{"id":1460,"date":"2019-01-10T04:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T04:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=1460"},"modified":"2018-10-15T02:34:16","modified_gmt":"2018-10-15T02:34:16","slug":"nebraska-the-cornhusker-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/nebraska-the-cornhusker-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Nebraska – The Cornhusker State"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Nebraska is a state that lies in both the Great Plains<\/a> and the Midwestern United States<\/a>. It is bordered by South Dakota<\/a> to the north, Iowa<\/a> to the east and Missouri<\/a> to the southeast, both across the Missouri River<\/a>, Kansas<\/a> to the south, Colorado<\/a> to the southwest and Wyoming<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska
Nebraska in the United States<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is the only triply landlocked U.S. state. \u00a0Nebraska’s area is just over 77,220 square miles with almost 1.9 million people.<\/p>\n

Its state capital is Lincoln<\/a>, and its largest city is Omaha<\/a>, which is on the Missouri River.<\/p>\n

\"Omaha\"
Omaha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nebraska was admitted as the 37th state of the United States in 1867. \u00a0It is the only state in the United States whose legislature is unicameral and officially nonpartisan.<\/p>\n

Origin of the Name:<\/h2>\n

Nebraska’s name is derived from transliteration of the archaic Otoe<\/a> words \u00d1\u00ed Br\u00e1sge, pronounced [\u0272\u0129b\u027eas\ua71ck\u025b] or the Omaha<\/a> N\u00ed Bth\u00e1ska, pronounced [n\u0129b\u026b\u1d9eas\ua71cka], meaning “flat water”, after the Platte River that flows through the state.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Indigenous peoples lived in the region of present-day Nebraska for thousands of years before European exploration. \u00a0The historic tribes in the state included the Omaha, Missouria<\/a>, Ponca<\/a>, Pawnee<\/a>, Otoe, and various branches of the Lakota<\/a> (Sioux), some of which migrated from eastern areas into this region. \u00a0When European exploration, trade, and settlement began, both Spain<\/a> and France<\/a> sought to control the region. \u00a0In the 1690s, Spain established trade connections with the Apaches<\/a>, whose territory then included western Nebraska. \u00a0By 1703, France had developed a regular trade with the native peoples along the Missouri River in Nebraska<\/a>, and by 1719 had signed treaties with several of these peoples. \u00a0After war broke out between the two countries, Spain dispatched an armed expedition to Nebraska under Lieutenant General Pedro de Villasur<\/a> in 1720. \u00a0The party was attacked and destroyed near present-day Columbus<\/a> by a large force of Pawnees and Otoes, both allied to the French. \u00a0The massacre ended Spanish exploration of the area for the remainder of the 18th century.<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska
Nebraska in 1718<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1762, during the Seven Years’ War<\/a>, France ceded the Louisiana territory<\/a> to Spain. \u00a0This left Britain<\/a> and Spain competing for dominance along the Mississippi<\/a>; by 1773, the British were trading with the native peoples of Nebraska. \u00a0In response, Spain dispatched two trading expeditions up the Missouri in 1794 and 1795; the second, under James Mackay, established the first European settlement in Nebraska near the mouth of the Platte<\/a>. \u00a0Later that year, Mackay’s party built a trading post, dubbed Fort Carlos IV (Fort Charles)<\/a>, near present-day Homer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nebraska is crossed by many historic trails and was explored by the Lewis and Clark Expedition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Lewis
Lewis and Clark Map<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1819, the United States established Fort Atkinson<\/a> as the first U.S. Army post west of the Missouri River, just east of present-day Fort Calhoun<\/a>. \u00a0The army abandoned the fort in 1827 as migration moved further west. \u00a0European-American settlement was scarce until 1848 and the California Gold Rush<\/a>. \u00a0On May 30, 1854, the US Congress created the Kansas<\/a> and the Nebraska territories, divided by the Parallel 40\u00b0 North, under the Kansas\u2013Nebraska Act<\/a>. \u00a0The Nebraska Territory<\/a> included parts of the current states of Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.\u00a0 \u00a0The territorial capital of Nebraska was Omaha.<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska
Nebraska Territory 1854<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the 1860s, after the U.S. government forced many of the Native American tribes to cede their lands and settle on reservations, it opened large tracts of land to agricultural development by Europeans and Americans. \u00a0Under the Homestead Act<\/a>, thousands of settlers migrated into Nebraska to claim free land granted by the federal government. \u00a0Because so few trees grew on the prairies, many of the first farming settlers built their homes of sod, as had Native Americans such as the Omaha.<\/p>\n

\"1888
1888 Homesteaders<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first wave of settlement gave the territory a sufficient population to apply for statehood. \u00a0Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867, and the capital was moved from Omaha to the center at Lancaster, later renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln<\/a>. \u00a0The battle of Massacre Canyon<\/a> on August 5, 1873, was the last major battle between the Pawnee and the Sioux.<\/p>\n

