Timeline of North Omaha, Nebraska history

Significant events in the history of North Omaha, Nebraska

North Omaha, Nebraska

North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha...

include the Pawnee, Otoe

Otoe

Otoe may refer to*Otoe tribe, a Native American people*Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma*Otoe, Nebraska*Otoe County, Nebraska...

and Sioux

Sioux

The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

nations; the African American community; Irish, Czech, and other European immigrants, and; several other populations. Several important settlements and towns were built in the area, as well as important social events that shaped the future of Omaha

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...

and the history of the nation. The timeline of North Omaha history extends to present, including recent controversy over schools.

Pre-1850

Pre-19th century Bands from the Pawnee, Otoe
Otoe
Otoe may refer to*Otoe tribe, a Native American people*Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma*Otoe, Nebraska*Otoe County, Nebraska...

and Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

nations alternatively occupy the land now comprising North Omaha as hunting area
Early 19th century Omaha
Omaha (tribe)
The Omaha are a federally recognized Native American nation which lives on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States...

nation uses the land now comprising North Omaha as hunting area
1804 Between August 3 and August 20, the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...

traveled along the banks of the Missouri and camped in North Omaha near Dodge Park
Dodge Park
N.P. Dodge Memorial Park, or simply Dodge Park, is a recreational area located at 11001 John J. Pershing Drive in North Omaha, Nebraska. Located on the Missouri River, the park is a haven for fishing, water skiing, and boating, as well as hiking throughout its riparian forests. Baseball fields,...

. There is speculation that Clark traveled in the area, possibly to the Belvedere Point Lookout.
1812 Manuel Lisa
Manuel Lisa
Manuel Lisa, also known as Manuel de Lisa , was a Spanish-American fur trader, explorer, and United States Indian agent. He was among the founders in St. Louis of the Missouri Fur Company, an early fur trading company...

builds Fort Lisa north of Omaha and helps sway local tribes to support the US in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

.
1819 The first steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...

to ply Nebraskan waters, the Western Engineer, arrives at Fort Lisa.
1824 Cabanne's Trading Post
Cabanne's Trading Post
Cabanne's Trading Post was established in 1822 by the American Fur Company as Fort Robidoux near present-day Dodge Park in North Omaha, Nebraska. It was named for influential fur trapper Joseph Robidoux...

established in far North Omaha for the American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...

owned by John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...

.
1846 Winter Quarters
Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters was an encampment formed by approximately 2,500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they waited during the winter of 1846–47 for better conditions for their trek westward. It followed a preliminary tent settlement some 3½ miles west at Cutler's Park. The...

established in present-day Florence
Florence, Nebraska
Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...

as a hold-over of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on their way from Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...

to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

. 359 die and are buried in what is now called the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery
Mormon Pioneer Cemetery
The Mormon Pioneer Cemetery is located at 3301 State Street in present-day Florence at the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. The Cemetery is the burial site of hundreds of Mormon pioneers who lived in Winter Quarters, a temporary settlement that lasted from 1846 to 1848 as the settlers moved to Salt...

. This area was the first city in the Nebraska Territory
Nebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...

, called Culter's Park by its 2500 residents. Although it only existed for two years, the city had a mayor and city council, 24 policemen and fireguards, various administrative committees, and a town square for public meetings.

1851-1900

1855 Florence
Florence, Nebraska
Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...

makes a bid to become the Nebraska State Capitol, but loses to Omaha.
1855 Scriptown
Scriptown
Scriptown was the name of the first subdivision in the history of Omaha, which at the time was located in Nebraska Territory. It was called "Scriptown" because scrip was used as payment, similar to how a company would pay employees when regular money was unavailable...

is platted for legislators in the Nebraska Territorial Legislature.
1856 The town of Saratoga is founded within today's North Omaha.
1856 Prospect Hill Cemetery was set out in a plat by Moses F. Shinn
Moses F. Shinn
Moses Franklin Shinn was a pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church minister in Omaha, Nebraska. Aside from founding Omaha's first cemetery, called Prospect Hill, he was also renowned for renouncing his Methodist affiliation in Keokuk, Iowa in order to remain a member of the Freemasons...

