Came upon this tragic story when I was in North Omaha on 24th street near Lake. There are actually two plaques, one with three sides which is by the North Omaha Visitors Center, and the other a historical marker a couple blocks further south on 24th..
The Pawnee Seed Savers: Nebraska Gardeners Replenish Ancestral Foods by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley, Nebraskaland Magazine, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska, October 2025, pp 28-35.
A very real part of the encroachment of Europeans on the Native American populations was the loss of their traditional food supplies. They went from eating their traditional vegetables and plants, as well as game meat to being dependent on government supplies. In the case of the Pawnee they went from farming in Nebraska to Oklahoma, where their seeds were not as effective. It created a whole change in diet; and one not as conducive to their physical make-up (their genes were use to the traditional diet.) Only more recently has this been thought to be so important, and in order to correct it a garden system has been developed. They use seeds left over from the old days, and then gardens in Nebraska. Each year they raise crops, and then have more traditional seeds.
The three sisters are corn, squash and beans. Their most sacred of these is corn. The project started slowly in 2004, but now as Native Americans find old stores of seeds, they have grown 20 different varieties of Pawnee corn. They have also grown varieties of beans, squash, sunflowers and watermelon. Sunflower is considered the fourth sister and traditionally they ate the seeds, but it was also used to protect the other plants as sunflowers can grow over ten feet tall.
There are now over 20 gardeners in Nebraska growing Pawnee seeds. Most of the harvest they share with the Pawnee in Oklahoma, and so doing the Pawnee are able to eat their traditional foods.
South O aha at one time had a significant Greek population and Greek town. It was mostly around Q and 25 streets but extended from R to L and 28th to 24th streets. The population of Greek residents was almost 3000. They mostly worked in the meat packing industry. After the riot the Greek population went from almost 3000 to 56.
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| The epicenter of the riot at 28th and R Streets became known as Bloody Corner |
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| Bar located in this corner which is now parking |
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| 26th and R. Greek town extended from here to 24th street |
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| Metro COmmunity College looking to 24th Street which ara was once Greek Town. |
Miguel Keith served as a Marine in Viet Nam. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
Found this statue of Gale Sayers outside of Central High School. He was a 1961 graduate there. He was one of the greatest running backs of all time, although his career was cut short due to injury. After playing for Central high School he played for University of Kansas and then the Chicago Bears. He has been inducted in both the pro and college halls of fame. He is noted for his part in the Brian Piccolo story. He and his wife were best friends to the Piccolo family. He roomed with Brian Piccolo. Piccolo helped him through rehabilitation from knee surgery, and Sayers stayed by Piccolo's suie until his death of cancer.
The Live Stock Exchange Building is on 30th Street between L and Edward Babe Gomez Ave. It use to be the center hub of the livestock exchange, and at one time was surrounded by stock yards and holding pens. The architect was George Prinz and it was built by Peter Kiewit and sons. It is a ten-story brick building built in an "H" shape. It was completed for the Union Stockyards Company of Omaha. It housed the Stockyards National Bank, offices, a bakery, cigar stand, soda fountain, kitchen, cafeteria, telehone and telegraph offices, sleeping quarters and apartments, and two ballrooms.
Today it still houses the two ballrooms. It now has 200 apartments. On the bottom floor is a medical clinic, One-World Health.
The Doctor's Work Endures by Ron Soodalter, Nebraska Life, July/August 2025, p 53.
Susan Laflesche was passionate about caring for her people, the Omaha Indians on the Omaha reservation in Nebraska. She had seen disregard for Omaha life and decided to take upon herself the task of making a difference. Susan was eleven years younger than her famous sister, Susette La Flesche. An elder had been denied treament, with the doctor saying it didn't matter, she is only an Indian. Susan decided it did matter and did something about it. 1889 she graduated valedictorian from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania. She became the first Native American physician. She returned to Nebraska determined to care for all. She would do house calls. She opened a hospital in Walthill in 1919. This hospital has recently been restored and is a medical and community center. In addition a couple women recently reenacted her life, keeping the story alive. They were able to present at the Smithsonian.
Bright Eyes: The Interpreter Who Won a People's Freedom by Ron Soodalter, Nebraska Life, July/August 2025, pp 48-52.
