History

Photographer John Vachon visits Nebraska during the Great Depression. By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska John Vachon (1914-1975) was not yet a famous photographer when he arrived in Omaha in October 1938. It was his first extensive solo trip shooting photos for the U.S. government’s Farm Security Administration. Partly as a way to build support for the New Deal, the agency was creating a nationwide pictorial record of the Great Depression. Vachon’s supervisor gave the 24-year-old a great deal of …

What was this 100-pound steamboat anchor doing in a central Nebraska field? By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska Gloria Liljestrand-Barber found this 4-foot-high, 100-pound anchor in 1985. It was mostly buried in a hayfield on her parents’ farm near Brady. A similar anchor had been discovered 3 miles away in 1894. We don’t know what became of the 1894 anchor, but a few years ago Liljestrand-Barber donated this one to History Nebraska. How did a heavy anchor come to rest …

Building a sod house required not only a lot of hard work, but also planning, skill and neighborly cooperation. By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska Building sod houses, especially when the wind blows, is not quite as pleasant as being out buggy riding with a girl,” wrote 20-year-old Swedish immigrant Rolf Johnson in 1876. “One’s nose, eyes, mouth, ears and hair gets full of loose dirt. OK! It’s bad!” Living in Phelps County, young Rolf was learning soddie-building skills shared …

A Trophy from the Year Nebraska Banned Girls’ Basketball Tournaments By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska Jim Brogden was browsing an estate sale in Acworth, Georgia, when he noticed this beautiful trophy. It tells a story not only of a basketball team, but also of a generation-long reaction against girls’ and womens’ sports. Brogden bought the trophy and took it home. He knew nothing about it except the inscription: O C H S Invitation Tournament GIRLS BASKET BALL 1922 Won …

As Nebraska celebrates its 157th year of statehood, an iconic, representative symbol of the state is the official tree — the native eastern cottonwood. The 1972 legislature named the eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) as the state tree, replacing the original selection made in 1937 — the American elm (Ulmus Americana L.). The eastern cottonwood was chosen because many elm trees had been killed by Dutch elm disease and it is rooted in Nebraska’s pioneer history. The cottonwoods are large deciduous …

Starting in 1900, Carrie Nation became a household name for her fanatical opposition to alcohol. By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska Imagine that you are in a bar in the early 1900s — a glass of cold beer in your hand, a spittoon within easy spitting distance on the hardwood floor, and a racy painting of some unclothed beauty hanging on the wall. You turn at the sound of a woman’s voice singing hymns, and in walks a mature woman …

How tuberculosis ended public spitting. By Patricia C. Gaster, History Nebraska During the late 19th century, spittoons became a common feature of saloons, hotels, stores, banks, railway carriages and other places where adult men gathered. Many localities passed laws against public spitting other than into a spittoon, but such laws were seldom enforced. Some people of this era objected to restrictions on where they could spit as an infringement on their individual liberty. Nonetheless, anti-spitting sentiment was growing. The Norfolk Weekly …

I know the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery bicentennial celebration was several years ago now.  Makes no difference, my family and I still enjoy dropping in on the Lewis & Clark Visitor Center.  That beautiful facility overlooks the Missouri River just outside Nebraska City. We spent an afternoon there again recently with family that was in town.  We did not frequent the hiking trails nor any of the outdoor exhibits this trip.  There was plenty to see and learn …

A story of survival and luck during World War II in the South China Sea. By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska U.S. Navy Ensign John Doyle’s chances of surviving World War II seemed bleak on Nov. 25, 1944, as he struggled to hold his burning dive bomber on target over the South China Sea,” writes Samuel Van Pelt. “While attacking a Japanese heavy cruiser, anti-aircraft fire damaged his plane, but Doyle still managed to release his bomb and score a …

The Baysdorfer brothers built and few Nebraska’s first plane. By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska When Charles Baysdorfer prepared for takeoff near Waterloo, he was piloting a homebuilt biplane on its maiden flight, but he hadn’t taken any lessons or flown in an airplane before. Manufactured planes and professional training were hard to come by in 1910. On that day, Nov. 21, however, Baysdorfer became the first Nebraskan pilot and the first to fly a Nebraska-built plane. No one who …