During the 1870s to the 1880s, Nebraska experienced a large growth in population. \u00a0Several factors contributed to attracting new residents. \u00a0The first was that the vast prairie land was perfect for cattle grazing. \u00a0This helped settlers learn the unfamiliar geography of the area. \u00a0The second factor was the invention of several farming technologies. \u00a0Agricultural inventions such as barbed wire<\/a>, wind mills, and the steel plow, combined with good weather, enabled settlers to use of Nebraska as prime farming land. \u00a0By the 1880s, Nebraska’s population had soared to more than 450,000 people.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

Nebraska is split between two time zones, with the state’s eastern half observing Central Time<\/a> and the western half observing Mountain Time<\/a>.\u00a0 Three rivers cross the state from west to east. The Platte River, formed by the confluence of the North Platte<\/a> and the South Platte<\/a>, runs through the state’s central portion, the Niobrara River<\/a> flows through the northern part, and the Republican River<\/a> runs across the southern part.<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska
Nebraska Time Zones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains<\/a> and the Great Plains.\u00a0 The easternmost portion of the state was scoured by Ice Age glaciers; the Dissected Till Plains were left after the glaciers retreated.\u00a0 The Dissected Till Plains is a region of gently rolling hills; Omaha and Lincoln are in this region. \u00a0The Great Plains occupy most of western Nebraska, with the region consisting of several smaller, diverse land regions, including the Sandhills<\/a>, the Pine Ridge<\/a>, the Rainwater Basin<\/a>, the High Plains<\/a> and the Wildcat Hills<\/a>. \u00a0Panorama Point<\/a>, at 5,424 feet is Nebraska’s highest point; though despite its name and elevation, it is a relatively low rise near the Colorado and Wyoming borders.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Nebraska has a large agriculture sector, and is a major producer of beef, pork, corn, soybeans, and sorghum<\/a>.\u00a0 Other important economic sectors include freight transport, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and insurance.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nebraska Grain Bins and Elevator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As of April 2015, the state’s unemployment rate was 2.5%, the lowest in the nation.<\/p>\n

Kool-Aid<\/a> was created in 1927 by Edwin Perkins<\/a> in the city of Hastings<\/a>, which celebrates the event the second weekend of every August with Kool-Aid Days<\/a>, and Kool-Aid is the official soft drink of Nebraska.\u00a0 CliffsNotes<\/a> were developed by Clifton Hillegass<\/a> of Rising City<\/a>. \u00a0He adapted his pamphlets from the Canadian publications, Coles Notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Kool
Kool Aid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Omaha is home to Berkshire Hathaway<\/a>, whose chief executive officer Warren Buffett<\/a>, was ranked in March 2009 by Forbes magazine<\/a> as the second-richest person in the world. \u00a0The city is also home to Mutual of Omaha<\/a>, InfoUSA<\/a>, TD Ameritrade<\/a>, West Corporation<\/a>, Valmont Industries<\/a>, Woodmen of the World<\/a>, Kiewit Corporation<\/a>, Union Pacific Railroad<\/a>, and Gallup<\/a>. \u00a0Ameritas Life<\/a> Insurance Corp., Nelnet<\/a>, Sandhills Publishing Company<\/a>, Duncan Aviation<\/a>, and Hudl<\/a> are based in Lincoln; The Buckle<\/a> is based in Kearney<\/a>. \u00a0Sidney<\/a> is the national headquarters for Cabela’s<\/a>, a specialty retailer of outdoor goods.<\/p>\n

The world’s largest train yard, Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard<\/a>, is in North Platte<\/a>. \u00a0The Vise-Grip<\/a> was invented by William Petersen<\/a> in 1924, and was manufactured in De Witt<\/a> until the plant was closed and moved to China<\/a> in late 2008.<\/p>\n

\"Union
Union Pacific Bailey Yard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lincoln’s Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing<\/a> is the only Kawasaki plant in the world to produce the Jet Ski<\/a>, All-terrain vehicle (ATV)<\/a>, and Mule<\/a> lines of product. \u00a0The facility employs more than 1,200 people.<\/p>\n

The Spade Ranch<\/a>, in the Sandhills, is one of Nebraska’s oldest and largest beef cattle operations.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Railroads:<\/h3>\n

The Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in Omaha, was incorporated on July 1, 1862, in the wake of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862<\/a>.\u00a0 Bailey Yard, in North Platte, is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. \u00a0The route of the original transcontinental railroad runs through the state.<\/p>\n

Other major railroads with operations in the state are: Amtrak<\/a>; BNSF Railway<\/a>; Canadian National Railway<\/a>; and Iowa Interstate Railroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roads and Highways:<\/h3>\n

Major Interstate Highways through the State of Nebraska include:<\/p>\n

I-76<\/a> and I-80<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Transportation
Transportation Map of Nebraska<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Airports:<\/h3>\n
\"Omaha
Omaha Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Airports with commercial services in Nebraska include:<\/p>\n