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EspañolHISTORY OF NORTH OMAHA, NEBRASKA
With a recorded history that pre-dates the rest of Omaha, Nebraska, North Omaha has roots back to 1806 with the founding of Fort Lisa. It includes the settlement of Cutler's Park in 1846, lynchings around the turn of the century, the thriving 24th Street community of the 1920s, the bustling development of the African American community through the 1950s, and a series of riots in the 1960s.
Bands from the Pawnee, Otoe and Sioux nations were the first to occupy the area around Carter Lake. After a short period in the late 1700s and early 1800s when they were the most powerful Indians on the Great Plains, the Omaha nation through the vicinity of present-day East Omaha. After a smallpox breakout killed much of its population, and with the wholesale elimination of their historical way of life, the Omaha sold their lands and moved to their present reservation to the north in Thurston County, Nebraska in 1856.
Early settlement in the area includes Fort Lisa located near Hummel Park at 11808 John J Pershing Drive. It was built by famed fur trapper Manuel Lisa in 1812. Another development in the area was Cabanne's Trading Post, from which the American Fur Company competed for the patronage of local Native American tribes. The area directly comprising North Omaha has a history of European settlement that extends at least to 1846, and included a great deal of development soon after the formation of the Nebraska Territory in 1854.
Main articles: Winter Quarters
Founded in 1846, Cutler's Park was established as a hold-over of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on their way from Nauvoo to Utah. Over 800 shelters were built at a settlement, which also had a store, bank and town square. The town effectively ceased to exist in 1848, when the entire population continued their trek west.
Main articles: Florence, Nebraska
Founded in 1856 and built on the remains of Cutler's Park, Florence quickly grew into an important stocking point for settlers heading west on the California Trail. The early town included banks, a post office, a large mill, several bars, and other important businesses. Annexed into Omaha in 1917, today the community is at the far north end of North Omaha.
Main articles: Saratoga, Nebraska
Founded in 1856 for New York speculators, this town was located in the proximity of North 24th Street and Ames Avenue. Its economy relied on its connection to Saratoga Bend on the Missouri River, less than one mile away. At its peak the town had a hotel, several businesses, its own post office and more than 60 homes, and was regarded as being larger than either of its neighboring towns of Omaha and Florence.
Main articles: Scriptown
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.[1]
Other early communities in the area included Casey's Row, an early community of housing for African American families, most of whom were employed as porters[2], and Gophertown, an area of mostly Irish settlers located north of Saratoga and south of Florence.[3]
The rest of the area comprising modern-day North Omaha developed in spurts. The Near North Side, closest to downtown, developed quickly in this period with many homes for working-class African American and European immigrant families.
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. 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.[4]
Early Omaha banker Herman Kountze owned a large parcel of land in North Omaha, which he platted as a subdivision called Kountze Place. On May 17, 1883, Buffalo Bill founded his famous Wild West, Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition in that area, making its first appearance at the aforementioned Omaha Driving Park[5]. More than 8,000 people attended the first exhibition at a location near 18th and Sprague Streets. Buffalo Bill's Wild West later returned to North Omaha for the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898.[6] Held in conjunction with the Expo, the Indian Congress drew more than 500 American Indians representing 35 tribes to the area, as well.
Kountze Place developed after the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, with developments including large homes and several mansions built around the Expo's only remanant, Kountze Park.
From its start in the late 1800s, near North Omaha was the dominion of a mixed European immigrant community that mingled extensively with the African American community. The Jewish community in the area was rich, with several synagogues the provided social and cultural activities in the area. 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.[7]
Similarly, Catholic parishes in the area welcomed Irish and German immigrants.[8]. Far North Omaha, near Florence, was home to an almost exclusively Scandinavian immigrant community. With a variety churches and social clubs, this neighborhood was a cultural center for many of North Omaha's working class and middle class whites. The African American community culture in North Omaha is anchored by its blues and jazz legacy, the ''Omaha Star'' and the community's churches. This trend started to reverse in the late 1960s, with the racial and economic demographics of the neighborhood rapidly changing in the 1990s and still today.
