Omaha History: Documentary Review: If These Walls Could Speak

 If These Walls Could Speak, UNO Television, University of Nebraska Omaha, 1994.

By recounting the stories of the buildings of Omaha, this documentary provides a very good history of Omaha.  Omaha was created by persons in Council Bluffs originally.  This was after the Mormons had left Florence.  Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company, were interested in expanding their economic opportunities in Fall 1853; 1854 a treaty was signed with Omaha Indians and they moved north to a reservation.

The first boom for Omaha is they were given the territorial Capital.  The Capital building was where Central High School is today.  However the Capitol was moved to Lincoln.  It was found the building was hastily built and it was torn down, and gave way to a high school.

However Omaha became a transportation hub for the railroad.  Abraham Lincoln in 1863 determined the railroad should cross the country.  However the Union Pacific Railroad didn't start this until1865 after the war.  In 1867 Nebraska achieved statehood and the capital was moved to Lincoln.  However this did not hurt Omaha because the railroad was resulting in boom growth.

Even though Omaha was growing in population, infrastructure was not keeping up.  Most roads were mud and there was no municipal sewer or water.  There was very little planning for growth.  Bars and brothels were common and Omaha was known as Sodom on the Missouri.  Churches followed but slowly.

1868 Sherman Army Barracks were established north of Omaha.  This became Fort Omaha.  In the 1880s there were 38 buildings, and a home home for General George Crook, the base commander.  The base was deactivated in 1890s.  It was the starting point for Military Road through which Fort Kearney was resupplied.

In 1869 the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads were joined with the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah.  However the Iron road was not quite complete as there still was no bridge over the Missouri.  This was completed in 1872; Omaha was linked to both coasts.

1872 Omaha High School was built.  This was on the old capital hill and consequently the building dominated the city.  At that time only19 percent attended school.  Shortly after, 1878, Creighton University came into existence.

Being the railroad hub, Omaha had much industry.  This included processing metals.  Omaha boasted the  largest lead mill in the nation.  Grain shipped through Omaha which resulted in breweries and mills.

1874 saw the post office and customs house built.  This is where the trial of Chief Standing Bear was held.  Chief Standing Bear had been arrested by General Crook for leaving the reservation, as he wanted to bury his son on ancestral land.  He submitted a writ of habeas corpus and the trial determined that Native Americans were peope and entitled to rights.

When the Herndon House, the premier hotel in Omaha was bought by the Union Pacific Railroad to become their offices, Gand Central Hotel was built.  Grand Central Hotel burned from an unattended candle in 1878.   Five firemen perished and was motivation to go from volunteer firemen to professional.

The original Boyd's Opera House, burned in 1892.  It was rebuilt but eventually succumbed to competition from movie theaters.  It was raised in 1920 and the site became a department store.  During its day many prominent actors and actresses form around the world performed there.

The 1880s saw Omaha developed from a frontier town to city.  New York Life building became the first sky scraper, ten stories.  They charged 10c admission as it sported the first elevator in town.  The elevator went to an observation deck where was had a nice view of the city.  A new post office was built about this time.  The post office encompassed and entire city block.  Another opera house was built in 1891, Creighton Orpheum Theater, 

Union Pacific Rail built a new station 1880s.  Railroads made Omaha attractive for many years.  South Omaha, saw a burgeoning meat packing industry.  Livestock exchange with hotel was built.  Many workers were needed and this was supplied by transplants from CHicago as well as immigrants from Eastern Europe.

In the 1890s Union Pacific went broke and was sold off.  This was due to a general economic downturn in the country.

However the 1898 Worlds Fair, Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was meant to lessen the economic downturn.  This saw the consturction of modern white buildings north of Omaha.   It boasted a large lagoon, giant see-saw, Wild west show, Geronimo, Battle Ship Maine re-creation.  President McKinley visited.  However the buildings were knocked down as they were ment to be temporary.    The lagoon was filled in and became a park, Kountz Park. 

1900s a new high school built around the old.  When it was completed the old high school was destroyed and left a courtyard surrounded by the new high school.  As part of this construction the hill was lowered.

Construction in the early 1900s was generally private enterprise with many department stores including  Brandeis Store at 16th and Douglas,

The City Beautiful project changed what cities could become.  It was motivated by the world's fair and the Chicago world's fair.  City beautiful in Omaha resulted in boulevards between parks--dded landscaping connected by boulevards.

In the early 1900s steel frames lead to stronger and taller buildings. The walls were no longer load bearing but cosmetic as the steel beams held the load.  Consequently taller buildings could be constructed such as the Fontanelle Hotel; the three story top indicative of Chief Fontanelle, and the Blackstone Hotel, an upper class establishment.

