LINCOLN NE HISTORY
Lincoln started out as the village of Lancaster, which was founded in 1856, and became the county seat of the newly-created Lancaster County in 1859. The capital of Nebraska Territory had been Omaha since the creation of the territory in 1854; however, most of the territory's population lived south of the Platte River. After much of the territory south of the Platte considered annexation to Kansas, the legislature voted to move the capital south of the river and as far west as possible. The village of Lancaster was chosen, in part due to the salt flats and marshes nearby.
However, Omaha interests attempted to derail the move by having Lancaster renamed after the recently-assassinated President Abraham Lincoln At the time, many of the people south of the river had been sympathetic towards the Confederate cause and it was assumed that the legislature would not pass the measure if the future capital was named after Lincoln. The ploy did not work, as Lancaster was renamed Lincoln and became the state capital upon Nebraska's admission to the Union on March 1 , 1867.
EARLY NEBRASKA HISTORY
When Europeans first arrived in present-day Nebraska, Pawnee, Ponca, Omaha and Oto Indians inhabited the land. Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was likely the first non-Indian to visit present-day Nebraska, in 1541. The French controlled the region from 1700 to 1763, when it was ceded to Spain. In 1803, Nebraska became a U.S. possession as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. Between 1804 and 1806, Lewis and Clark explored a portion of Nebraska and in 1823, the first permanent settlement, Bellevue, was founded.
The name Nebraska is derived from a Siouan Indian expression meaning "flat or broad water," a reference to the Platte River.
The Oregon and California pioneer trails to the West passed through Nebraska, which led to the gradual settlement of the region, even though in 1834 the federal government declared Nebraska part of the Indian Country, from which all white settlers were excluded. Conflicts with settlers eventually forced Native Americans to move to reservations. Nebraska was successively part of the territories of Indiana, Louisiana and Missouri until 1854, when it became independent. On March 1, 1867, Nebraska entered the Union as the 37th state, with Lincoln as its capital.
NEBRASKA'S MIDDLE HISTORY
Nebraska's economy was farm-based and after 1890, farm prices soared. However, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, many farmers, unable to meet mortgage payments, lost their property. Agricultural output rose again after World War II with the federally assisted construction of flood-control dams to aid Nebraska and other states drained by the Missouri River. As scientific methods advanced, farms became larger and fewer, thus reducing the need for farm workers, many of whom moved to cities. This shift was partly offset by the development of oil fields, which stimulated rapid economic growth.
NEBRASKA TODAY
Nebraska remains one of America's leading agricultural states, with corn, cattle, hogs, soybeans and wheat among its top commodities. However, in recent decades, manufacturing and tourism also began playing a role in the Cornhusker State's economy.
Famous Nebraskans include Wild West personality William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, dancer Fred Astaire, actor Marlon Brando, politician William Jennings Bryan, businessman Warren Buffett, comedian Johnny Carson and author Willa Cather.