City history

City History
Since the 1600s, the Omaha, Pawnee, Otoe, the Missouri, the Ponca and Ioway all variously occupied the land that became Omaha. The word "Omaha" means "those going against the current."The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed by the riverbanks that would later become the city of Omaha in 1804, and met with the Otoe on Council Bluff at a point north of present-day Omaha. That same areawas settled by Fort Lisa, Fort Atkinson and Cabanne's Trading Post. The Mormons also built a town called Cutler's Park in the area in 1846.Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, WilliamD. Brown was operating the Lone Tree Ferry to bring settlers from Council Bluffs to the area. Brown is generally credited as having the first vision for the city of Omaha. The passage of theKansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 was preceded by the staking out of claims around the area that was to become Omaha by residents from neighboring Iowa. With the founding of the city on July 4, 1854, the OmahaClaim Club was formed to provide vigilante justice for claim jumpers and others who infringed on the land of many of the city's founding fathers. During the late 1800s and early 1900s there were a varietyof ethnic and immigrant neighborhoods in the city, including Little Italy and Little Bohemia. At the time, gambling, drinking and prostitution were widespread and controlled by Omaha's politicalboss, Tom Dennison. His reign lasted for more than 30 years, ending shortly before his death at the age of 75. In 1898 the city played host to the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, a celebration ofagricultural and industrial growth throughout the Midwest. More than 2,000,000 visitors attended the event.Most of Omaha's pioneers and founding figures are buried alongside soldiers from Fort Omaha and earlyEuropean immigrant and African Americans in Prospect Hill Cemetery. There are several other historical cemeteries in Omaha, as well. From the second generation of Omaha's leadership throughout today,...