East Omaha, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
East Omaha is a geographically designated community located in Omaha, Nebraska
. Located three miles (5 km) from downtown Omaha, East Omaha is the site of Eppley Airfield, Omaha’s main airport, and Carter Lake. This area was Omaha's first annexation
, joining the city in 1854.
and Carter Lake, Iowa
on the south, and North Omaha to the west and north. There is one cliff that is the finite western boundaries of East Omaha, extending from Jaynes Street north to Reed Street. Bordering neighborhoods include Miller Park
, Saratoga and Kountze Place
.
Due to the ever changing nature of the Omaha metro area, recognition of the boundaries of East Omaha has fluctuated through the years. Early reports about East Omaha identified it closely with the Union Pacific Railroad
yards just north of downtown. The boundary moved north over the years, and today is loosely fixed along Florence Boulevard
to the west, the Missouri River
to the east, the Omaha Public Power District
Plant to the north, and Carter Lake, Iowa
to the south. Even these boundaries are in flux. The Omaha Chamber of Commerce has taken to referring to any area east of 72nd street as "east Omaha".
The CB&Q railroad’s
East Omaha Land Company was first formed in 1887 to develop land for homes and industrial uses. The Company spent a total of $300,000 clear low-lying land of willows and to grade streets before lots were offered for sale. The company initially owned 1000 acres (4 km²), rapidly increasing through further acquisition. In 1903 the East Omaha Land Company advertised East Omaha as "the manufacturing center of Omaha."
Before the creation of Carter Lake, Iowa, the East Omaha community wrapped around a meander
on the west bank of the Missouri River
. In 1877, flooding caused the river to jump its banks and shortened the main stream. The meander became an oxbow lake
, and residents on both sides of the river now found themselves on the right bank, attached to Nebraska
. The area was home to "East Omaha Island", the "Florence Lake", and a number of icehouses on Carter Lake, which was then called Cut-Off Lake.
East Omaha once included all of Carter Lake, Iowa
. Due to a flood
that occurred in March 1877, the course of the Missouri River
was redirected 1.25 mi (2 km) to the southeast. The remnants of the old river course became an oxbow-shaped lake, for which the Iowa town is named.
After the river jumped its banks, a lengthy court case ensued. The Supreme Court of the United States
held that the sudden change in the river's course did not change the original boundary. They ruled that the community to become known as Carter Lake was still part of Iowa. (Nebraska v. Iowa, 143 U.S. 359 (1892)). The Court delayed a final decree to allow Nebraska and Iowa to reach an agreement consistent with its holding, which they did. (145 U.S. 519 (1892)). Now, all roads into Carter Lake run through East Omaha and downtown Omaha.
The largest single real estate deal in Nebraska up to 1890 is said to have occurred there. That year an unknown property in East Omaha was sold to the Omaha Bridge and Terminal company, a subsidiary of the Illinois Central, for nearly $700,000. The south end of East Omaha was home to the Union Pacific Rail Yards, with one former hobo
reporting that he tricked a railroad cop
, also called "railroad dicks", with his clothing,
East Omaha, east of Carter Lake, was the preferred site for the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition
of 1897. The area considered was between Carter Lake on the south and Florence Lake on the north, which is now where Beechwood Trailer Courts are now located. Florence Lake Hotel was once on this site. A period newspaper account reported that,
However, the East Omaha site ended up losing out to a site in North Omaha.
At the turn of the 20th century the area was home to numerous businesses important to Omaha's growth, with early examples including a hominy mill and a plaster mill. The Carter White Lead Company built a large scale plant in East Omaha.
On its north edge, East Omaha was home to the Beechwood community. In 1948 the Beechwood School District joined Omaha Public Schools
, almost completely eliminating all traces of the Beechwood community. However, the community is still noted on maps.
. It is also a major industrial manufacturing and warehousing area, with the Lozier Corporation located at 6336 John J. Pershing Drive and several shipping companies in the area. The Omaha Public Power District
North Omaha plant is also in the area.
, which is part of Omaha Public Schools
. Sherman's history extends back to 1887. At its largest the school had almost 600 students in grades kindergarten through eight. Other important schools in the area included Beechwood Elementary School, part of the now-defunct Beechwood School District, and Pershing Elementary School, once located at 28th and Perkins Street. It was razed in 1968 when Eppley Airfield
was expanded. The community was also home to Saint Therese School located at N. 16th& Ogden.
(EPA) showed that more than 2,600 children in the area have lead poisoning. In early 2003, a large section of East Omaha was declared a Superfund
site after thousands of yards tested positive for high levels of lead contamination resulting from a nearby lead smeltering plant that operated for more than a century.
. The area is the location of Carter Lake, an oxbow lake
. The lake was once the site of East Omaha Island. In the crux of Carter Drive is an unnamed sulpher spring, and located south of there is Hardwood Creek. East Omaha was once the location of Florence Lake, which dried up at some point in the 1920s.
