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- Further information: History of North Omaha, Nebraska
Significant events in the history of North Omaha, Nebraska include the Pawnee, Otoe and Sioux nations; the African American community; Irish, Czech, and other European immigrants, and; several other populations. Several important settlements and towns were built in the area, as well as important social events that shaped the future of Omaha and the history of the nation. The timeline of North Omaha history extends to present, including recent controversy over schools.
[edit] Historical timeline
[edit] Pre-1850
[edit] 1851-1900
- 1855: Florence makes a bid to become the Nebraska State Capitol, but loses to Omaha.[3]
- 1856: The town of Saratoga is born, thrives, and falls within a year within today's North Omaha.
- 1868: Nebraska's first high school graduates come from Brownell Hall in North Omaha.
- 1878: Fort Omaha built by the US government in what was to become North Omaha.
- 1879: General Crook House completed at Fort Omaha.
- 1883: Buffalo Bill founds the Wild West, Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition in North Omaha.
- 1891: African American George Smith lynched in North Omaha for "leering at a white woman."
- 1892: Dr. Matthew Ricketts, a physician in North Omaha, is the first African American man elected to the Nebraska State Legislature.[4]
- 1898: The Trans-Mississippi Exposition was held in north Omaha from June 1 to October 31, 1898. Its ornate grounds were created to highlight the economic, cultural and artistic achievements of the individuals who lived in the Midwest. All of the buildings, which housed over 5000 exhibits, were built as temporary structures.[5] Today there is a monument in North Omaha's Kountze Park, the former site of the exposition.
- 1898: Protesters in the Walnut Hill suburb of North Omaha take over several streetcars in their neighborhood to protest poor public transportation conditions.[6]
- 1899: The Greater America Exposition held on the same site with many of the same features at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition.
[edit] 1901-1950
- 1903: Dr. Ricketts leaves Omaha, and Jack Broomfield, owner of a notorious saloon in downtown Omaha, becomes the defacto political leader of Omaha's African American community.
- 1910: Boxer Jack Johnson wins an upset title match in Reno, Nevada, setting off riots across the U.S.. In Omaha white mobs prowl North Omaha looking for blacks to victimize, wounding several and killing one.[7]
- 1912: Local chapter of NAACP founded.
- 1913: Easter Sunday tornado kills dozens and destroys countless blocks of North Omaha.
- 1915: The Lincoln Motion Picture Company was founded in North Omaha to produce black films.[8]
- 1917: Florence is annexed by the City of Omaha.[9]
- 1919: Rioters lynch Will Brown and pillage North Omaha during the Omaha Race Riot of 1919.
- 1920s: First wave of white flight from near North Omaha following the riots. Whites leave the area en masse from Cuming north to Kountze. Earl Little founded Omaha chapter of UNIA.
- 1925: Malcom X born in North Omaha.
- 1928: Omaha chapter of the Urban League is formed.
- 1938: The Omaha Star, the only African American newspaper in Nebraska, is founded at 2216 North 24th Street.
- 1947: DePorres Club starts campaign for nonviolent social change against racial discrimination in North Omaha.
[edit] 1951-2000
- 1958: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visits North Omaha.
- 1960s: Second wave of white flight from further North Omaha as whites begin to leave the area en masse from Kountze to Miller Park[citation needed].
- 1966 On July 5 the National Guard is called to quell two days of rioting among African Americans in North Omaha.[10]
- 1968 Riots erupt in North Omaha in response to assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
- 1968: Robert Kennedy visits Omaha in his quest to become president.
- 1969 Riots erupt on June 24 after an Omaha police officer fatally shoots teenager Vivian Strong in the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects.[11]
- 1970: On August 17 a bombing occurs at a house at 2867 Ohio Street, killing one policeman. Black Panther members are implicated, leading to the Rice/Poindexter Case.
- 1970s: The North Omaha Freeway is constructed, thereby splitting North Omaha in half with severe negative impacts on the community.
- 1990s: Third wave of "white flight" from far North Omaha as whites move en masse from Redick north to Craig[citation needed], the informal dividing line between North Omaha and Florence.
[edit] 2000-Present
[edit] See also
[edit] References