Main articles: Culture in North Omaha, Nebraska
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[9]. Mass development of the area was first sparked by a large international exposition at the turn of the century. Many early businesses in North Omaha were established by Jewish immigrants[10], who were part of the larger community of successful business people that built downtown Omaha. The important status of several arterial streets is confirmed by a report from a prominent business journal, who in 1890 said that, "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."[11]
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.[12] Other historically significant businesses include 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 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[13].
From the early 1930s through the 50s the Reed Ice Cream Company operated 63 small "ice cream bungalows" that distributed their ice cream across Omaha, including dozens in North Omaha. One of the bungalows was located 620 N. 40th Street. Organized in 1929 by Claude Reed, the company plant was located at 3106 N 24th Street. The company sold ice cream in Omaha and Council Bluffs and sold as many as 22,000 cones a day. Other businesses in North Omaha included the Vercruysse Dairy, located on the southwest corner of North 52nd Street and Ames Avenue, and the Omaha Safe Deposit and Trust Company, and the J.F. Smith Brickyard located on North 30th Street.
There are also reports of the North Omaha Business Men's Association that made numerous contributions to Omaha commerce, culture, and education. One such report identifies the group as responsible for developing a new athletic field at Omaha University in 1928.[14] Activities in North Omaha, particularly the locating of the Nebraska State Fair at the Omaha Driving Park, led to the formation of Ak-Sar-Ben in 1895[15].
Among many jobs held by African Americans in North Omaha, the meatpacking industry may have been the most important. In the 1930s and 40s the black community fought against the segregated practices of the meatpacking plants, and won. In the 50s, black members of the United Packinghouse Workers used this political strength to demand that Omaha's bars, restaurants, and other establishments halt segregationist restrictions.[16]
The history of North Omaha is filled with sport, perhaps beginning with the aforementioned Omaha Driving Park Association. Their driving grounds, for horse racing, horse and buggy racing and later automobiles, was located between Laird and Boyd Streets, and 16th to 20th Streets from approximately 1875 to 1899[5].
Lake Nakoma, now known as Carter Lake, was a hotbed of local sporting in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The surrounding park was home to sailing events, rowing clubs, Bungalow City, and the Omaha Gun Club.[18] Miller Park was an early site for golfing and boating, and Kountze Park featured several outdoor activities, as well.
In the 1940s, North Omaha was the home to the African American players of the Omaha Rockets independent baseball team. The team played exhibition games against Negro League teams from across the U.S., and was the home of several important players.[19][20]
North Omaha has been adversely affected by weather throughout its history. Perhaps the most significant event was the Easter Sunday tornado of 1913 that destroyed many of the area's businesses and neighborhoods.[21] The Idlewild Pool Hall at 2307 North 24th Street was the scene of the greatest loss of life. The owner, C. W. Dillard, and 13 customers were killed as they tried to take shelter on the south side of the pool hall’s basement. The victims were crushed by falling debris or overcome by smoke from fires begun when wood stoves used for heating overturned. The postcard image shows the slow process of removing the debris to recover the bodies. The victims were then removed to the Webster Telephone Exchange Building at 2213 Lake Street, now the site of the Great Plains Black Museum.[22] One report identifies this building as a central headquarters in recovering the community, as the many operators go to work despite the building missing all of its windows.[23]
Main articles: Neighborhoods in North Omaha, Nebraska
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[24],[25]. For many years it was home to several prominent Omaha families, businesses, and organizations[26], and in 1887 North Omaha was annexed to the city of Omaha[5]. Early north Omaha residential developments were mostly occupied by European immigrants from Ireland and Eastern Europe, as evidenced by the construction of the churches where they worshiped, such as Holy Family Church on North 18th and Izard Streets.[28]
West Central-Cathedral Landmark Heritage District developed around the Academy of the Sacred Heart, opened in 1882, and St. Cecilia Cathedral. This primarily residential district, the heart of which lies along both sides of North 38th Street, is the northern portion of what is known as the Gold Coast.[29]
North Omaha was the site of several federal housing projects, first built in the 1930s as no-cost or low-cost housing for Eastern European immigrants. The demographics of these locations changed, and by the late 1960s they were inhabited almost entirely by poor and low-income African Americans. By the early 2000s each of these facilities, including the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects, were torn down and replaced with other public housing schemes. The area of far North Omaha from Ames Avenue north was not commonly acknowledged as an incorporated part of the city until after World War II, when a housing boom filled in many communities throughout the area[30]
After the 1919 Omaha Race Riots the city was gripped by racism, and 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". These agreements were held in place with redlining[31], which was a system of segregated insuring and lending reinforced by the federal government. These 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."[12] These types of differentiations according to socioeconomic and racial boundaries where prevalent throughout the North Omaha area.