The portion of East Omaha that lies east of 1st Street (based on the Greater Omaha street numbering system) loosely uses the street numbering of Carter Lake, Iowa
. Numbering of streets to the southeast and east of Carter Lake directly corresponds with streets in Carter Lake, but due to smaller block sizes in the East Omaha neighborhood immediately to the north of Carter Lake, north-south streets intersecting East Fort Street do not perfectly match between 8th St. E and 15th St. E. (for example, 8th Street East in Omaha is directly north of North 10th Street in Carter Lake).
has been offering recreational opportunities to Omaha for more than 100 years.
The Open Door Mission has been an Omaha institution since the 1950s. It relocated to 2706 North 21st Street East in 1986. The USS Hazard
is a former US warship permanently berthed at the Omaha Marina in East Omaha. She is maintained as a World War II museum and memorial. The Omaha Correctional Center, or OCC, is a medium/minimum security facility located on a 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) site in East Omaha, just south of Eppley Airfield. Eppley Airfield
serves as Omaha's primary airport, providing service throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
in the 1970s, some students and adults expressed their desire to maintain segregation
, and regularly harassed students of color with racial epithets.
A recent racial hate crime was the firebombing
of "Bob's Grocery" store at 16th and Fort Streets has reignited concerns about potential racist elements. The store owner was Ethiopian
, and a racist epithet was spray-painted on the building. Bound and gagged, the store owner escaped uninjured; the building exploded and burnt to the ground. Police are investigating.
, belonged to the State of Iowa
.
In 1979, the Omaha chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America held its first motorcycle show and swap meet at the Four "T" Service shop in East Omaha.
's East Omaha Land Company, which spent a total of $300,000 to clear the low-lying land of willows and grade streets before lots were offered for sale. The Ames family of Boston, Massachusetts were early investors responsible for platting the area and dealing with the ever-changing Missouri River
. However, one 1937 plat map entirely dismisses the residential and commercial district of East Omaha, instead focusing on the then-underdeveloped area surrounding Eppley Airfield.
Through the 1920s, East Omaha neighbors in the area around Carter Lake belonging to Iowa lacked the basic city services enjoyed by their fellow residents of Council Bluffs
who lived east of the Missouri. Ironically, they were still subject to same city taxes. The community successfully seceded from Council Bluffs in the 1920s, intending to become part of Omaha. The Nebraska city didn't want to pay to extend sewers or water lines either. In 1930 Carter Lake was incorporated as its own municipality, still within the boundaries of the State of Iowa.
East Omaha was severely damaged by the Easter Sunday tornado of 1913, which destroyed many businesses and neighborhoods.
When the tornado crossed 16th Avenue, the path extended from Binney Street on the south to Emmet Street on the north. The tornado devastated the Missouri Pacific roundhouse and went across Carter Lake and the East Omaha bottoms. When it crossed the lake the twister "sucked the water high into the air, a real water spout. The cottages along the lake were mostly destroyed, the Illinois Central trestle obliterated and scores of store buildings wrecked. At this point the width of the path is said to have been nearly half a mile wide."
As many as 1,000 people were displaced by a flood in 1943, which sent the Missouri River, Carter Lake
, and the old Florence Lake into peoples' homes and businesses throughout East Omaha. One report states,
The flood of April 13, 1952 led to 40,000 people being evacuated from East Omaha and Carter Lake. President Harry S. Truman
personally visited the scene of the flooding in Omaha and officially declared it a disaster area.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. Located three miles (5 km) from downtown Omaha, East Omaha is the site of Eppley Airfield, Omaha’s main airport, and Carter Lake. This area was Omaha's first annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
, joining the city in 1854.
Boundaries
East Omaha is roughly bounded by the Missouri River on the east, the Carter LakeCarter Lake (lake)
Carter Lake is a shallow oxbow lake in Nebraska and Iowa, located next to Omaha and Carter Lake. Soon after its formation the lake was called the East Omaha Lake, and then Lake Nakoma.-History:...
and Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....
on the south, and North Omaha to the west and north. There is one cliff that is the finite western boundaries of East Omaha, extending from Jaynes Street north to Reed Street. Bordering neighborhoods include Miller Park
Miller Park (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Miller Park neighborhood in North Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community housing a historic district and several notable historic places. It is located between Sorenson Parkway on the south and Redick Avenue on the north, Florence Boulevard on the east and 30th Street on the west...
, Saratoga and Kountze Place
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
.
Due to the ever changing nature of the Omaha metro area, recognition of the boundaries of East Omaha has fluctuated through the years. Early reports about East Omaha identified it closely with the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
yards just north of downtown. The boundary moved north over the years, and today is loosely fixed along Florence Boulevard
Florence Boulevard
Florence Boulevard, originally known as the Prettiest Mile in Omaha Boulevard, is a boulevard-type north-south street in the north Omaha, Nebraska. With the start of construction in 1892, Florence Boulevard was the first roadway in Omaha's boulevard system designed by Horace Cleveland...
to the west, the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
to the east, the Omaha Public Power District
Omaha Public Power District
Omaha Public Power District, or OPPD, is a public electric utility in the State of Nebraska. It is one of the largest publicly owned electric utilities in the United States, serving more than 340,000 customers in 13 southeast Nebraska counties. OPPD was formed in 1946 as a political subdivision of...
