877-NEBRASKA
www.visitnebraska.org

www.state.ne.us

 

 

 

#  Entered Union   Year Settled

37th     Mar. 1, 1867        1823

 

Nickname

Çornhusker State

 

Rank      Population

38th       1,783,432

 

Rank      Square Miles

16th       77,354

 

State Bird

Western Meadowlark

 

State Flower

Goldenrod

 

State Tree

Cottonwood

 

State Motto

Equality before the law

 

Nebraska gets its name from an Indian word meaning "flat water" after the Platte River that flows through the state. The Nebraska Territory was formed in 1854 at the same time as the Kansas Territory. Nebraska was admitted into the Union in 1867 as the 37th state. Its nickname, "Cornhusker State," refers to the way that corn (a leading product of the state) was commonly harvested, "husking" it by hand, before the invention of husking machinery.

 

Another nickname, the "Beef State," refers to one of Nebraska's main industries, cattle. Omaha has been a major meatpacking center since the 1880s. Although Omaha was the territorial capital, Lincoln, named in honor of the 16th president, is the state capital.

 

The Omaha Indians in Nebraska

Hundreds of years ago, the Omaha Indians lived in the middle and south Atlantic regions of the United States. They gradually migrated west with other Plains Indians until they split off in South Dakota and ended up in what is now Nebraska.

 

In 1854 the Omaha tribe gave way to the pressure of incoming white settlers and sold the majority of the land they held to the U.S. government. Today, the Omaha Reservation is located in the northeastern corner of Nebraska on 31,148 acres.

 

The Omaha were traditionally farmers and hunters. Their structured class system included chiefs, priests, physicians, and commoners. Groups with common goals and duties -- called clans -- performed various functions for the tribe. The earth clan was responsible for ceremonies of war and food, and the sky clan was responsible for ceremonies relating to the supernatural. Today, music and oral tradition play important roles in the preservation and perpetuation of Omaha culture. The state's largest city, Omaha, is named after the tribe.

 

Winnebago Powwow

Have you ever been to a powwow? If you went to Winnebago, Nebraska, in July, you'd have a chance.

 

For five days every July, the Ho-Chunk people hold a powwow in Winnebago. A powwow is an Indian social gathering that usually includes dance and music. The Ho-Chunk Nation is a group of Indians, also known as the Winnebago, who originally lived in the Wisconsin area. They farmed and hunted bison.

 

Beginning in the early 19th century, the United States government forced the Ho-Chunk to give up portions of their land, and they were moved to Iowa in 1840. For the next 25 years, the U.S. government made the Ho-Chunk move again and again, from Iowa to Minnesota to South Dakota. Finally, they were allowed to settle in Nebraska, though many eventually returned to Wisconsin.

 

The Ho-Chunk's annual powwow in Winnebago is held to honor their last war chief, Little Priest. After the Ho-Chunk moved to Nebraska, a group of them, including Little Priest, enlisted in the Army and served in a local unit. In 1866, Little Priest died from wounds he received while in the Army. Today, the powwow remembers his sacrifice and honors all Winnebago war veterans.

 

Boys Town

You may have heard of Boys Town, but do you know what it is?

 

In 1917, a priest named Father Flanagan decided to help homeless boys by establishing the community of Boys Town near Omaha, Nebraska. It became a village in 1936. Boys Town continues to help homeless and troubled kids and now has a farm, churches, and a campus where children attend classes.

 

The children themselves govern Boys Town. In fact, they recently voted to change the village's name to Boys and Girls Town, because girls also attend. In 1991, they elected their first female mayor, 12 years after the first girls arrived.

 

For many years, the symbol for Boys Town has been that of a boy carrying a younger boy. This image comes from an event that Father Flanagan witnessed. One summer day, some of the boys from Boys Town decided to go swimming. One little boy was upset that he couldn't go because he had a brace on his leg and couldn't walk easily. But a boy named Jim Edwards picked him up and started to carry him on his back.

 

Father Flanagan encouraged the other boys to help, but Jim said to the priest, "He ain't heavy, Father, he's my brother." Father Flanagan was very moved by what Jim said and told all the boys about it. He used the story to point out, "Always take care of your fellow men."

 

First Arbor Day

Go out and plant a tree today--a pine, an elm, an oak, a mimosa--it doesn't matter what kind.

 

On April 10, 1872, Nebraskans celebrated the first Arbor Day by planting more than a million trees. Julius Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor and former governor, saw his dream fulfilled after years of asking Congress to designate a day to encourage the planting of trees.

 

In 1885, the Nebraskans moved the date to April 22 in honor of Morton's birthday. Today people celebrate Arbor Day worldwide on the last Friday in April. Do you celebrate Arbor Day? Where did you first hear of this holiday?

 

You may have heard of Arbor Day at school. Observed by all the states by 1907, schoolchildren helped out the most to keep the day alive and growing. Arbor Day programs urged children to plant a tree as a patriotic act, as a good investment for the future, and as a way to beautify the community.

 

Conservationists (people who work to protect nature) today would encourage you to plant a willow, a redwood, a birch, or a palm to help in the battle against deforestation (the clearing of trees from a location). Can you imagine a world without trees? Celebrate Arbor Day!