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Jan 1, 1500
Pre-1500 Nebraska's Ice Age
Occurring between 2 and 10 million years ago the Ice Age in Nebraska changed the landscape of the area. Glacier's carved out the land in the northern part of the state and determined where the Missouri River would flow. If it were not for the ice age we may still have mammoths and three-toed horses still in Nebraska today. -
Jan 2, 1500
Pre-1500 Life on the Praries
It is important for students to understand how people lived on the praries before modern technology. Our ancestors created a way of life of living on the plains that was used for many years. Today, these old ways of life can sometimes be stumbled upon and we often find artifacts from this time period. -
1500 - 1799 Horses Stolen from Spanish
Prior to horses arriving in Nerbaska, the people on the plains were fairly sedentary people. The arrival of the horse changed the way of life for many tribes living in Nebraska causing some of them to completely change their life and become nomads. Today, horses are still a commodity to people who work on farms and ranches in Nebraska. Below is an animation of horse migration. Migration of the Horse -
1500-1799 Geopolical Power Shifts
The French and the British faught over rights to the lands on the eastern searbord. Soon the British won the war and the first 13 colonies were set up. After winning the war, the colonies soon began to think about their independence from England. Without these steps in history, Nebraska may not have become a state. The picture on the right is of goods the British traded with Native Americans in return for help fighting the war. -
1800-1849 Louisiana Purchase
In 1802, ownership of a large part of the West changed, and changed fundamentally. France sold 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River to the United States. That worked out to 4-cents per acre — a bargain even then. The lands stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. Thirteen states were carved from the Louisiana Territory including present day Nebraska. -
1800-1849 Oregon Trail
People used the Oregon Trail to travel from the east to west using rivers and trails set up. Many of these trails traveled through the heart of Nebraska. As a result, many people settled down in Nebraska because they could aquire free land. -
1850-1874 Kansas Nebraska Act
In 1854, the federal government passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and a large area of land labeled the Nebraska Territory became available for settlement. This set up the first settlements in Nebraska and many Nebraskan families have been here ever since. -
1850-1874 Nebraska Becomes a State
Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867, and the capital was moved from Omaha to the center at Lancaster, later renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is still the capital today and the location of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. -
1875-1899 - Standing Bear vs. Crook
The Ponca Indians and Standing Bear were key participants in a landmark federal court case held in Omaha in 1879. "Standing Bear vs. Crook" will be a small first step by Indians to achieve limited justice under the U.S. Constitution.
The state of Nebraska was home to many Indian tribes, and the names of many places in the state come from Native American names. -
1875-1899 Solomon Butcher Photography
In 1886 — more than 20 years after the Homestead Act was signed — an itinerate photographer in Custer County, Nebraska set out to produce a photographic history of his county. Over the next 15 years, Solomon D. Butcher produced 1,500 images, hundreds of stories, and a remarkable record of a remarkable time in the history of Nebraska and the U.S. Solomon Butcher was actually a family member of mine and we still have a few artifacts from him that haven't been donated yet. -
1900-1924 Nerbaska's Prohibition
The prohibition issue had been a constant companion of local politics since the creation of the Nebraska territorial legislature. In fact, one of the first acts of the territorial legislature was to outlaw the "manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages." But, the law was never enforced. In fact, there were saloons within blocks of the state capitol building, and this early prohibition law was repealed in 1858. -
1900-1924 Native American Citizenship
The struggles of women and African Americans point out the fact that citizenship does not automatically ensure voting rights. The road to citizenship for native people was even longer than for the African Americans and women. All Native Americans did not become citizens until 1924, and it would be even longer before all Native Americans gained the right to vote. Today, many residents of Nebraska are native americans and there are even reservations for them in the state. -
1925-1949 Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese dive bombers and torpedo planes attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On just one of the American ships, the battleship U.S.S. Arizona, 22 Nebraskans died. Video of AttackOn December 7th, 1941, -
1925-1949 WWII
World War II was the largest human-made catastrophe in history, affecting almost every country in the world and touching the lives of every family in the United States. As a result, many Nerbaskans were affected by the war as well. Many lost their lives that could have a made a difference in the development of Nebraska today. The photo is of some of Nebraska's medal of honor recipients during this time. -
1950-1974 Atomic Bomb
After the war was over, a new war began. The Cold War was one of the scariest times in our nations history. The new atomic bomb could cause horrific widespread damage. As a result, many Nebraskan's had a plan in place in case nuclear war began. Today, many missile silos can be found in the state. Excerpts from Wiston Churchill post war speech -
1950-1974 The Beef State
During this time beef became an intrigal part of Nerbaska's economy. Beef had become so important to Nebraska’s economy by the 1950s that from 1956 through 1965, the Nebraska license plate carried the motto, The Beef State. That title was never an official state name by act of the legislature, but it carried an important place in the hearts of Nebraskans.
