Miles:
12
Great Plains Black History Museum
While you are stopped, learn about: Capitol Hill Historical Marker
Omaha, Nebraska; Douglas County
The Great Plains Black History Museum’s mission is to preserve, educate, and exhibit the contributions and achievements of African Americans with an emphasis on the Great Plains region, as well as provide a space to learn, explore, reflect, and remember.
Mrs. Bertha Calloway founded the Great Plains Black History Museum in 1976, aided by a grant from the 1976 Bicentennial Commission. The Museum was opened in the historical Webster Telephone Exchange Building. The Museum is currently located in the historic Jewel Building, home of the Dreamland Ballroom. Since then, the Museum has hosted and created exhibits that featured paintings, rare books, documents, and artifacts related to the African American experience. The Museum has hosted a slate of athletes, politicians, and other dignitaries, as well as local, national, and international visitors. Through a series of victories and challenges, the Great Plains Black History Museum continues to serve an important role in our community.
Resources:
While you are stopped, learn about: Capitol Hill Historical Marker
For ten years, this location on Capitol Hill served as Nebraska’s second territorial capitol. The building was constructed in 1857 and 1858 and was in use until the state government was moved to Lincoln in 1868.
Omaha was designated as the Capital of the Nebraska Territory by Acting-Governor Cuming, who convened the First Territorial Legislature in a small two-story brick building donated by the Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company. That building was located on Ninth Street, between Douglas and Farnam, and facing the Missouri River. It was used for the legislature during the sessions of 1855 and 1857.
The second capitol building was an attractive brick structure measuring 137 by 93 feet. The first floor housed the supreme court, library, and government offices, while the legislature and governor were located on the second floor.
In 1869, the Capitol building and grounds were given to Omaha by the state for use as a school. The building was deemed unsafe, and the first public Omaha High School was built in its place on Capitol Hill in 1872. The present Central High School building, completed in 1912, replaced the earlier building. The central court of the school represents the approximate area of the original capital.
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Fort Atkinson
Fort Atkinson was the first U.S. Military post west of the Missouri River. Previously known as Lewis and Clark’s Council Bluff, the military post was located at this site between 1820 and 1827. It became the largest and most westerly military post in the country and housed over 1,000 people, including military personnel from the elite Rifle Regiment and Sixth Infantry, their families, and civilians. The Sixth U.S.... Read more
Nelson Produce Farm
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The Great Platte Valley
Welcome to the Platte Valley, a historic route to the West. Nearby bluffs were once home to some of Nebraska’s first residents, Native Americans, including the Pawnee and Oto nations who built large earthlodge villages in the area. As you journey westward, you’ll follow the footsteps of native Nebraskans, white explorers, and pioneers who traveled early trails to the western United States. In 1820, Major Stephen Long led... Read more
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