Things You Didn’t Know About Omaha
Omaha has a metro-area population of just over one million people according to the 2020 census and is the 39th largest metropolitan city (2020 census) in the U.S. Omaha, not including metro areas, has a greater population than Minneapolis, Tampa, New Orleans, St. Louis, Orlando, Cincinnati or Pittsburgh.
Omaha is the home of four Fortune 500 companies: Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Union Pacific Railroad, Mutual of Omaha Cos. and Kiewit Corporation. It is also the home of Valmont Industries, Werner Enterprises, and Green Plains which are in the top 1,000. It is also the headquarters for WoodmenLife (formerly Woodmen of the World, as shown in About Schmidt). It was formerly the home of Ameritrade, another 500 Company until they were bought by Charles Schwalb. ConAgra, which formerly was in Omaha, moved to Chicago in the late 2010s. Legally Aflac and Pacific Life are registered Nebraska companies with offices in Omaha.
Bellevue, located on the south side of Omaha, is home to Offutt Air Force Base and the U.S. Strategic Command (now called StratCom). During the Cold War Omaha was the number one target for a nuclear attack by the former Soviet Union because of its vital military importance.
Omaha’s history is in beef processing and packing, and it is known around the world for its great steaks, including those sold by Omaha Steaks. In the late 1950s and 1960s Omaha became the world’s largest beef packing city with a large stockyards and many large packing plants. They were all located in South Omaha, which was a separate city until it was annexed by Omaha. Some of our early ancestors worked at those plants. The names of some of the companies still live on in other cities today: Armour, Cudahy, Swift and Wilson. Several beef packing plants are still located in Omaha.
Omaha began as “Omaha City” in 1854 named for a Sioux Indian tribe that had traveled west from the Appalachian Mountains. The tribe reached the Mississippi River around 1500, then traveled up the Missouri River. The name Omaha, from the language of the Omaha Tribe, means “above all others on a stream”, or “those who go against the current”. In its early days and up to the 1960s Omaha was also called the “The Gate City”, from its early nicknames of “Gate City of the West” or “Gateway to the West” in the 1850s. With the creation of the Union Pacific Railroad’s starting point in Omaha it became a major transportation hub of the great migration to the west.
The Mormon Trail started in Omaha. The Mormons (aka Latter-Day Saints) settled in Omaha briefly in 1846-1848 and created their “Winter Quarters” to prepare for the long trek west to Utah. The camp was established in the Florence area where there remains a cemetary with a bronze statue to mark the spot. Possibly up to 600 people died in the camp due to disease, poor diet, cold and other accidents. There are some areas nearby where the wagon tracks can still be seen.
Omaha is home to the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Originally it started as Riverview Park in 1889. In 1895 the park added animals such as bears, foxes, turkeys, wolves and buffalo. The zoo gradually expanded over the decades and became internationally recognized as one of the best in the world. It has the world’s largest indoor desert under a geodesic dome (Desert Dome), which underneath houses the largest nocturnal exhibit (Kingdoms of the Night), the largest indoor rainforest (Lied Jungle), the largest zoo aquarium (Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium), the Lozier Giant Screen Theater (think IMAX) and many other amazing exhibits.
Many major sporting events either are held or have been held, in Omaha. The biggest event is the College World Series. Four US Olympic Swim Trials (till 2020) have been held here. Other past major sporting events include the Olympic Curling Trials, The International Equestrian Championship, the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship and NCAA Men’s Basketball first, second and Sweet Sixteen rounds. Several international boxing fights have also been held here.
Famous Omahans you have heard of include former president Gerald Ford, Warren Buffett, Malcolm X, actors Henry Fonda, Fred Astaire, Montgomery Cliff, Nick Nolte, Marlon Brando and actresses Dorothy McGuire and Gabrielle Union, writer Nicholas Sparks, astronaut Clayton Anderson, Oscar-winning director and writer Alexander Payne, musicians Chip Davis, Buddy Miles and Conor Oberst, baseball Hall of Famer and World Series winner Bob Gibson, Heisman trophy winners, Nile Kinnick, Johnny Rodgers and Eric Crouch, NBA basketball champion Bob Boozer, tennis player Andy Roddick, world heavyweight boxer Max Bauer, world multi-division boxing champion Terrance “Bud” Crawford (only male boxer to hold all four belts for two weight classes in modern history), US Open golf winner Johnny Goodman (the last amateur to win the cup) and the families of Georg and Adam Riedmann.
