Book Review: Romance of a Village: Story of Bellevue

 Romance of a Village: Story of Bellevue: The first permanent continuous settlement in Nebraska by William J. Shallcross, Centennial Souvenir Edition, Roncka Brothers Printers, Omaha, Nebraska, 1954.

This book is limited by when it was published, but it does provide some interesting information about the history of Omaha up until Offutt was created as the Strategic Air Command.  It starts with the Lewis and Clark expedition, and then continues onto early trading posts and trapping.  Manuel Lisa gave the area its name because of the view he observed long ago.  Peter Sarpy was also an early trade post operator but after Lucien Fontanelle.  Sarpy also ran a ferry.  He talks about relationships with the Omaha Indians, Chief Big Elk.  Bellevue had an early Indian agency.  

Early visits to Bellevue included Prince Maximilian and Karl Bodmer the artists.  Also Friederich Kurz the Swiss artist visited the area.  Mormons came through the Bellevue area in 1846, and gold miners soon after.  There was also a significant missionary effort to the Native Americans from the Baptists and Presbyterians.  This ended when the Omaha left to their permanent reservation in 1856.  

Bellevue could be considered the first territorial capitol, located at the mission; but the governor lived only one day after being sworn in.  The people of Council Bluffs and the Lieutenant Governor preferred the Omaha area.  So Bellevue missed out on the capital, and a few years later would also missed out on the railroad and the first bridge over the Missouri.  In missing the bridge this was partly because flooding had wiped out the footing on the Iowa side opposite Bellevue.  The bone tossed to Bellevue was that of the county seat, when Douglass county was divided and Sarpy County made.  However this was given to Papillion to create a more central location.  

Bellevue lost out on much, but began to establish itself as an education site with Bellevue University, a Christian University.  However after the tornado of 1908, the school never really recovered and closed.  After this the town of Bellevue struggled with few residents, until WWII.  At this time a bomber manufacturing plant was established at Fort Crook.  This added greatly to the population of the area, and was responsible for the creation of a downtown commercial area on Mission.  However it was feared at the end of the war the city would dry up.  This was adverted when the federal governemnt decided to place the SAC at the location of the old plant and Offutt was created from Fort Crook.

As mentioned this history is limited by its publication date.  Much more history and expansion has taken place since the 1950s and Bellevue is now the third largest city in Nebraska.  

Book Review: Shoshone by F.A.Bird

 Shoshone, Native American Nations by F.A.Bird, Checkerboard Library, and Imprint of Abdo Publishing, North Mankato, Minnesota, 2025.

This is a small book in a series which deals with the Shoshone.  The Shoshone had a wide area with many different bands, but shared the same language.  There territory extended from Wyoming and Montana, through Idaho and northern Utah and into Nevada and then into the Death Valley area of California.  There were many different types of land, desert of the Great Basin and Death Valley, mountains of the Rockies, and Uintahs, valleys and canyons.  Those of the easter Shoshone would hunt buffalo, in the north they would catch salmon.

The housing would vary based on season and location.  In the summer brush huts would often suffice, and be left up from year to year.  However during the winter teepees were more common.  They would often make lean-tos to keep off the sun in the summer.  

In addition to buffalo and salmon they would eat other small game they would hunt with bows and arrows.  They would also hunt smaller animals they would trap with snares.  The would also gather nuts and berries as well as camas root which they would make into a flower.  Pine nut gathering is an annal tradition among Shoshone where pinyon pine was prevalent.  

Craft were are and important activity.  Porcupine quill decorations were common.  Traditionally they made awls of bone and thread of sinew.  Shoshone women would often wear am awl around their neck kept in a leather pouch.  

Babies were often kept in cradle boards from which they found comfort when they were wrapped tight.  Children had time to play and swim.  Older children helped with chores.  

Adults would teach children, often through stories about coyote.  

Chief Washakie was a chief of the eastern bands.  However his influence extended throughout all of Shoshone land.  His statue is outside the Wyoming State Capitol.  

Magazine Article Review: How Lincoln Became the Nebraska State Capital

How Lincoln Became the Nebraska State Capital by David L. Bristow, Nebraska State Historical Society, Nebraskaland, Lincoln, Nebraska October 2025, pp 36-39.

When Nebraska was made a state, the populace also voted for a change of the capital site, thinking a capital south of the Platte River would be more central to all the population centers of the time.  Political bosses in Omaha, realizing they did not have the votes, added amendments to make the move less palatable.  These included that the state hospital, state university and state prison would also be included.  Another amendment to to make the move less palatable was to give it the name of Lincoln after the president.  It was thought this would be disagreeable to Democrats living south of the Platte River.  

With the votes tallied and the move pending, and location had to be found.  They chose a town, Lancaster, with a population of 30.  Everything would be new.  It was considered central to the major cities of the time.  Feelings in Omaha were against the move.  In fact it was so negative that a couple clandestine wagons were loded in the middle of the night with records and furniture and on their way to Lincoln before morning.

Tragic Shooting Death of Vivian Strang in North Omaha

 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..  

Magazine Article Review: The Pawnee Seed Savers: Nebraska Gardeners Replenish Ancestral Foods

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. 

Greek Town and Greek Riot of 1909 in South Omaha

 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.

The Riot was more than just one incident.  There was a resentment towards the Greek workers because some had come in as scab workers during a strike.  This resentment was fomented by a newspaper article that compared the "Greek problem" to that of have too many Japanese.  A town meeting was organized to discussd "the Greek issues."  There they called the Greek community a "vile bunch of filthy Greeks."  From thee they marched to Greek Town where the riot took place.

The epicenter of the riot at 28th and R Streets became known as Bloody Corner

The corner kept they name as there was a bar on the corner where there was much violence for many years,

Bar located in this corner which is now parking

26th and R. Greek town extended from here to 24th street

Metro COmmunity College looking to 24th Street which ara was once Greek Town.

Miguel Keith Memorial

 Miguel Keith served as a Marine in Viet Nam.  He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.