Main articles: Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha's African American residents were largely spread throughout the small city from its founding through the 1900s. However, in the first few decades of the new century several changes harbored racial tension which exists throughout the city to this day. After the lynching of an African American man named George Smith by a white mob in 1891[33], the city's African American population was terrorized by another white mob in 1919, when Will Brown was dragged from his jail cell, beaten, trampled, lynched, dragged through the streets, dismembered and burnt. After the mob was done with Brown's corpse they attempted to turn their hatred on the entire population of African Americans in Omaha; however, their efforts were thwarted by soldiers from Fort Omaha.[34] This tension has existed since, with several riots, skirmishes with local police, a bombing, and other events marring the city's history.
Main articles: Architecture in North Omaha, Nebraska
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.[35] 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."[36]
Due to its exceptionally diverse history, particularly in respect to the rest of Nebraska, North Omaha is home to a spectacular number of historical and modern landmarks. This is evidenced by the sheer number of Registered Historic Places within its boundaries.
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 railroad tracks in North Omaha, including those along Sorenson Parkway and parallel to 24th Street.[37] The Webster Street Depot was located at 15th and Webster Streets, and the Florence Depot was on North 30th Street in Florence.
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 US 73. In 1984 US 73 was replaced by US 75, which maintains its position along N. 30th Street today.[38] Between 1978 and 1980 a new freeway was built from I-480 north to Lake St, called I-580. This status was revoked when the State of Nebraska refused to upgrade the roadway to Interstate specifications, and the roadway is currently called the North Omaha Freeway.
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 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[39]. The hospital was built northwest of the north barracks. Most of these buildings still stand at the intersections of 30th and Fort Streets.
The Fort Omaha Balloon School was the first such military school in America, and was located in North Omaha. After the United States entered the war on April 6, 1917, operations increased to the extent that a sub-post was needed to accommodate men and the maneuvering balloons. "Florence Field," about a mile north of the fort, consisting of 119 acres, was acquired for this purpose.[40]
The troops at Fort Omaha were responsible for restoring order to the city after the Omaha Race Riot of 1919.
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.[41]
North Omaha has a legacy of political activism stemming from within the African American community. Starting in the 1920s the community was home to organizations seeking equal rights for African Americans. During the 1960s popular locations in North Omaha for community activists to gather included the Fair Deal Cafe on 24th Street and Goodwin’s Spencer Street Barbershop at 3116 N. 24th Street, where young Ernie Chambers was a barber. The movement continues to be represented by Senator Chambers, and continues in the community today.
North Omaha has been the birthplace and home of many figures of national and local import. They include Malcolm X, Whitney Young, an important civil rights leader, the storied Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers, actor John Beasley, and author Tillie Olsen. Singer Wynonie Harris, saxaphonist Preston Love and Buddy Miles all have called North Omaha home. Businesswoman Cathy Hughes is from North Omaha. The community has also several birthed 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.