Lewis and Clark camped in Omaha on July 27th, 1804 near the Lewis and Clark Landing and directly east of the Old Market. They spent the next two nights camped upstream near Eppley Air Field and Dodge Park.
It was in Omaha where the Native Americans were first recognized as Persons under America’s legal system and therefore under the protection of its laws. In 1879 a trial was held for Chief Standing Bear and members of the Ponca tribe. They had left their appointed reservation in Oklahoma against federal orders to live on Omaha Indian lands in Nebraska. They were arrested by General George Crook and brought to Omaha for trial. Judge Elmer Dundy presided over the trial. At the conclusion Judge Dundy determined that “An Indian is a person within the meaning of the laws in part of the United States of America.”
In 1898 Omaha hosted a world’s fair. It was called the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and was visited by more than two million people, including President McKinley. It consisted of majestic structures and statuary, lush gardens, and a canal with fountains and gondolas. None of the original buildings still stand as all of the structures were made temporarily and gone within a year.
Boys Town was founded in 1917 west of Omaha by Father Edward Flanagan. It was founded to raise homeless and wayward boys. The major motion picture Boys Town starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney was released and premiered in Omaha in 1938. It is based on the story of Father Flanagan and the village. It won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others. Boys Town now includes girls in their program and has facilities across the country.
The Reuben sandwich was invented in Omaha in the 1920s by a chef at the Blackstone Hotel. During a weekly late-night card game with friends, Charles Schimmel, who was the owner of the Blackstone Hotel, requested a sandwich. The order went to the kitchen where Reuben Kulakofsky, who was a Lithuanian-born Jewish grocer, put together corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on rye bread and grilled it. A classic was born, regardless of what New Yorkers say! In 1956 it won the National Sandwich Contest.
In 1927 Omaha was the largest butter manufacturer in the US. Its butter was served from San Francisco to Europe. There were six butter producers in Omaha in the early twentieth century. Around the same time, it was also one of the largest gin producers (Willow Springs being one of them). Mostly for medicinal use, probably.
At one time Omaha had the greatest consumption of ice cream in the U.S. It is the home of the creation of butter brickle ice cream. Also, it has the most people per capita.
Many food products were invented in Omaha. The TV dinner was invented by C.A. Swanson of Swanson Foods of Omaha in 1949. The cake mix was invented by Duncan Hines when they were a division of Nebraska Consolidated Mills. They also produced powdered eggs during World War II. Raisin bran was invented by Omaha’s Skinner Macaroni Company. Additionally, the “pink hair curler” was invented by Omaha’s Tip-Top Products.
The Riedmann family has had a family member work at three of the four primary breweries that existed in the early days of Omaha: Georg at Metz, Adam at Storz and Alfred at Willow Springs. We are checking on the Falstaff plant. There also existed Krug, Fontenelle, and Jetter Breweries.
In 1918, the US Army created an airbase south of Omaha in Bellevue called Fort Crook. In the beginning, it was a training base for a balloon company used as observation aircraft. In 1924 the airfield’s name was changed to Fort Crook Offutt Field in honor of 1st Lt. Jarvis Offutt who was Omaha’s first air casualty in WWI. In 1940 the Martin Bomber Plant was located on the base for building B-26 Marauders and B-29 Superfortresses. The infamous B-29, named Enola Gay, was built at the plant. It was rated as the highest-quality scoring plane built at that time. The Enola Gay was used to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. A second plane, the Bockscar, was also built there and dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. After the second bombing the Japanese surrendered, preventing what was estimated to be up to a million probable future casualties on both sides if the war was not ended quickly. In 1947 the base was transferred to the newly created US Air Force and renamed Offutt Air Force Base.
A few items of interest about Omaha schools and their impact. The Omaha Public School system was the first to introduce the National Honor Society at Omaha Central High School. And we all remember when it used to be fellow students who helped us cross the streets safely. In 1923 the safety patrol was created in Omaha after several children lost their lives going to or returning from school. Urban legend has it that the Block Home (now known today as the McGruff House) started in Omaha.
After the Spanish flu killed millions across the globe in the late 1910s, a memorial was created because Creighton University did not suffer any deaths from the virus. A marble statue of Jesus was erected on campus in 1921 and is the only known statue in the world dedicated to the survivors.
The first live Vice-Presidential debate took place in Omaha in 1988 between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Benson. The event was held in the Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was torn down in 2016. The Bush/Quayle ticket won over the Dukakis/Benson ticket.
