Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska
have made significant contributions to the political, social and cultural development of the city since the first immigrants arrived in 1868.
and Moravia
, immigrated to Nebraska. Edward Rosewater
and John Rosicky, early Omaha newspaper editors originally from Bohemia, encouraged countrymen to come by extolling promises of free land in frontier Nebraska. By 1880 Czechs were the most concentrated ethnic group in the city.
In 1893 the internationally known Czech composer Antonín Dvořák
visited the city and performed there, attracting attendees from miles around. His extended visit to the United States inspired Dvorak to write his 9th Symphony: From The New World, also known as the New World Symphony. It was based on his impressions of the region and inspired by his fascination with birdsong, ragtime
music by African-American musician and composer Scott Joplin
, band music, and folksongs.
Komenský Clubs were founded in Nebraska, including in Omaha, Lincoln
and other cities where there were numerous Czech immigrants. When the Bohemian National Alliance
was formed in 1914, its mid-western district was headquartered in Omaha. Czechs in the city helped promote Bohemian independence after World War I
. The nation of Czechoslovakia was created in the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. By 1920 an estimated 3,500 immigrants lived in Bohemian Town.
, elected to the US Senate from Nebraska in the mid-20th century. He was fiercely proud of his Czech heritage. Another notable Czech from Omaha who achieved political office was Thomas Capek, a lawyer and a member of the Nebraska State Legislature in the early 1900s.
Notable athletes included "Train Wreck" Tom Novak, a great football player at the University of Nebraska, and The Dusek Family
who were famous in the early days of professional wrestling.
Edward Rosewater
was a Jewish Czech immigrant who came to Omaha in 1863. In 1871 he established the Omaha Bee
. The same year he founded the first Czech newspaper in Omaha, the Pokrok Západu, which means "Progress of the West". Rosewater associated with Czechs in the community through politics.
Jan Rosický (1845-1910) was the publisher and founder of Západní Česko-Bratrská Jednota, or ZČBJ
, a Czech-language newspaper that was printed in Omaha and circulated across the U.S. and in Bohemia. Rosický is credited with encouraging thousands of Czechs to move to the U.S. A monument in his honor at the Czech National Cemetery in Omaha is inscribed (translated),
Program at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, instituted in 1907. In addition, a Czech heritage course was created at the College of St. Mary in Omaha. These programs have served as centers for teaching Czech language, literature and culture for nearly a century.
Nuns of Czech descent raised funds to build and staff the Notre Dame Academy and Convent
at 3501 State Street to provide outreach to the area's Czech community. Czech immigrants and descendants also founded the Sokol South Omaha Czechoslovak Museum
at 2021 U Street in South Omaha, and the Bohemian National Cemetery
at 5201 Center Street. Other cemeteries with mostly Czech burials or large Czech sections are Calvary Cemetery, Holy Sepulchar Cemetery and Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery.
established by Czechs that was centered around a commercial area along South 13th and South 14th Streets, and William Street. This enclave, called Little Bohemia, was bounded by South 10th Street on the east, South 16th Street on the west, Pierce Street on the north, and Martha Street on the south. It included the Prague Hotel
, Sokol Auditorium
and Bohemian Cafe
, all important fixtures in the community.
Another important neighborhood was located around Brown Park
.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
have made significant contributions to the political, social and cultural development of the city since the first immigrants arrived in 1868.
About
In the 1860s many Czechs, primarily from BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, immigrated to Nebraska. Edward Rosewater
Edward Rosewater
Edward Rosewater, born Edward Rosenwasser, was a Republican Party politician and newspaper editor in Omaha, Nebraska...
and John Rosicky, early Omaha newspaper editors originally from Bohemia, encouraged countrymen to come by extolling promises of free land in frontier Nebraska. By 1880 Czechs were the most concentrated ethnic group in the city.
| Czech population in Omaha | |
|---|---|
| Year | Number |
| 1880 | 900 |
| 1890 | 2,675 |
| 1930 | 3,964 |
In 1893 the internationally known Czech composer Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
visited the city and performed there, attracting attendees from miles around. His extended visit to the United States inspired Dvorak to write his 9th Symphony: From The New World, also known as the New World Symphony. It was based on his impressions of the region and inspired by his fascination with birdsong, ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
music by African-American musician and composer Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
, band music, and folksongs.
Komenský Clubs were founded in Nebraska, including in Omaha, Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
and other cities where there were numerous Czech immigrants. When the Bohemian National Alliance
Bohemian National Alliance
The Bohemian National Alliance was an American political party founded in Chicago, Illinois on September 6, 1914. The party represented Czech American voters who supported the creation of Czechoslovakia as a state independent of Austria-Hungary. The party was disestablished in 1918 after...
was formed in 1914, its mid-western district was headquartered in Omaha. Czechs in the city helped promote Bohemian independence after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The nation of Czechoslovakia was created in the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. By 1920 an estimated 3,500 immigrants lived in Bohemian Town.
Notable Czechs from Omaha
One of the most famous sons of Little Bohemia was Roman HruskaRoman Hruska
Roman Lee Hruska was a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Nebraska. Hruska was known as one of the most vocal conservatives in the United States Senate during the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:...
, elected to the US Senate from Nebraska in the mid-20th century. He was fiercely proud of his Czech heritage. Another notable Czech from Omaha who achieved political office was Thomas Capek, a lawyer and a member of the Nebraska State Legislature in the early 1900s.
