ran from Florence to Saratoga into Omaha from the 1860s through 1890s. Around that time horse-drawn trolleys replaced these coaches, which were then replaced with electrical street cars. North Omaha was the location of at least four street car lines that ran along 16th, 20th, 24th and 30th Streets, north and south from downtown Omaha.
There were several
From at least before 1926, Nebraska Highway 5 used to run down N. 20th Street, jogging east on Ohio Street, and then along 16th. By 1931 this was replaced by N. 30th Street, which was designated as
Historical military presence
In 1878 Fort Omaha became the Headquarters for the Department of the Platte, covering territory that stretched from the Missouri River into Montana and from Canada to Texas. It was a supply fort, rather than a defense fort, that provided assistance for the American Indian Wars, World War I, and World War II. Fort Omaha is best known for its role in the 1879 landmark trial of Ponca chief Standing Bear. Originally known as Omaha Barracks, the frame buildings of the post surrounded and faced a rectangular parade ground. On the level ground on the east side were the post headquarters, guardhouse, bakery, storehouses and sutlers store. Ten single-story barracks were constructed to accommodate an equal number of companies, ten being the number of companies which then comprised a regiment. Five of the barracks were on the north end of the parade ground and the other five on the south end.[43] The hospital was built northwest of the north barracks. Most of these buildings still stand at the intersections of 30th and Fort Streets.
The
The troops at Fort Omaha were responsible for restoring order to the city after the
Libraries
In 1921 the city opened the North Branch Church Library at 25th and Ames. The location has been moved twice since, and the library has been renamed the Charles B. Washington Branch.[45]
Political and Civil rights movements in North Omaha
North Omaha ace of political activism, especially by the Jewish American and African-American communities. They worked together in labor organizing, succeeding with the Meatpacking Union in the 1930s and 1940s.
Starting in the 1920s the community was home to both national and local organizations seeking
Notable figures from North Omaha
North Omaha has been the birthplace and home of many figures of national and local import. They include
Singer Wynonie Harris, saxophonist Preston Love and Buddy Miles all have called North Omaha home. Businesswoman Cathy Hughes is from North Omaha. The community has also had several sports stars, including baseball player Bob Gibson, football player Johnny Rodgers, actress Gabrielle Union, actor John Beasley, Houston Texans running back Ahman Green, and basketball player Bob Boozer.
See also
- North Omaha, Nebraska
- Timeline of North Omaha, Nebraska history
- Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska
- Timeline of racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Bibliography
- Unknown. (1987) Boom and Bust on the Frontier: North Omaha's Story. Omaha Public Library.
- Bish, James D. (1989) The Black Experience in Selected Nebraska Counties, 1854-1920. M.A. Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.
- (n.d) History of North High School[permanent dead link]
- Finlayson, A.J. (1978) The Mysterious Disappearance of Saratoga.
- Fletcher Sasse, A. (2014) North Omaha History, Volumes 1, 2 & 3. Olympia, WA: CommonAction Publishing
- Fletcher Sasse, A. (2021) #OmahaBlackHistory: African American People, Places and Events from the History of Omaha, Nebraska. Olympia, WA: CommonAction Publishing
- Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. (1984) Patterns on the Landscape, Heritage Conservation in North Omaha. City of Omaha Planning Department.
- A Time for Burning, 60 minutes, VHS/DVD. A 1966 award-winning documentary about race relations in Omaha. Features State Sen. Ernie Chambers as a young man.
- "A Street of Dreams," Nebraska Public Media. Air Date, 08/01/1994. Documents the history of North Omaha's African American and Jewish community on North 24th Street, which flourished in the 1920s.
- (2005) A Rich Music History Long Untold, The Omaha Reader. - Describes Omaha's influence on many genres of music, including jazz, blues, soul, R&B, and rock.
- Mihelich, Dennis. (1979) "World War II and the Transformation of the Omaha Urban League", Nebraska History 60(3) (Fall 1979):401-423.
- Paz, D.G. (1988) "John Albert Williams and Black Journalism in Omaha, 1895-1929." Midwest Review 10: 14–32.
- (2003) The Negroes of Nebraska: The Negro Comes to Nebraska. CFC Productions.