.
1856 East Omaha
East Omaha, Nebraska
East Omaha is a geographically designated community located in Omaha, Nebraska. Located three miles from downtown Omaha, East Omaha is the site of Eppley Airfield, Omaha’s main airport, and Carter Lake...

is annexed to Omaha.
1863 Brownell Hall
Brownell-Talbot School
Brownell-Talbot School is Nebraska's only private, independent, co-educational, college preparatory day school. It is located in Omaha, Nebraska...

is founded at the location of present-day North 24th and Grand Streets.
1863 The Storz Brewery
Storz Brewing Company
The Storz Brewing Company was located at 1807 North 16th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. Established from a company started in 1863, Storz Brewing began in 1876 by Gottlieb Storz and was owned by the Storz family until 1966; the brewery ceased operations in 1972...

is founded along North 16th Street.
1865 The oldest African American congregation in Nebraska, St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church
St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church
St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first church for African Americans in Nebraska, organized in North Omaha in 1867. It is located at 2402 North 22nd Street in the Near North Side neighborhood. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was...

, is founded in North Omaha.
1868 Nebraska's first high school graduates come from Brownell Hall
Brownell-Talbot School
Brownell-Talbot School is Nebraska's only private, independent, co-educational, college preparatory day school. It is located in Omaha, Nebraska...

in North Omaha.
1868 The Sherman Barracks
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...

are built in the location of present-day North Omaha.
1875 A farmhouse is built along present-day North 24th Street that is eventually expanded into the Redick Mansion
Redick Mansion
The Redick Mansion, also known as the Mayne Mansion and Redick Hall, was located at 3612 North 24th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. It served as the first home of Omaha University, now known as the University of Nebraska at Omaha, from 1909 through 1917...

.
1875 Purchased by the Omaha Driving Park Association, the Omaha Driving Park
Omaha Driving Park
The Omaha Driving Park, later called Sunset Driving Park, was located in North Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It was an important recreational and sports venue in the history of Omaha.- History :...

was the original site of the Douglas County Fair starting in 1858.
1877 The Saratoga Bend is "cut off" from the Missouri River by a flood, forming what originally called Cutoff Lake. Vacation cabins on the east side of the lake eventually become the town of Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....

.
1878 The Sherman Barracks are renamed Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...

by the US government.
1879 General Crook House completed at Fort Omaha.
1879 The first acknowledgment of Native Americans' human rights by the US Government occurs during the trial of Standing Bear v. Crook.
1883 Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...

founds the Wild West, Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition in North Omaha.
1883 The Kountze Place neighborhood
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...

was formed.
1883 Holy Family Catholic Church
Holy Family Catholic Church (Omaha, Nebraska)
Holy Family Church was built in 1883 at 1715 Izard Street, at the intersections of 18th and Izard Streets in North Omaha, Nebraska. It is the oldest existing Catholic Church in Omaha, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-History:...

is built at the intersections of 18th and Izard Streets.
1887 Saratoga was annexed into Omaha.
1887 The area that became the Bemis Park neighborhood
Bemis Park Landmark Heritage District
The Bemis Park Landmark Heritage District is located in north Omaha, Nebraska. Situated from Cuming Street to Hawthorne Avenue, Glenwood Avenue to 33rd Street, Bemis Park was annexed into Omaha in 1887, and developed from 1889-1922. The district was designated an Omaha Landmark in...

was annexed into Omaha.
1887 The Kountze Place neighborhood is annexed into Omaha.
1887 The John P. Bay House
John P. Bay House
The John P. Bay House is located at 2024 Binney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1887 by George L. Fisher, the house was designed in the Queen Anne Style. It was designated an Omaha Landmark by the City of Omaha in 1981.-History:The house's first owner,...

is built at North 20th and Binney Streets.
1889 The Orchard Hill neighborhood
Orchard Hill (Omaha)
The Orchard Hill is a neighborhood in North Omaha, Nebraska. One of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, Orchard Hill is home to some of the city's oldest homes. The neighborhood's boundaries are Hamilton Street on the south, Blondo Street on the north, 36th Street on the east and the Omaha Belt...