Four new high schools 1920s were added in the 1920s.   

The meat packing industry continued to grow.  There were four large meat packers.  In 1924 a new and larger stock yard was needed.  It included a hotel and dance hall.

The 1920s also saw the popularity of movies increase.  Movie row was in downtown Omaha, Douglas and Farnam streets.  These were often very large auditoriums.  The were also very luxuriant.  The idea was going to the movie was to be an experience.

There were new modern art decco buildings constructed, modern in the 1920s, the Joselyn art museum and a  new Union station in 1931.

In 1938, University of Omaha administration building was built.  This was followed by the Mutual of Omaha Building.

In Bellevue, Fort Crook built a large facility to manufacture bombers.

After WWII there was lots of construction and many new subdivisions.  Often the subdivisions were outside of Omaha, and then later annexed.  Subdivisions were dictated by the trolley car.  Where the trolley went, subdivisions soon followed.  However when the automobile became the means of travel subdivisions were no longer dependent on the trolley or the neighborhood grocery store.

Fort Omaha

Downtown area

Book Review: Junius and Joseph: Presidential Politics and the assassination of the First Mormon Prophet

 Junius and Joseph: Presidential Politics and the assassination of the First Mormon Prophet, Robert S. Wicks and Fred R. Foister, USU Press, Logan, Utah, 2005.  Available online here.

This is a very serious look at the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the conspiracy against him from the forcing him to Carthage where he could be murdered, to the coordination of activity between the militias and the governor of Illinois.  Governor Ford insisted the men, including Joseph and Hyrum, come to Carthage and promised he would keep them safe.  However he left town to Nauvoo to give an opportunity for murder. 

 It also ties in the Anti-Mormon Party and the Whig Party into this plan to kill Joseph Smith.  After the deed there was secrecy maintained by the murderers so as to get away with the crime.  They also explore if there was a Masonic tie to the crime.   Probably not but they did ignore Joseph's call for help from  fellow Masons.  No one was convicted of any crime with relation to the assassination.  This book also ties Joseph's being a candidate for president with the crime.  He was the first candidate for president to be assassinated in the United States.  Members of the Whig party gave the printing press to the disaffected Mormons so the could oublish the Nauvoo Expositor which was at the center of the controversy.  

There were people involved in the conspiracy from every state of the Union but three.  There were 26 states at the time.  The man credited with the fatal bullet was from Ohio and was a U.S. Marshall.  There were close to 150 men at the jail, not counting the Carthage Grays who were guarding the jail with blanks in their guns.  

The initial stories in the paper was that the Mormons had tried to rescue them resulting in the death of the Smiths as well as the other two in the jail.  However when the other two in the jail, John Taylor and Willard Richards, were ot killed the story had to change.  There were too many witnesses.  

William Daniels was at the scene.  He saw four men prop Joseph against the well and shoot him execution style.  He also saw a bright light which kept a man from severing Joseph's head.  Because of the bright light story his testimony was discredited, allowing the accused to go free.  It wouldn't be until 2004 that the State of Illinois would express regret for the murder of Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith. 

The book also lays out the two histories of the martyrdom.  That Joseph was shot in the window seal and fell to the ground dead.  The other that Joseph fell from  the window ledge dazed but alive.  Then he was shot execution style.  John Taylo indicated he was shot on the ground.  Willard Richards said he was already dead.  When B.H. Roberts wrote the history of the church he left out some of the original statement taking out the light and the execution.

This book is worth the read and adds to this story.

Joseph and Hyrum

Book of Mormon External Evidences: Book Review: In Search of Lehi's Trail

 In Search of Lehi's Trail, Lynn M. Hilton and Hope Hilton, Photography by Gerald W. Silver, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1976.

Lynn and Hope Hilton traveled Lehi's Trail based on the writings of Hugh Nibley.  They wanted to see for themselves where Lehi traveled and see if they could pin point any locations.  Lehi and his family followed more or less the Frankincense Trail.  This group actually traveled in reverse order, but wrote their journey in the correct order, starting in Jerusalem.  Because it was written in 1976 it predates much of the later research which has been done where the altar of Nahom was discovered as well as a good prospect for the Land Bountiful.

The story starts in Jerusalem and Lehi and his family lived in this area.  Water is life in the desert, and so the trail follows the water; likely the Frankincense Trail.  Frankincense was prized in part of the formula for burning incense in the temple.  The greatest contribution of this book is giving information on the culture of the Arabian Peninsula--food, shops, fishing, shig building etc.  

There are locations where using the word bountiful is applicable at the end of the peninsula.  Water is key again.  This is a very good introduction to the idea of Lehi in the Arabian Peninsula.