"People who come to Nebraska are often amazed by what they find. They arrive with expectations as varied and as vast as the weather, and they leave having learned that Nebraska itself is just as unpredictable. Whatever your interests and wherever your travels may take you in this great state, you'll discover that the possibilities truly are endless...
Although Nebraska is an Indian word meaning "broad, flat water," early white explorers once described this area as the Great American Desert. Little did they realize Nebraska would become the breadbasket for the nation and much of the world. Nebraska is fortunate to have fertile land and an abundant supply of underground water known as the Ogallala Aquifer.
Previous to the history of our people is the history of the land which has shaped our destiny. Through study of our state's underlying rock formations and fossil remains we can determine that at first the area underlying the state was a seabed. This seabed gradually rose and became a high plains area which hosted mammoths, prehistoric rhinos and horses. Then at some point in prehistory a gigantic volcanic eruption to the southwest buried much of the state in volcanic ash, killing its wildlife populations. The state was gradually repopulated with buffalo, antelope and deer as we know them today.
The very first "pioneers" in Nebraska were prehistoric Native Americans who hunted big game on the prairies over 10,000 years ago. Later, tribes of Native Americans raised corn, sunflowers and other vegetables. When American recorded history began, from about 1750 to 1800, the Otoe, Omaha, Ponca and Pawnee tribes were settled in the east and northeast and consisted of permanent earth lodges. They raised corn and hunted buffalo. More nomadic tribes like the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Potawatome lived in portable skin tepees and followed the buffalo herds across the central and western plains. Approximately 40,000 Native Americans are thought to have lived here in relative peace and cooperation when the first white settler arrived. Map of Native American Tribal Lands before European Settlement
Trails were blazed across Nebraska by fur traders and explorers who used the Platte River Valley, Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff as markers in their trails west. Many of these same trails were used by huge wagon trains with settlers on their way to Oregon and California. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by the United States Congress. This act allowed settlers to claim land which had previously been reserved for Native American Tribes. In 1863, the Homestead Act allowed settlers to claim 160 acres for free in eastern Nebraska. Map of 10 Trails Across Nebraska
By the early 1900's all of the prime farming acreage except for reservation land was taken. Nebraska Senator Moses Kincaid introduced an act in Congress which would permit homesteads in western Nebraska to be 640 acres instead of only 160 acres. This allowed settlers to make a living by raising cattle in the Sand Hills. Statehood was finally granted on March 1, 1867 and signed into law by President Andrew Johnson.
Today, Nebraska covers 77,407 square miles and is divided into 93 counties. Nebraska is 387 miles across from east to west. The diagonal measurement from the northwest to southeast measures 459 miles. About 23 million acres is cultivated cropland and 20 million acres is range and pasture land. Approximately 1,700,000 residents call Nebraska home.
This is Nebraska, our home state. Much time, energy, sweat and tears have gone into her history. This information is an attempt to explore in a graphic way some of the unique features of the place we call home."
- From the visitnebraska.org website
To learn more about Nebraska visit http://www.visitnebraska.org/
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