is established.
1889 The Bemis Park neighborhood is platted.
1889 The new Gold Coast neighborhood
Gold Coast Historic District (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Gold Coast Historic District is located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, this historic district covers approximately a 30 block area roughly bounded by 36th, 40th, Jones, and Cuming Streets...

is platted.
1889 Kountze Park
Kountze Park (Omaha, Nebraska)
Kountze Park is an urban public park located at 1920 Pinkney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States, and is historically significant as the site of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898.-About:...

is accepted as a gift from Augustus Kountze
Augustus Kountze
Augustus Kountze was a pioneer banker, politician, philanthropist and railroad supporter in Omaha, Nebraska, Kountze, Texas and New York City...

to the City of Omaha.
1890 Cutoff Lake was renamed Carter Lake and the city of Omaha formed Levi Carter Park
Levi Carter Park
Levi Carter Park is located at 3100 Abbott Drive in East Omaha, Nebraska. It was named after one of Omaha's original industrialists, Levi Carter, who ran a white lead smelter in the area.-History:...

.
1891 African American George Smith lynched in North Omaha for "leering at a white woman."
1891 The Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary
The Presbyterian Theological Seminary was located at 3303 North 21st Place in North Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1891, the institution was closed in 1943.-History:...

is founded at 3303 North 21st Place.
1892 Dr. Matthew Ricketts
Matthew Ricketts
Matthew Oliver Ricketts was an American politician and physician. He was the first African-American state senator in the Nebraska Legislature, where he served for two terms...

, a physician in North Omaha, is the first African American man elected to the Nebraska State Legislature.
1897 Future political writer and activist George Wells Parker
George Wells Parker
George Wells Parker was an African American political activist and writer who co-founded the Hamitic League of the World....

begins attending Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...

, later rallying African Americans in the Hamitic League of the World
Hamitic League of the World
Hamitic League of the World was an African American nationalist organization. Its declared aims were:The word Hamitic derives from Ham the son of Noah in the Old Testament. The organisation was founded in 1917 by George Wells Parker. In 1918 it published his pamphlet Children of the Sun...

.
1897 The Sherman
The Sherman (building)
The Sherman is a historically significant apartment building located at 2501 North 16th Street in the Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1897, it was designated an Omaha landmark in 1985; in 1986 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-About:The Sherman is a...

, one of the first apartment buildings in Omaha, is completed along North 16th Street.
1898 The Trans-Mississippi Exposition
Trans-Mississippi Exposition
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...

was held in north Omaha from June 1 to October 31, 1898. Its ornate grounds were created to highlight the economic, cultural and artistic achievements of the individuals who lived in the Midwest. All of the buildings, which housed over 5000 exhibits, were built as temporary structures. Today there is a monument in North Omaha's Kountze Park, the former site of the exposition.
1898 Protesters in the Walnut Hill
Walnut Hill (Omaha)
Walnut Hill is a historic neighborhood located in north Omaha, Nebraska. It is bounded by North 40th Street on the east, Cuming Street on the south, Northwest Radial Highway and Saddle Creek Road on the west and Hamilton Street on the north.-History:Dr...

suburb of North Omaha take over several streetcars in their neighborhood to protest poor public transportation conditions.
1899 The Greater America Exposition held on the same site with many of the same features at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition.

1901-1950

1902 The Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Omaha, Nebraska)
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is located at 2206 Binney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1902 in the Late Gothic Revival Style, the City of Omaha declared it a landmark in 1979, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.The...

is completed at 22nd and Binney Streets.
1903 Dr. Ricketts leaves Omaha, and Jack Broomfield
Jack Broomfield
Jack Broomfield was a leader of the African American community in Omaha, Nebraska in the early 20th century.-About:After Dr. Matthew Ricketts left Omaha in 1903, Jack Broomfield stepped into the position of the political leader of Omaha's African American community. Broomfield was an ex-Pullman...

, owner of a notorious saloon in downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...