Main articles: People from North Omaha
★ North Omaha, Nebraska
★ Timeline of North Omaha, Nebraska history
★ Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska
★ Timeline of Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska
★ List of articles related to North Omaha, Nebraska
1. (n.d.)"Andreas' History of Nebraska: Douglas County".
2. (1981) ''Project Prospect: A youth investigation of blacks buried at Prospect Cemetery'' Girls Club of Omaha
3. Barstow, D. (2002)
4. (n.d.) Omaha Driving Park Track Info The GEL Motorsport Information Page.
5. (n.d.) Omaha Timeline 1880-1889 Douglas County Historical Society
6. (n.d.)''Buffalo Bill at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and Indian Congress of 1898.'' Nebraska State Historical Society.
7. (1948) Checker Cab Directory. p. 26. Retrieved 8/4/07.
8. ''Street of Dreams'' Nebraska Public Television
9. (n.d.) Transportation Page Omaha Exchange
10. Olsen, T. (1995) ''Tell Me a Riddle (Women Writers : Texts and Contexts)'' Rutgers University Press.
11. (1890) ''Nebraska State Gazetteer Business Directory & Farmer's List''
12. [www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/reports/omaha_1.pdf Reconnaissance Survey of Select Nebraska Communities]
13. Storz Brewery History
14. (n.d.) Football University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association
15. (n.d.)History of Ak-Sar-Ben. Ak-Sar-Ben.
16. Bacon, D. (2005) "And the Winnder Is... Immigration reform on the killing room floor." ''The American Prospect.'' 11.10.05
17. (n.d.) Omaha Timeline 1880-1889 Douglas County Historical Society
18. Historical postcard from the Omaha Gun Club
19. ''(n.d.) Mickey Stubblefield Profile''
20. (n.d.) Barnstorming & Tournament Ball
21. Sing, T (2003) ''Omaha's Easter Tornado of 1913''. Arcadia Publishing.
22. (n.d.)1913 Easter Sunday Tornado Omaha Public Library
23. (n.d.)Omaha's Terrible Evening. ''Tragic Story of America's Greatest Disaster''.
24. (n.d.) Art Work of Omaha - 32nd Street, 39th Street
25. (n.d.) Yates Residence
26. (n.d.) Historic Families Douglas County Historical Society
27. (n.d.) Omaha Timeline 1880-1889 Douglas County Historical Society
28. (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.
29. West Central-Cathedral Landmark Heritage District City of Omaha.
30. (1937) Omaha Plat Map
31. (1992) ''A Street of Dreams.'' Nebraska ETV Network (video)
32. [www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/reports/omaha_1.pdf Reconnaissance Survey of Select Nebraska Communities]
33. Bristow, D. (2002) A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tale of 19th Century Omaha. Caxton Press.
34. ''A Street of Dreams'' Nebraska Public Television.
35. Mead and Hunt, Inc. (2003) ''Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Neighborhoods in Central Omaha.'' Prepared for the City of Omaha.
36. ''Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Neighborhoods in Nebraska''
37. (1948) Checker Cab Directory. p. 56. Retrieved 8/4/07.
38. Morrison, J. (2007). ''Council Bluffs/Omaha: Highway Chronology''.
39. (n.d.) Omaha Military History
40. Reeves, R. (n.d.) Douglas County History University of Nebraska.
41. (n.d.) North Branch Library. Omaha Public Library.
★ 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''
★ 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 surrounding a church in Omaha. Features State Sen. Ernie Chambers.
★ ''A Street of Dreams'', 58 minutes, VHS. Great Plains National Instructional TV 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
★ Finlayson, A.J. (1978) ''The Mysterious Disappearance of Saratoga.''
★ BlackPast.org - A website featuring much history from North Omaha.
