Historic Omaha

FOREWORD
HISTORIC OMAHA
4
This volume is a family project, involving my son Hugh, and daughter, Pegeen. Both of them were born in
Douglas County. I’m the immigrant, arriving in Omaha from Massachusetts in 1941, spending the next nine years
in the military or college, then returning to Nebraska for good in 1950. For the three of us, my wife, and the rest of
the family, this has been home.
The most challenging part of this project for us has been condensing the history of this region to thirty thousand
words. That’s about one word for every fifteen and a half Douglas County residents, or 150 words for each year this
text covers. Obviously, some topics receive less attention than they may deserve or may not appear at all. But this
book does provide a panoramic look at the development of this county, using words, pictures and profiles of the
people and institutions that helped create this chronicle. Some of these individuals and institutions are included in
the text; others will be found in the Profiles section that helps complete the picture.
One more caveat: Omaha not only registers the majority population in Douglas County, it also figures in most of
the key events over the past 150 years. Still, we tried to include the significant contributions of other communities
when they occurred. And, to atone from some likely omissions, I drove Douglas County one spring afternoon, taking
in the other principal towns. Swinging northwest from Omaha and circling back through the southern reaches of
Nebraska’s largest metropolis takes a few hours, if you don’t linger too long in each neighborhood. In the travel
process you leave the Missouri River to your east and strike the meandering Platte to the west, crossing en route the
Elkhorn, Papio, and smaller streams.
What this journey conveys is how proximate are the buildings of Omaha’s urban landscape to the farmlands that
influence the city’s economy.
Irvington, originally named Papio, derives its present designation—so one story goes—from a town along the
Hudson in New York. More residential than industrial, to our children, Irvington will always be the place we took
them for homemade ice cream on a summer evening.
Back on Highway 36, you’re greeted by the stands of sentinel windbreak trees, rural mailboxes, undulating hills,
an occasional silo and signs for deer crossings. The highway skirts the north edge of Lake Cunningham, billowing
today in a strong wind and devoid of watercraft. One of the many man-made lakes in the county, this one takes its
name from a former Omaha mayor and congressman.
Platted in 1887 and named for a town in Vermont, Bennington, with a population of about eight hundred, has
won its share of awards, including a designation as “Tree City U.S.A.” in 1989 by the Arbor Day Foundation. Its
athletic teams perform well, often against larger communities. When the telephone company tested its automated
dialing system, Bennington hosted the pilot program. A railroad town originally settled by German immigrants, the
present population is more diverse, with many making the daily commute to Omaha for work.
A large sign proclaims Bennington as the “HOME OF THE BADGERS,” and the residential area is a combination
of Victorian architecture, prefab dwellings and new structures. The fire department building also houses the town
library. Keno Cabana advertises itself as the best food in town. A new development, Bennington Park, attracts those
who want the advantages of a large city but covet the charm of a small town.
A few miles west lies Elk City. It was originally called Elkhorn City, but confusion with the larger town of Elkhorn,
especially in postal matters, convinced them to abandon the “horn” suffix. The past is everywhere evident here, the
future less certain. The land is still being worked and some attractive houses line the road. They flank a vacant
general store that resembles a movie set. The Ponderosa Bar, quiet today, and nearby Rawhide Creek remind you of
the heyday of television westerns.
Just down the road, Highway 36 abruptly junctions with Highway 275, with the Platte just beyond and Saunders
County on the far side. An old railroad station called Mercer appears on State maps and, further south, a small
airstrip calls itself Warner.
A new stretch of highway takes you into Valley with tracks interposed between the main road and the town. One
of my daughters lived here once, her husband a member of their small police force. Valmont Industries was born
there, introducing center pivot irrigation to the world. Light poles and other products followed, replacing the town’s
earlier reliance on gravel pits and stockyards. There are senior citizen facilities along with a fine park and swimming