, becomes the defacto political leader of Omaha's African American community.
1903 The George F. Shepard House
George F. Shepard House
The George F. Shepard House is located at 1802 Wirt Street in the Near North Side neighborhood on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1903 in the Queen Anne/Beaux-Arts style, it was designated an Omaha Landmark in 1981.-About:...

is completed at North 18th and Wirt Streets.
1904 The George H. Kelly House
George H. Kelly House
The George H. Kelly House is located at 1924 Binney Street in the Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Built in 1904 in the Neo-Classical Revival style, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and designated a City of Omaha landmark that same...

is completed at North 19th and Binney Streets.
1907 The Webster Telephone Exchange Building
Webster Telephone Exchange Building
The Webster Telephone Exchange Building is located at 2213 Lake Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. It was designed by the well-known Omaha architect Thomas R. Kimball. After the Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913, the building was used as the center of recovery operations...

is built by the Nebraska Telephone Company at 22nd and Lake Streets.
1908 The US Army Signal Corps is established at the Fort Omaha Balloon School
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...

.
1908 Omaha University is founded in the Redick Mansion at North 24th and Pratt Streets.
1909 The Charles Storz House
Charles Storz House
The Charles Storz House is located at 1901 Wirt Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. The Arts and Crafts style house was designed by the Omaha architectural firm of Fisher and Lawrie and built in 1909...

is built at North 19th and Wirt Streets.
1910 Gifford Park
Gifford Park
Gifford Park is a historic neighborhood in midtown Omaha, Nebraska. It is roughly bounded by the North Freeway on the east, North 38th Street on the west, Dodge Street on the south and Cuming Street on the north. Its namesake park was added to the City parks network in 1916...

is platted.
1910 Boxer Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...

wins an upset title match in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

, setting off riots across the U.S.. In Omaha white mobs prowl North Omaha looking for blacks to victimize, wounding several and killing one.
1910 North Presbyterian Church is built along North 24th Street.
1910 The Lizzie Robinson House
Lizzie Robinson House
The Lizzie Robinson House, located at 2864 Corby Street in North Omaha, Nebraska, is the location of the first Church of God in Christ congregation in the state...

is built at 28th and Corby Streets.
1912 Local chapter of NAACP founded.
1913 The Zion Baptist Church, designed by future master architect Clarence W. Wigington
Clarence W. Wigington
Clarence Wesley "Cap" Wigington was an African-American architect who grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. After winning three first prizes in charcoal, pencil, and pen and ink at an art competition during the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1899, Wigington went on to become a renowned architect across...

, is completed.
1913 Renowned Jewish author Tillie Olsen
Tillie Olsen
Tillie Lerner Olsen was an American writer associated with the political turmoil of the 1930s and the first generation of American feminists.-Biography:...

moves to North Omaha's Jewish community as a young child.
1913 Easter Sunday tornado kills dozens and destroys countless blocks of North Omaha.
1913 Bandleader and vocalist Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn, née Darden was an African American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid 1930s...

is born in North Omaha.
1913 The George F. Shepard House
George F. Shepard House
The George F. Shepard House is located at 1802 Wirt Street in the Near North Side neighborhood on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1903 in the Queen Anne/Beaux-Arts style, it was designated an Omaha Landmark in 1981.-About:...

is completed at North 18th and Wirt Streets.
1913 Clarence Wigington's award-winning design for the Broomfield Rowhouse
Broomfield Rowhouse
The Broomfield Rowhouse is located at 2502-2504 Lake Street in the Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. It was designed by African American architect Clarence W. Wigington, who was later regarded as a master in his field. His design for the house won a 1909 Good Housekeeping competition...

is completed at North 25th and Lake Streets.
1914 Noted Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...

writer Wallace Thurman
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Henry Thurman was an American novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. He is best known for his novel The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life, which explores discrimination among black people based on skin color.-Early life:...

completes grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...

in North Omaha.
1915 The Lincoln Motion Picture Company
Lincoln Motion Picture Company
The Lincoln Motion Picture Company was an American film production company founded by the Johnson brothers in 1915 in Omaha, Nebraska; it was incorporated in 1916 in Los Angeles, California. Among the first organized black filmmakers, it became the first producer of so-called "race movies"...

was founded in North Omaha to produce black films.
1917 Florence is annexed by the City of Omaha.
1917 Redick Mansion is demolished.
1919 Rioters lynch Will Brown
Omaha Race Riot of 1919
The Omaha Race Riot occurred in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 28–29, 1919. The race riot resulted in the brutal lynching of Will Brown, a black worker; the death of two white men; the attempted hanging of the mayor Edward Parsons Smith; and a public rampage by thousands of whites who set fire to...

and pillage North Omaha during the Omaha Race Riot of 1919
Omaha Race Riot of 1919
The Omaha Race Riot occurred in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 28–29, 1919. The race riot resulted in the brutal lynching of Will Brown, a black worker; the death of two white men; the attempted hanging of the mayor Edward Parsons Smith; and a public rampage by thousands of whites who set fire to...