★ Historical Florence website
Pre-European history
Bands from the Pawnee, Otoe and Sioux nations were the first to occupy the area around Carter Lake. After a short period in the late 1700s and early 1800s when they were the most powerful Indians on the Great Plains, the Omaha nation through the vicinity of present-day East Omaha. After a smallpox breakout killed much of its population, and with the wholesale elimination of their historical way of life, the Omaha sold their lands and moved to their present reservation to the north in Thurston County, Nebraska in 1856.
Early development
Early settlement in the area includes Fort Lisa located near Hummel Park at 11808 John J Pershing Drive. It was built by famed fur trapper Manuel Lisa in 1812. Another development in the area was Cabanne's Trading Post, from which the American Fur Company competed for the patronage of local Native American tribes. The area directly comprising North Omaha has a history of European settlement that extends at least to 1846, and included a great deal of development soon after the formation of the Nebraska Territory in 1854.
Town of Cutler's Park
Main articles: Winter Quarters
Founded in 1846, Cutler's Park was established as a hold-over of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on their way from Nauvoo to Utah. Over 800 shelters were built at a settlement, which also had a store, bank and town square. The town effectively ceased to exist in 1848, when the entire population continued their trek west.
Town of Florence
Main articles: Florence, Nebraska
Founded in 1856 and built on the remains of Cutler's Park, Florence quickly grew into an important stocking point for settlers heading west on the California Trail. The early town included banks, a post office, a large mill, several bars, and other important businesses. Annexed into Omaha in 1917, today the community is at the far north end of North Omaha.
Town of Saratoga
Main articles: Saratoga, Nebraska
Founded in 1856 for New York speculators, this town was located in the proximity of North 24th Street and Ames Avenue. Its economy relied on its connection to Saratoga Bend on the Missouri River, less than one mile away. At its peak the town had a hotel, several businesses, its own post office and more than 60 homes, and was regarded as being larger than either of its neighboring towns of Omaha and Florence.
Scriptown
Main articles: Scriptown
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.[1]
Other early communities in the area included Casey's Row, an early community of housing for African American families, most of whom were employed as porters[2], and Gophertown, an area of mostly Irish settlers located north of Saratoga and south of Florence.[3]
Late 1800s development
Night view of the Grand Court. Photograph by Frank Rinehart, 1898.
The rest of the area comprising modern-day North Omaha developed in spurts. The Near North Side, closest to downtown, developed quickly in this period with many homes for working-class African American and European immigrant families.
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. 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.[4]
Early Omaha banker Herman Kountze owned a large parcel of land in North Omaha, which he platted as a subdivision called Kountze Place. On May 17, 1883, Buffalo Bill founded his famous Wild West, Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition in that area, making its first appearance at the aforementioned Omaha Driving Park[5]. More than 8,000 people attended the first exhibition at a location near 18th and Sprague Streets. Buffalo Bill's Wild West later returned to North Omaha for the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898.[6] Held in conjunction with the Expo, the Indian Congress drew more than 500 American Indians representing 35 tribes to the area, as well.
Kountze Place developed after the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, with developments including large homes and several mansions built around the Expo's only remanant, Kountze Park.
Culture
From its start in the late 1800s, near North Omaha was the dominion of a mixed European immigrant community that mingled extensively with the African American community. The Jewish community in the area was rich, with several synagogues the provided social and cultural activities in the area. 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.[7]
Similarly, Catholic parishes in the area welcomed Irish and German immigrants.[8]. Far North Omaha, near Florence, was home to an almost exclusively Scandinavian immigrant community. With a variety churches and social clubs, this neighborhood was a cultural center for many of North Omaha's working class and middle class whites. The African American community culture in North Omaha is anchored by its blues and jazz legacy, the ''Omaha Star'' and the community's churches. This trend started to reverse in the late 1960s, with the racial and economic demographics of the neighborhood rapidly changing in the 1990s and still today.