Susette La Flesche was born in Bellevue in 1854. Her family lived in a traditional earth lodge. At age two, she and her family moved to the Omaha reservation farther north, and closer to the Ponca reservation. The Omaha were familiar with the troubles faced by the Ponca, who were removed from their reservation and sent to Oklahoma. This resulted in the Trail of Tears, and much death. The Oklahoma weather was different and some did not adjust. when Chief Standing Bear's adult son passed away, he asked his father to bury him at the traditional burial place in Nebraska. This resulted in a group of people leaving the reservation and traveling north. After much harship, they finally landed at the Omaha reservation, where they planted crops. However they were arrested and taken to Fort Omaha, under the direction of General Crook. Standing Bear sued for habeas corpus, and was brought to trial in Omaha before Judge Elmer Dundy. Chief Standing Bear testified in his own behalf, and Susette La Flesche interpreted. Omaha and Ponca are different dialects of the same languague. La Flesche also spoke English. Her father, Chief Joseph Iron Eyes's La Flesche was part Anglo. She was of mixed descent. Her mother was Ponca. She had spent time in both White and Indian worlds. She had attended a young lady's school in New Jersey. She worked with Thomas Tibbles for the Omaha Daily Herald. Tibbles was a newspaper man who had told the story of the Ponca.
As Chief Standing Bear gave his famous "I am a Man" it was La Flesche's words people could understand. "My hand is not the same color as your hand, but if I pierce my hand I will feel pain. If you pierce your hand you will feel pain. The blood that will flow from mine will be he same color that will flow from yours."
La Flesche's eloquent interpretation lead she, Chief Standing Bear and Tibbles on a journey east. The judge ruled in favor of Standing Bear. He was able to bury his son; but they still had no land. Their land had been given to the Sioux. They found an islan in the Niobrara River where the lived and farmed for a tim. They toured and gave discourses in many eastern cities, slowly turning the argument in their favor. The Ponca were eventually granted a small reservation on their traditional land. While on their trip, the wife of Tibbles became ill and passed away. La Flesche would later marry him.
La Flesche became somewhat of a celebrity with her speaking on behalf of civil rights for Native Americans. This including speaking on behalf of other Native peoples. When she passed away she was eulogized by the Senate. She is now inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame.
A Grand New Design by Michelle Stacey photos by Cassie Floto Warner, Smithsonian, December 2025, pp 66-72 86-91.
This is the second story I have read where train tragedy lead to chang. The first is the train accident in South Jorda, Utah. After this laws were changed requiring buses to stop at railroad tracks. In this article, there is a big train accident in a tunnel in New York in 1902 with many injuries and loss of life. The steam engines made too much smoke, which clouded the stop signal and so one train engineer did not see it and plowed into another. New York was in need of a completely revamped train system. This would involve changing everything from steam to electric. However it also involved levels of trains, with smooth ramps in between to avoid stairs. It also involved an ingensous way for paying for it. The project would involve the destruction of 200 buildings, but how to pay for such a project. William J Wilgus had worked himself up through the train industry. With no money for a formal education, he apprenticed with an engineer for two years, learning engineering, mechanics and mechanical drafting. It was his idea to build layers of tunnels for trains; and then to finance it all by selling air rights, the right to build on the surface. This included a grand redesign for Grand Central Station.
Many other cities have followed suit, building layers of subway tunnels and then using the surface real estate to help finance the projects.
There are many artifacts from Native American life displayed at the Joslyn Art Museum. They are artistic but they also show Native American life.
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| Ancestor artist, Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Bandolier bag |
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| Haida button blanket with rib design |
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| Ancestor artist, Umoho (Omaha) breech clothe |
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| left Valery Killscrow Copeland, Oglala Lakota, Honoring Blanket right, Okta Keen (New Moon) Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, Wearing Blanket with Appliqué |
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| beaded baby mocassins, top Cheyenne, bottom Great Plains |
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| left, ancestor art, Southern Plains, women awl case middle, Ocheti Sakawin (Sioux), beaded pouch with turtle design right, elk horn and flint knife |
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| First Moon Ceremony Regalia girl's buffalo robe behind |
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| Ancestor Artist, Ocheti Sakowin (Sioux) Beaded Dress |
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| Ancestor Artist, Umoho (Omaha) beaded shirt |
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| Pipe Tomahawks |
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| woodstock club, Dakhota |
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| bear claw necklace, Great Plains region |
