"Where Life Is Simple and Passions Moderate": a History of Nebraska City, Nebraska, 1900-1910
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University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Student Work 12-1-1995 "Where Life is Simple and Passions Moderate": A History of Nebraska City, Nebraska, 1900-1910 Thomas L. Boeche University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork Recommended Citation Boeche, Thomas L., ""Where Life is Simple and Passions Moderate": A History of Nebraska City, Nebraska, 1900-1910" (1995). Student Work. 544. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/544 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "Where Life is Simple and Passions Moderate": A History of Nebraska City, Nebraska, 1900-1910 by Thomas L. Boeche A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska at Omaha In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Major: History Under the Supervision of Professor Harl A. Dalstrom Omaha, Nebraska December, 1995 UMI Number: EP73182 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation RyMisMng UMI EP73182 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 THESIS ACCEPTANCE Acceptance for the faculty of the Graduate College, University of Nebraska, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts, University of Nebraska at Omaha. Committee , . ._____________ Name Department/School Chairperson "Where Life is Simple and Passions Moderate": A History of Nebraska City, Nebraska, 1900-1910 Thomas L, Bgeche, M.A. University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1995 Adviser: Professor Harl A. Dalstrom Nebraska City vied with Omaha for leadership in early Nebraska, but by the first decade of the twentieth century was struggling to hold its own. Unlike earlier periods in its history, scant attention has been devoted to turn-of-the-century Nebraska City. To effectively document the decade 1900-1910, one must deal with a variety of historical, economic, and social issues. Perhaps the most important point to consider is the shift in population from 7,380 in 1900, to only 5,488 in 1910. After weathering the Depression of the 1890s, this small town underwent drastic economic changes during the first decade of the twentieth century. There was a significant amount of labor unrest, and some major industries closed their doors, resulting in several hundred lost jobs. These events apparently made for a decade of declining population and economic uncertainty. The decade also brought changes in local agricultural production which may have had some bearing upon Nebraska City's livelihood. Nevertheless, Nebraska City avoided a total economic collapse. The town retained its vital rail connections, and continued its role as a regional trade center. A great diversity in occupations, the introduction of new businesses, the expansion of some existing industries, and a variety of community improvement and public works projects established a foundation for renewed population growth from 1910 to 1920. Throughout the decade, Nebraska City's social fabric remained largely intact. Like many communities during this era, Nebraska City was caught up in a variety of social concerns such as prohibition and the suffrage question. Institutions such as churches, schools, clubs, lodges, athletic associations, and local government continued to thrive despite economic uncertainty. The city would never achieve its long-cherished dreams of great economic and political power; but the people persevered, and enabled Nebraska City to remain a prominent community. Acknowledgments I want to thank my adviser, Professor Harl A. Dalstrom, for his assistance and encouragement as I struggled with this project. He read and critiqued my many drafts, and offered excellent insights and suggestions for improvements. I am also grateful for the assistance provided by the members of my thesis committee, Professor Michael Tate and Professor Orville Menard. The Department of History at the University of Nebraska at Omaha provided financial support for my graduate studies with a teaching assistantship. I would also like to thank the University of Nebraska at Omaha Graduate Research Council for providing me with a research grant. The staff at the Nebraska State Historical Society, and at Nebraska City's Morton-James Public Library, were a great help. I would like to express my gratitude to several persons who helped with the research and production of this thesis, including Mr. Ivan Boerner, Mrs. Mary Kellogg, Ty Baker, Shelley Howe, and my mother-in-law Anne Cooper. I am especially thankful to my wife Cathy, my daughter Laura, and my mom Dorothy. Without their encouragement and support I could not have completed this project. Table of Contents Acknowledgments List of Maps and Tables Introduction..................................... 1 Chapter One "Progress and Prosperity": Nebraska City's Early Years, 1846-1899................ 10 Chapter Two "Where Life is Simple and Passions Moderate": Nebraska City Society, 1900-1910....................... 35 Chapter Three "The Wheels of Business are Running a Little Slow": Business and Industry, 1900-1910....................... 77 Chapter Four "Nebraska City's Hinterland": Transportation and Agriculture, 1900-1910........... 111 Conclusion............................ 137 Appendices................................ .142 Bibliography............................ 164 List of Maps and Tables Chapter One Map 1 Nebraska City as aRailroad Center, 1888.......... 23 Table I Mercantile Enterprises in Nebraska City.......... 25 Table II Manufacturing Enterprises in Nebraska City.,.,,,26 Chapter Two Table III Nativity of Nebraska City Residents, 1 900........39 Table IV Nativity of Nebraska City Residents, 1910........41 Table V Membership in Selected Denominations in Otoe County, 1916.................................. 48 Map 2 Map of Nebraska City, Nebraska, circa 1 900....... 50 Chapter Three Table VI Nebraska City Manufacturing Statistics, 1900....79 Table VII Top Ten Occupations of Nebraska Citians, 1900.................................................84 Table VIII Top Ten Occupations of Nebraska Citians, 1910................................................. 85 Chapter Four Map 3 Map of Otoe County, Nebraska................... ..120 Table IX Crop Production in Otoe County, 1899............ 1 24 Table X Livestock and Dairy Production in Otoe County, 1899 ....1 25 Table XI Crop Production in Otoe County, 1 909............ 1 26 Table XII Livestock and Dairy Production in Otoe County, 1909................................. 127 1 Introduction After researching and writing a paper on Sidney, Iowa for Professor Harl Dalstrom's graduate seminar, "Prairie Novel as History," I became very interested in pursuing a town history as a master's thesis project. I chose to deal with Nebraska City, which is my hometown, and in which I have always had a great interest. There is a fair amount of work covering Nebraska City during the 1800s, including three master's theses, numerous articles on topics such as overland freighting and steamboating, and Glenn Noble's very enjoyable book, Frontier Steamboat Town. However, very little work has been done on Nebraska City at the turn-of-the-century. The period 1900-1910 is particularly noteworthy in view of the significant decline in the city's population, from 7,380 to only 5,488. Chapter One of this work deals with Nebraska City's founding, and its development until 1899. The town began as a military outpost on the banks of the Missouri River in 1846, and was incorporated in 1854. The community grew fairly rapidly, and vied with Omaha for leadership in early Nebraska. During the 1860s, Nebraska City became a major terminal for the overland freighting business, and played host to the famous Russell, Majors and Waddell freighting firm. However, the freighting business died out in the late 1860s, and Nebraska City lost a good deal of prominence in the state. When Omaha gained the 2 transcontinental railroad, and later, when Lincoln was named the state capital, Nebraska City's economic and political influence waned even further. In the late 1800s, the town strove to become an industrial center. A meat-packing plant, breweries, distillery and corn starch plant provided hundreds of jobs, and helped make Nebraska City the third-largest industrial center in the state. Railroads also made their way to town, with five lines radiating from the city by the late 1880s. The area's agricultural producers also played a large role in the city's economy, with many industries in town dependent upon raw materials provided by Nebraska City's agricultural hinterland. When the Depression of the 1890s struck, the town appeared to weather the storm well, holding nearly steady in population. However, over fifty years of "progress and prosperity" were shaken during the decade 1900-1910, when economic change