.
1919 The first African American pilot from North Omaha, future Tuskegee Airman
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps....

Alfonza W. Davis
Alfonza W. Davis
Alfonza W. Davis was the first African-American aviator from North Omaha, Nebraska to be awarded his "wings." He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a recipient of the Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Unit Citation...

, is born in North Omaha.
1920s First wave of white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...

from near North Omaha following the riots, with whites leaving the area en masse from Cuming north to Kountze.
1920s Earl Little founded Omaha chapter of Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey. The organization enjoyed its greatest strength in the 1990s, prior to Garvey's deportation from the United States of America, after which its...

.
1921 Noted songwriter, bandleader and saxophonist Preston Love
Preston Love
Preston Haines Love was a renowned alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.-Biography:Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High....

is born in Omaha.
1923 The third high school in Omaha, Technical High School
Technical High School (Omaha, Nebraska)
Technical High School was a public high school that was located at 3215 Cuming Street in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1923, the school was said to be the largest high school west of Chicago. It was the largest in the Omaha area before it was closed in 1984...

, is opened.
1923 The Jewell Building
Jewell Building
The Jewell Building is a city landmark in North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1923, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 2221 North 24th Street, the building was home to the Dreamland Ballroom for more than 40 years, and featured performances by many jazz and blues...

is completed.
1925 Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...

born in North Omaha.
1928 Omaha chapter of the Urban League is formed.
1929 The Harry Buford House
Harry Buford House
The Harry Buford House is located at 1804 North 30th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1929 in a Period Revival style, it was designated a landmark by the City of Omaha in 1983.-About:...

, later listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is completed along North 30th Street.
1930s Midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....

territorial band Cotton Club Boys
Cotton Club Boys
The Cotton Club Boys was a territory band based in North Omaha, Nebraska in the 1930s. It was initially fronted by Anna Mae Winburn.-About:Personnel in the swing band included a variety of players. Trumpets players included Lloyd Hunter, Park King, Willie Long and Raymond Byron. The reed section...

are formed in North Omaha.
1930s Renowned bandleader Red Perkins
Red Perkins
Frank Shelton "Red" Perkins was a bandleader of one of the oldest Omaha-based territory bands, The Dixie Ramblers. Born in Muchakinock on December 26, 1890, Perkins' band was based in the city's Near North Side. National Orchestra Service booked his gigs...

moves to North Omaha.
1934 Renowned bandleader Nat Towles
Nat Towles
Nat Towles was an African American musician, jazz and big band leader popular in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, North Omaha, Nebraska and Chicago, Illinois. He was also music educator in Austin, Texas...

takes up residence in North Omaha.
1938 The Logan Fontenelle Housing Project
Logan Fontenelle Housing Project
The Logan Fontenelle Housing Project was a historic public housing site located from 20th to 24th Streets, and from Paul to Seward Streets in the historic Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It was built in 1938 by the Public Works Administration for housing working...

is built at 20th and Paul Streets.
1938 Omaha University moves from North Omaha.
1938 The Omaha Star, the only African American newspaper in Nebraska, is founded at 2216 North 24th Street.
1943 The Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary was permanently closed.
1947 DePorres Club
DePorres Club
The DePorres Club was an early pioneer organization in the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska, whose "goals and tactics foreshadowed the efforts of civil rights activists throughout the nation in the 1960s." The club was an affiliate of CORE.-History:...

starts campaign for nonviolent social change against racial discrimination in North Omaha.
1947 Future business leader Cathy Hughes
Cathy Hughes
Cathy Hughes, born Catherine Elizabeth Woods in Omaha, Nebraska on April 22, 1947, is an African-American entrepreneur, radio and television personality and business executive. Hughes founded the media company Radio One and later expanded into TV One, the company went public in 1998, making...

is born to Helen Jones Woods
Helen Jones Woods
Helen Jones Woods is a jazz and swing trombone player most renowned for her performances with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She was inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame in 2007.-About:...