Notable athletes included "Train Wreck" Tom Novak, a great football player at the University of Nebraska, and The Dusek Family
The Dusek Family
The Dusek family is a professional wrestling family. The Dusek Family name is really Hason. The Dusek family started with four brothers Ernie, Emil, Joe, and Rudy Dusek. The other two members are Wally and Frank Dusek. Both men are not Dusek by blood their last names are Santen. Wally is the father...
who were famous in the early days of professional wrestling.
Edward Rosewater
Edward Rosewater
Edward Rosewater, born Edward Rosenwasser, was a Republican Party politician and newspaper editor in Omaha, Nebraska...
was a Jewish Czech immigrant who came to Omaha in 1863. In 1871 he established the Omaha Bee
Omaha Bee
The Omaha Bee was a pioneer newspaper in Omaha, Nebraska founded on May 8, 1871, by Edward Rosewater, a Bohemian Jewish immigrant who supported abolition and fought in the Union Army. The Bee was regarded as a Republican newspaper, and early on featured Rosewater's opinions...
. The same year he founded the first Czech newspaper in Omaha, the Pokrok Západu, which means "Progress of the West". Rosewater associated with Czechs in the community through politics.
Jan Rosický (1845-1910) was the publisher and founder of Západní Česko-Bratrská Jednota, or ZČBJ
ZCBJ
Zapadni Cesko-Bratrska Jednota or Západní Česko-Bratrská Jednota, also known as ZCBJ or ZČBJ, was a Czech-language newspaper in the United States...
, a Czech-language newspaper that was printed in Omaha and circulated across the U.S. and in Bohemia. Rosický is credited with encouraging thousands of Czechs to move to the U.S. A monument in his honor at the Czech National Cemetery in Omaha is inscribed (translated),
- "To an unforgettable brother, Czech patriot, and leader of his people. Erected by the Western Bohemian Benevolent Association and grateful fellow countrymen. To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."
Legacy
Czechs from Omaha helped gain legislative approval to found the Czech LanguageCzech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
Program at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, instituted in 1907. In addition, a Czech heritage course was created at the College of St. Mary in Omaha. These programs have served as centers for teaching Czech language, literature and culture for nearly a century.
Nuns of Czech descent raised funds to build and staff the Notre Dame Academy and Convent
Notre Dame Academy and Convent
The Notre Dame Academy and Convent is located at 3501 State Street in the Florence neighborhood on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. It is significant for its ethnic association with the Czech population in Nebraska as the only school and convent of the Czechoslovakian School Sisters de Notre Dame ...
at 3501 State Street to provide outreach to the area's Czech community. Czech immigrants and descendants also founded the Sokol South Omaha Czechoslovak Museum
Czechoslovak Museum
The Czechoslovak Museum is located at 2021 U Street in South Omaha, Nebraska.-History:The original Sokol Hall was established in 1911. It did not contain a Czech museum at that time, but was specifically a social hall for the Sokol organization. In the 1980s the museum was added to the building...
at 2021 U Street in South Omaha, and the Bohemian National Cemetery
Bohemian National Cemetery
Bohemian National Cemetery is a cemetery at 5255 North Pulaski Road on the north side of Chicago, Illinois.-History:The cemetery was established by members of Chicago's Czech community in 1877. The community had been outraged when a Czech Catholic woman named Marie Silhanek was denied burial at...
at 5201 Center Street. Other cemeteries with mostly Czech burials or large Czech sections are Calvary Cemetery, Holy Sepulchar Cemetery and Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery.
Little Bohemia
The major Bohemian landmark in the city was the ethnic enclaveEthnic enclave
An ethnic enclave is an ethnic community which retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area, it may be a neighborhood, an area or an administrative division based on ethnic groups. Sometimes an entire city may have such a feel. Usually the enclave revolves around businesses...
established by Czechs that was centered around a commercial area along South 13th and South 14th Streets, and William Street. This enclave, called Little Bohemia, was bounded by South 10th Street on the east, South 16th Street on the west, Pierce Street on the north, and Martha Street on the south. It included the Prague Hotel
Prague Hotel
The Prague Hotel is located at 1402 South 13th Street on the southwest corner of South 13th and William Streets in the heart of the Little Bohemia neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska...
, Sokol Auditorium
Sokol Auditorium
The Sokol Auditorium is located at 2234 South 13th Street in the Little Bohemia neighborhood of south Omaha, Nebraska. It is a local icon for its historical context, as well as modern musical performances and gymnastics....
and Bohemian Cafe
Bohemian Cafe
The Bohemian Cafe is located at 1406 South 13th Street in the historic Little Bohemia neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. Established in 1924, the cafe sits next to the Prague Hotel...
, all important fixtures in the community.
Another important neighborhood was located around Brown Park
Brown Park
Brown Park is located at 5708 South 15th Street in the Brown Park neighborhood of South Omaha, Nebraska. The baseball field at the park is more than 100 years old, and hosted games played by Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and others.- Baseball :...
.
External links
- Rosicky, R. "Douglas County," Czechs in Nebraska. Retrieved 9/17/07.
- Omaha Czech Cultural Club official website http://www.omahaczechclub.com.
- Omaha Czech Culture Club website.