- Wilhite, A. (1970) The Saratoga Story, Inflated Beginnings. - Omaha History Society
References
- ^ a b Gail Holmes, "Early Latter-day Saints - Settlement Cutler's Park", Early LDS, Sep 2006, accessed 2 Sep 2008
- ^ Bristow, D. (2002) A Dirty, Wicked Town: Omaha in the 19th Century. Caxton Press.
- ^ (n.d.)"Andreas' History of Nebraska: Douglas County".
- ^ (1948) Checker Cab Directory. p. 26. Retrieved 8/4/07.
- ^ (1981) "Project Prospect: A youth investigation of blacks buried at Prospect Cemetery"[permanent dead link] Girls Club of Omaha
- Nebraska State Historical Society. p 243.
- ^ (n.d.) Transportation Page Archived 2007-01-03 at the Wayback Machine Omaha Exchange
- ^ Olsen, T. (1995) Tell Me a Riddle (Women Writers : Texts and Contexts) Rutgers University Press.
- ^ (n.d.) Omaha Driving Park Track Info The GEL Motorsport Information Page.
- ^ a b (n.d.) Omaha Timeline 1880-1889 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Douglas County Historical Society
- ^ (n.d.)Buffalo Bill at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and Indian Congress of 1898[usurped]. Nebraska State Historical Society.
- ^ Historical postcard from the Omaha Gun Club
- ^ "A Street of Dreams," Nebraska Public Media. Air Date, 08/01/1994. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ (1890) Nebraska State Gazetteer Business Directory & Farmer's List Archived 2007-01-07 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ (n.d.)"History of Ak-Sar-Ben" Archived 2007-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, Ak-Sar-Ben
- ^ "Big storm at Omaha," New York Times. March 12, 1902. Retrieved 1/18/08.
- ^ Sing, T (2003) Omaha's Easter Tornado of 1913. Arcadia Publishing.
- ^ (n.d.)1913 Easter Sunday Tornado Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Omaha Public Library
- ^ (n.d.)Omaha's Terrible Evening. Tragic Story of America's Greatest Disaster.
- University of Nebraska at OmahaAlumni Association
- ^ Reconnaissance Survey of Select Nebraska Communities[usurped]
- ^ Storz Brewery History Archived 2006-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (nd) Minne Lusa Theater. Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 6/11/07.
- ^ (n.d.) Mickey Stubblefield Profile
- ^ (n.d.) Barnstorming & Tournament Ball Archived 2006-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [Bacon, David (2005) "And the Winner Is... Immigration reform on the killing room floor" The American Prospect.23 Oct 2005] Accessed 11.10.05
- ^ (n.d.) Art Work of Omaha - 32nd Street, 39th Street Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (n.d.) Yates Residence Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (n.d.) Historic Families Archived 2007-02-06 at the Wayback Machine Douglas County Historical Society
- ^ (n.d.) Holy Family Church City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. - The church, built by Irish immigrants, is located at 915 North 18th Street.
- ^ West Central-Cathedral Landmark Heritage District City of Omaha.
- ^ (1937) Omaha Plat Map
- ^ A Street of Dreams
- ^ "Reconnaissance Survey of Select Nebraska Communities"[usurped]
- ^ a b Bristow, D. (2002) A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tale of 19th Century Omaha. Caxton Press.
- ^ A Street of Dreams.
- ^ "Remembering Vivian Strong | netnebraska.org". netnebraska.org. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ "Where Killings Go Unsolved | Washingtonpost.com". Washingtonpost.com.
- ^ Mead and Hunt, Inc. (2003) Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Neighborhoods in Central Omaha[usurped]. Prepared for the City of Omaha.
- ^ Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Neighborhoods in Nebraska[usurped]
- ^ (1948) Checker Cab Directory. p. 56. Retrieved 8/4/07.
- ^ Morrison, J. (2007). Council Bluffs/Omaha: Highway Chronology Archived 2006-06-19 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ (n.d.) Omaha Military History Archived 2007-08-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Reeves, R. (n.d.) Douglas County History University of Nebraska.
- ^ (n.d.) North Branch Library Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Omaha Public Library.
External links
- NorthOmahaHistory.com - Articles featuring people, places and events from the history of North Omaha by Adam Fletcher Sasse
- BlackPast.org - A website featuring much history from North Omaha
- Historical Florence website