Main articles: Culture in North Omaha, Nebraska
Historical economics
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[9]. Mass development of the area was first sparked by a large international exposition at the turn of the century. Many early businesses in North Omaha were established by Jewish immigrants[10], who were part of the larger community of successful business people that built downtown Omaha. The important status of several arterial streets is confirmed by a report from a prominent business journal, who in 1890 said that, "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."[11]
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.[12] Other historically significant businesses include 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 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[13].
From the early 1930s through the 50s the Reed Ice Cream Company operated 63 small "ice cream bungalows" that distributed their ice cream across Omaha, including dozens in North Omaha. One of the bungalows was located 620 N. 40th Street. Organized in 1929 by Claude Reed, the company plant was located at 3106 N 24th Street. The company sold ice cream in Omaha and Council Bluffs and sold as many as 22,000 cones a day. Other businesses in North Omaha included the Vercruysse Dairy, located on the southwest corner of North 52nd Street and Ames Avenue, and the Omaha Safe Deposit and Trust Company, and the J.F. Smith Brickyard located on North 30th Street.
There are also reports of the North Omaha Business Men's Association that made numerous contributions to Omaha commerce, culture, and education. One such report identifies the group as responsible for developing a new athletic field at Omaha University in 1928.[14] Activities in North Omaha, particularly the locating of the Nebraska State Fair at the Omaha Driving Park, led to the formation of Ak-Sar-Ben in 1895[15].
Economic segregation
Among many jobs held by African Americans in North Omaha, the meatpacking industry may have been the most important. In the 1930s and 40s the black community fought against the segregated practices of the meatpacking plants, and won. In the 50s, black members of the United Packinghouse Workers used this political strength to demand that Omaha's bars, restaurants, and other establishments halt segregationist restrictions.[16]
Historical sports
The history of North Omaha is filled with sport, perhaps beginning with the aforementioned Omaha Driving Park Association. Their driving grounds, for horse racing, horse and buggy racing and later automobiles, was located between Laird and Boyd Streets, and 16th to 20th Streets from approximately 1875 to 1899[5].
Lake Nakoma, now known as Carter Lake, was a hotbed of local sporting in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The surrounding park was home to sailing events, rowing clubs, Bungalow City, and the Omaha Gun Club.[18] Miller Park was an early site for golfing and boating, and Kountze Park featured several outdoor activities, as well.
In the 1940s, North Omaha was the home to the African American players of the Omaha Rockets independent baseball team. The team played exhibition games against Negro League teams from across the U.S., and was the home of several important players.[19][20]
Historical weather
North Omaha has been adversely affected by weather throughout its history. Perhaps the most significant event was the Easter Sunday tornado of 1913 that destroyed many of the area's businesses and neighborhoods.[21] The Idlewild Pool Hall at 2307 North 24th Street was the scene of the greatest loss of life. The owner, C. W. Dillard, and 13 customers were killed as they tried to take shelter on the south side of the pool hall’s basement. The victims were crushed by falling debris or overcome by smoke from fires begun when wood stoves used for heating overturned. The postcard image shows the slow process of removing the debris to recover the bodies. The victims were then removed to the Webster Telephone Exchange Building at 2213 Lake Street, now the site of the Great Plains Black Museum.[22] One report identifies this building as a central headquarters in recovering the community, as the many operators go to work despite the building missing all of its windows.[23]
Historical residences
Main articles: Neighborhoods in North Omaha, Nebraska
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[24],[25]. For many years it was home to several prominent Omaha families, businesses, and organizations[26], and in 1887 North Omaha was annexed to the city of Omaha[5]. Early north Omaha residential developments were mostly occupied by European immigrants from Ireland and Eastern Europe, as evidenced by the construction of the churches where they worshiped, such as Holy Family Church on North 18th and Izard Streets.[28]
West Central-Cathedral Landmark Heritage District developed around the Academy of the Sacred Heart, opened in 1882, and St. Cecilia Cathedral. This primarily residential district, the heart of which lies along both sides of North 38th Street, is the northern portion of what is known as the Gold Coast.[29]
North Omaha was the site of several federal housing projects, first built in the 1930s as no-cost or low-cost housing for Eastern European immigrants. The demographics of these locations changed, and by the late 1960s they were inhabited almost entirely by poor and low-income African Americans. By the early 2000s each of these facilities, including the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects, were torn down and replaced with other public housing schemes. The area of far North Omaha from Ames Avenue north was not commonly acknowledged as an incorporated part of the city until after World War II, when a housing boom filled in many communities throughout the area[30]
Racism in housing
After the 1919 Omaha Race Riots the city was gripped by racism, and 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". These agreements were held in place with redlining[31], which was a system of segregated insuring and lending reinforced by the federal government. These 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."[12] These types of differentiations according to socioeconomic and racial boundaries where prevalent throughout the North Omaha area.
