Book Review: Wicked Omaha by Ryan Roenfeld

 Wicked Omaha by Ryan Roenfeld, History Press, Charleston, SC, 2017.

If you want to read exerpts from old news papers about the prostitutes, thieves, murderers, gamblers, suicides and other low-lifes of Omaha this is the place to find it.  The book covers until about 1915 when the red light disgtricts were finally dispersed, and the prostitutes then found in many different areas.  It mentions Tom Dennison's political machine as partially responsible for tolerating the vices.  It also says he was behind the 1919 riot.  

For a long time prostitution was tolerated in Omaha.  The prostitutes were fined $5 at the first of the month, and then free to do what they wanted, sort of like a license.  

I found the book lacking.  I find the most disturbing thing about Omaha history was the racism betwen ethnic groups. The 1909 riot of Irish focing Greeks out of the community, and the race riots of 1919 are examples of this and barely mentioned in the book.  However the author obviously spent considerable time going through newspapers to report on the underbelly of Omaha history.

Book Review: Secret Omaha: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

 Weird Omaha: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure by Ryan Roenfeld, Reedy Press, St. Louis, Mo, 2021.

This book is a very good reference book and tells you many places to see in Omaha and the surrounding area.  It includes many Bellevue sites.  For example:

Omaha has a no roller coaster law based on a four cars leaving the track falling from the Big Dipper Roller Coaster at Krug Park resulting in four deaths and 17 injuries.  Many were trapped inside the cars.

Omaha has been the site of several riots over the years.

A giant fork in Little Italy.

The Japanese sent balloons with bombs and floated them over the United States.  One exploded in Omaha with no injuries.  Another exploded in Oregon and killed a family.  I had never heard of this.  

Standing Bear was a Native American, Ponca who was arrested off the reservation as he came home to the area to bury his son.  He sued for habeas Corpus and proved that Native Americans are people with rights.  His name now adorn Standing Bear Lake in north Omaha.

And over 100 more such gems.