Carlton Dehner started a boot manufacturing company in Omaha named The Dehner Company. He originally partnered with John Teitzel in Junction City, KS. After the death of Teitzel in 1929, and disagreements with another partner, he moved and started his own business to Omaha. His boots were extremely popular in WWII, including by General George Patton. Later, Ronald Reagan became a huge fan. The company provided new boots to be used in Reagan’s funeral procession.
Omaha was the name of the third horse to win the Triple Crown in 1935. The horse was born in Kentucky at the famous Claiborne Farms in Kentucky to Gallant Fox (also a Triple Crown winner) and Flambino. Omaha started as an average horse until the 1935 season in which it won all the Triple Crown races. Omaha finished his years in Nebraska and died in 1959. He was buried in Omaha at the former Ak Sar Ben racetrack.
There are four other Omaha’s in the United States. They are in Texas, Illinois, Georgia and Arkansas. This Omaha is the first and largest.
Omaha has eight Sister Cities: Shizuoka, Japan, Braunschweig, Germany, Šiauliai, Lithuania, Naas, Ireland, Xalapa, Mexico, Yantai, China, Isigny-Omaha, France, and Carlentini, Italy. Shizuoka was the first, established in 1965.
The first answering machine may have been invented in Omaha. It recorded the message to a wax disk connected to the telephone. It was created in 1927 by Jack Yeiser.
For more information about other famous people with ties to Omaha go to Wikipedia – Omaha. Thanks also to Howard A. Hamilton and his book Believe it, Omaha (or NOT) for additional information.
What to do in Omaha
Visit the Greater Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau website for exciting information about what to do and see in Omaha. It even has a cool search tool to see what is going on during the time of your visit.
A trip to Omaha would not be complete without a visit to the world-famous Henry Doorly Zoo. Among the fascinating exhibits are: the Desert Dome – the world’s largest indoor desert, Kingdoms of the Night – the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit, the Scott Aquarium – complete with penguins and sharks, the Lied Jungle – America’s largest indoor forest, Hubbard Gorilla Valley and Hubbard Orangutan Forest – where the gorillas roam free and you are on display to them, and many more unique exhibits and the Cat Complex – the largest single cat breeding facility in North America just to name a few. The Henry Doorly Zoo is easily comparable to any other zoo in the country. You have to see it to believe it!
Visit Omaha’s most eclectic area, The Historic Old Market. Located near the Riverfront, it has become one of Omaha’s jewels. A pleasure to tour day or night. You can visit 20 different restaurants, several art galleries, pubs (including a brewpub), clothing and antique stores, and many other interesting places including the Leahy Mall and the Heartland of America Park. It’s almost a trip back in time.
See the Herb Garden at the Lauritzen Gardens, formerly called the Omaha Botanical Gardens. When visiting Omaha take a walk in the Herb Garden and see all the engraved brick in the sidewalk with your relative’s names on them. The garden is located (literally) just down the hill from where the Riedmann family elders grew up. It’s not too late to have a brick with your name added to the garden!
https://www.lauritzengardens.org/
If you are looking for a fun place to take the kids, visit the Omaha Children’s Museum. The museum has many different permanent and traveling displays to keep the young and old entertained for hours.
The explore the world of science make the trip downtown and visit the Kiewit Luminarium. A great place for anyone of any age to explore the intersection of “science, art and human perception”. Located on the newly redesigned Riverfront which includes several areas of interest and relaxation.
If you love planes and space travel, one of the most spectacular places to visit is the Strategic Air & Space Museum just west of Omaha. The museum is regarded as the nation’s foremost facility of its kind. The museum cost over $29 million and has over 300,000 square feet of displays, including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest aircraft ever to fly and many other aircraft. It is truly an amazing museum showcasing our nation’s history in flight and defense.
Come see the Omaha Stormchasers, our AAA farm team of the Kansas City Royals. The Omaha Royals have changed names and have a new home; now residing at Werner Park in Sarpy County. While Rosenblatt Stadium may be gone the action continues with high-level baseball starring many former major leaguers working their way back up or future stars working for their break into the bigs. Werner Park is a great, family-oriented park to sit back and enjoy a game of baseball the way it was meant to be watched.
Visit Nebraska’s largest and most distinguished art museum. The museum underwent a major addition and renovation in 2024. The museum features many permanent collections covering a wide range of history. Special exhibits are also on display at any given time. Check their webpage to review their permanent collection or their special exhibit schedule.
Check out the Omaha weather forecast before your visit here. Around here they say, “Don’t like the weather? Just wait an hour.” Best to plan ahead.