Racial tension
Main articles: Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha's African American residents were largely spread throughout the small city from its founding through the 1900s. However, in the first few decades of the new century several changes harbored racial tension which exists throughout the city to this day. After the lynching of an African American man named George Smith by a white mob in 1891[33], the city's African American population was terrorized by another white mob in 1919, when Will Brown was dragged from his jail cell, beaten, trampled, lynched, dragged through the streets, dismembered and burnt. After the mob was done with Brown's corpse they attempted to turn their hatred on the entire population of African Americans in Omaha; however, their efforts were thwarted by soldiers from Fort Omaha.[34] This tension has existed since, with several riots, skirmishes with local police, a bombing, and other events marring the city's history.
Historical architecture
Main articles: Architecture in North Omaha, Nebraska
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.[35] 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."[36]
Due to its exceptionally diverse history, particularly in respect to the rest of Nebraska, North Omaha is home to a spectacular number of historical and modern landmarks. This is evidenced by the sheer number of Registered Historic Places within its boundaries.
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 railroad tracks in North Omaha, including those along Sorenson Parkway and parallel to 24th Street.[37] The Webster Street Depot was located at 15th and Webster Streets, and the Florence Depot was on North 30th Street in Florence.
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 US 73. In 1984 US 73 was replaced by US 75, which maintains its position along N. 30th Street today.[38] Between 1978 and 1980 a new freeway was built from I-480 north to Lake St, called I-580. This status was revoked when the State of Nebraska refused to upgrade the roadway to Interstate specifications, and the roadway is currently called the North Omaha Freeway.
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 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[39]. The hospital was built northwest of the north barracks. Most of these buildings still stand at the intersections of 30th and Fort Streets.
The Fort Omaha Balloon School was the first such military school in America, and was located in North Omaha. After the United States entered the war on April 6, 1917, operations increased to the extent that a sub-post was needed to accommodate men and the maneuvering balloons. "Florence Field," about a mile north of the fort, consisting of 119 acres, was acquired for this purpose.[40]
The troops at Fort Omaha were responsible for restoring order to the city after the Omaha Race Riot of 1919.
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.[41]
Civil rights movement in North Omaha
North Omaha has a legacy of political activism stemming from within the African American community. Starting in the 1920s the community was home to organizations seeking equal rights for African Americans. During the 1960s popular locations in North Omaha for community activists to gather included the Fair Deal Cafe on 24th Street and Goodwin’s Spencer Street Barbershop at 3116 N. 24th Street, where young Ernie Chambers was a barber. The movement continues to be represented by Senator Chambers, and continues in the community today.
Notable figures from North Omaha
The young Malcolm X
North Omaha has been the birthplace and home of many figures of national and local import. They include Malcolm X, Whitney Young, an important civil rights leader, the storied Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers, actor John Beasley, and author Tillie Olsen. Singer Wynonie Harris, saxaphonist Preston Love and Buddy Miles all have called North Omaha home. Businesswoman Cathy Hughes is from North Omaha. The community has also several birthed 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.