.
1950 Whitney Young
Whitney Young
Whitney Moore Young Jr. was an American civil rights leader.He spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and turning the National Urban League from a relatively passive civil rights organization into one that aggressively fought for equitable access to...

becomes the president of the Urban League in North Omaha.

1951-2000

1954 The North Presbyterian Church is racially integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...

and renamed Calvin Memorial Presbyterian Church
Calvin Memorial Presbyterian Church
Calvin Memorial Presbyterian Church, located at 3105 North 24th Street, was formed in 1954 as an integrated congregation in North Omaha, Nebraska...

.
1958 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visits North Omaha.
1961 Trumpeter and big band leader Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter was a trumpeter and big band leader from North Omaha, Nebraska. He led band across the Midwest from 1923 until his death. Hunter had also worked with Jessie Stone in Kansas City, Missouri.-Biography:...

died in North Omaha.
1960s Second wave of white flight from further North Omaha as whites begin to leave the area en masse from Kountze to Miller Park.
1962 Community leader Bertha Calloway
Bertha Calloway
Bertha Calloway is an African-American community activist and historian in North Omaha, Nebraska. The founder of the Negro History Society and the Great Plains Black History Museum, Calloway won awards from several organizations for her activism in the community and Nebraska...

founded the Negro Historical Society.
1966 The documentary A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning is a 1966 American documentary film which explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "negro" Lutherans in the city's north side. The film was directed by San Francisco filmmaker...

is released and nominated for an Academy Award.
1966 On July 5 the National Guard is called to quell two days of rioting among African Americans in North Omaha.
1968 Riots erupt in North Omaha in response to assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1968 Robert Kennedy visits Omaha in his quest to become president.
1969 Riots erupt on June 24 after an Omaha police officer fatally shoots teenager Vivian Strong in the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects.
1970 On August 17 a bombing occurs at a house at 2867 Ohio Street, killing one policeman. Black Panther
Black panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...

members are implicated, leading to the Rice/Poindexter Case
Rice/Poindexter Case
David Rice and Edward Poindexter were charged and convicted of the murder of Omaha Police Officer Larry Minard. Minard died when a suitcase containing dynamite exploded in a North Omaha home on August 17, 1970...

.
1970s The North Omaha Freeway is constructed, thereby splitting North Omaha in half with severe negative impacts on the community.
1972 The Storz Brewery closes permanently.
1976 Native Omaha Days
Native Omaha Days
Native Omahan Days is a bi-annual event in North Omaha, Nebraska celebrating the community's historical and cultural legacies. Held since 1976, the Native Omaha Days include picnics, family reunions, class reunions and a large parade...

is celebrated for the first time.
1976 Bertha Calloway opens the Great Plains Black History Museum
Great Plains Black History Museum
The Great Plains Black History Museum is located at 2213 Lake Street in the Near North Side neighborhood in North Omaha, Nebraska. It is housed in the Webster Telephone Exchange Building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...

in the Webster Telephone Exchange Building.
1990s Third wave of "white flight" from far North Omaha as whites move en masse from Redick north to Craig Street, the informal dividing line between North Omaha and Florence.

2000-present

2004 Preston Love
Preston Love
Preston Haines Love was a renowned alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.-Biography:Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High....

died in North Omaha.
2006 Senator Ernie Chambers
Ernie Chambers
Ernest W. Chambers is a former Nebraska State Senator who represented North Omaha's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature. He is also a civil rights activist and is considered by most citizens of Nebraska as the most prominent and outspoken African American leader in the state...

forwards a bill through the Nebraska State Legislature to divide Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska. This public school district serves a diverse community of more than 46,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha, Nebraska...

along racial lines.
2009 Senator Chambers is forced out of office due to a term limits law created to stop him from serving beyond his 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature. He was the longest-serving state senator in the history of Nebraska.

Pre-1850

1851-1900

1901-1950

1951-2000

2000-present

See also