Oldest Town in Nebraska: Cutler's Park

The oldest town in Nebraska was very short lived.  Mormon pioneers began settling here in August of 1846.  In order to have better protection from the elements, 2500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints crossed the Missouri at Middle Ferry, south of the Doorly Zoo.  They had entered Indian territory as Iowa was the extent of the United States at the time.  They traveled north and established a tent and wagon city.  Individual wagons were arranged in orderly squares.  Cutler's Park is only a couple miles from Winter's Quarters.  They established a town council and mayor.  They had 24 police officers.  The residents kept busy with harvesting the grass, building fences, herding cattle and digging wells.  There was a town square for meetings.  As early as September pioneers started moving to Winter Quarters.  By December the last of the residents had moved east to Winter Quarters.  The left behind fenced streets, an improved communal well and 800 tons of hay which would benefit the journey west the next summer.  They also left behind about seventy-five graves.

While at Cutler's Park, Brigham Young entered into negotiations with the Oto and Omaha Indians.  They had come to ask for rent.  They each arrived with a party of about 70 on August 27.  The Oto and Omaha were wary of each other.  Consequently meeting was held separately with each tribe.  Meeting was held in a tent on August 28.  Logan Fontanelle, half white and half Omaha interpreted.  Brigham Young explained the situation, that his people would only be there a couple years.  They would help the native Americans establish farms, and provide food if they could.  The Omaha were placed.  The Oto not so much and threatened to make war on the Omaha.  Negotiations for peace failed.  The pioneers moving to Winter Quarter's seemed to alleviate the situation as the Oto considered Winter Quarter's part of the river where their custom of free passage precluded asking for rent or recompense.

I visited Cutler's Park this last summer.  The plaques are at the corner of Mormon Bridge Road and Young Street, just west of the Winter Quarters Temple.  The plaques talk about the story from 1846.  There is a large cemetery there now, but the Cutler's Park cemetery is on private land, and you have to get special permission to visit.  The plaque includes the list of those buried there from the winter of 1846.