Main articles: People from North Omaha
See also
★ North Omaha, Nebraska
★ Timeline of North Omaha, Nebraska history
★ Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska
★ Timeline of Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska
★ List of articles related to North Omaha, Nebraska
References
1. (n.d.)"Andreas' History of Nebraska: Douglas County".
2. (1981) ''Project Prospect: A youth investigation of blacks buried at Prospect Cemetery'' Girls Club of Omaha
3. Barstow, D. (2002)
4. (n.d.) Omaha Driving Park Track Info The GEL Motorsport Information Page.
5. (n.d.) Omaha Timeline 1880-1889 Douglas County Historical Society
6. (n.d.)''Buffalo Bill at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and Indian Congress of 1898.'' Nebraska State Historical Society.
7. (1948) Checker Cab Directory. p. 26. Retrieved 8/4/07.
8. ''Street of Dreams'' Nebraska Public Television
9. (n.d.) Transportation Page Omaha Exchange
10. Olsen, T. (1995) ''Tell Me a Riddle (Women Writers : Texts and Contexts)'' Rutgers University Press.
11. (1890) ''Nebraska State Gazetteer Business Directory & Farmer's List''
12. [www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/reports/omaha_1.pdf Reconnaissance Survey of Select Nebraska Communities]
13. Storz Brewery History
14. (n.d.) Football University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association
15. (n.d.)History of Ak-Sar-Ben. Ak-Sar-Ben.
16. Bacon, D. (2005) "And the Winnder Is... Immigration reform on the killing room floor." ''The American Prospect.'' 11.10.05
17. (n.d.) Omaha Timeline 1880-1889 Douglas County Historical Society
18. Historical postcard from the Omaha Gun Club
19. ''(n.d.) Mickey Stubblefield Profile''
20. (n.d.) Barnstorming & Tournament Ball
21. Sing, T (2003) ''Omaha's Easter Tornado of 1913''. Arcadia Publishing.
22. (n.d.)1913 Easter Sunday Tornado Omaha Public Library
23. (n.d.)Omaha's Terrible Evening. ''Tragic Story of America's Greatest Disaster''.
24. (n.d.) Art Work of Omaha - 32nd Street, 39th Street
25. (n.d.) Yates Residence
26. (n.d.) Historic Families Douglas County Historical Society
27. (n.d.) Omaha Timeline 1880-1889 Douglas County Historical Society
28. (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.
29. West Central-Cathedral Landmark Heritage District City of Omaha.
30. (1937) Omaha Plat Map
31. (1992) ''A Street of Dreams.'' Nebraska ETV Network (video)
32. [www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/reports/omaha_1.pdf Reconnaissance Survey of Select Nebraska Communities]
33. Bristow, D. (2002) A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tale of 19th Century Omaha. Caxton Press.
34. ''A Street of Dreams'' Nebraska Public Television.
35. Mead and Hunt, Inc. (2003) ''Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Neighborhoods in Central Omaha.'' Prepared for the City of Omaha.
36. ''Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Neighborhoods in Nebraska''
37. (1948) Checker Cab Directory. p. 56. Retrieved 8/4/07.
38. Morrison, J. (2007). ''Council Bluffs/Omaha: Highway Chronology''.
39. (n.d.) Omaha Military History
40. Reeves, R. (n.d.) Douglas County History University of Nebraska.
41. (n.d.) North Branch Library. Omaha Public Library.
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''
★ 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 surrounding a church in Omaha. Features State Sen. Ernie Chambers.
★ ''A Street of Dreams'', 58 minutes, VHS. Great Plains National Instructional TV 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
★ Finlayson, A.J. (1978) ''The Mysterious Disappearance of Saratoga.''
External links
★ BlackPast.org - A website featuring much history from North Omaha.
★ Historical Florence website
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