Plant to the north, and Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....
to the south. Even these boundaries are in flux. The Omaha Chamber of Commerce has taken to referring to any area east of 72nd street as "east Omaha".
History
In 1853, Edmond Jefferies filed a claim on 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land in what was known as East Omaha. This area was Omaha's first annexation, joining the city in 1854.The CB&Q railroad’s
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
East Omaha Land Company was first formed in 1887 to develop land for homes and industrial uses. The Company spent a total of $300,000 clear low-lying land of willows and to grade streets before lots were offered for sale. The company initially owned 1000 acres (4 km²), rapidly increasing through further acquisition. In 1903 the East Omaha Land Company advertised East Omaha as "the manufacturing center of Omaha."
Before the creation of Carter Lake, Iowa, the East Omaha community wrapped around a meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
on the west bank of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. In 1877, flooding caused the river to jump its banks and shortened the main stream. The meander became an oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
, and residents on both sides of the river now found themselves on the right bank, attached to Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The area was home to "East Omaha Island", the "Florence Lake", and a number of icehouses on Carter Lake, which was then called Cut-Off Lake.
East Omaha once included all of Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....
. Due to a flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
that occurred in March 1877, the course of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
was redirected 1.25 mi (2 km) to the southeast. The remnants of the old river course became an oxbow-shaped lake, for which the Iowa town is named.
After the river jumped its banks, a lengthy court case ensued. The Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
held that the sudden change in the river's course did not change the original boundary. They ruled that the community to become known as Carter Lake was still part of Iowa. (Nebraska v. Iowa, 143 U.S. 359 (1892)). The Court delayed a final decree to allow Nebraska and Iowa to reach an agreement consistent with its holding, which they did. (145 U.S. 519 (1892)). Now, all roads into Carter Lake run through East Omaha and downtown Omaha.
The largest single real estate deal in Nebraska up to 1890 is said to have occurred there. That year an unknown property in East Omaha was sold to the Omaha Bridge and Terminal company, a subsidiary of the Illinois Central, for nearly $700,000. The south end of East Omaha was home to the Union Pacific Rail Yards, with one former hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
reporting that he tricked a railroad cop
Railroad police
Railroad police are different from one country to another. Their roles in some countries are not different from that of any other police agency in others they are more related to a type of security police. They are all commonly responsible for the protection of railroad vast networks of...
, also called "railroad dicks", with his clothing,
- "“I even talked to a known bad dick in the yards in East Omaha, and he treated me like a brother while at the same time he was looking around for a hobo to arrest for trespassing on railroad property. I thought to myself, Good old clothes, a little deception is a wonderful thing."
East Omaha, east of Carter Lake, was the preferred site for the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition
Trans-Mississippi Exposition
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
of 1897. The area considered was between Carter Lake on the south and Florence Lake on the north, which is now where Beechwood Trailer Courts are now located. Florence Lake Hotel was once on this site. A period newspaper account reported that,
- "It has about 1000 acres (4 km²) available... offers level ground... is dotted with trees... plentiful water supply. It is less than 3 miles (4.8 km) form the Downtown Post Office. A paved street (16th) already extends almost to the site and a new bridge across the Missouri River makes accessible from Iowa."
However, the East Omaha site ended up losing out to a site in North Omaha.
At the turn of the 20th century the area was home to numerous businesses important to Omaha's growth, with early examples including a hominy mill and a plaster mill. The Carter White Lead Company built a large scale plant in East Omaha.
On its north edge, East Omaha was home to the Beechwood community. In 1948 the Beechwood School District joined Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska. This public school district serves a diverse community of more than 46,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha, Nebraska...
, almost completely eliminating all traces of the Beechwood community. However, the community is still noted on maps.
History timeline
- Early 19th century - OmahaOmahaOmaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
nation occupies area - 1853 - First European-American claim placed on East Omaha
- 1854 - East Omaha annexed by the City of OmahaOmaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
- 1877 - Flood creates the oxbow lake to become known as Carter Lake
- 1880s - East Omaha cleared and house lots offered for sale
- 1887 - Sherman School founded
- 1890 - Most expensive Nebraska land deal to date occurs in East Omaha
- 1896 - Omaha loses Carter LakeCarter Lake, IowaCarter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....
-area to Iowa in U.S. Supreme Court case - 1897 - East Omaha considered for Trans-Mississippi Exhibition
- 1913 - Easter Sunday tornado obliterates East Omaha
- 1920s - Carter Lake secedes from Council Bluffs and wants to re-join East Omaha; Omaha denies the offer
- 1930 - Carter Lake, IowaCarter Lake, IowaCarter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....
incorporated - 1947 - Floods destroy many homes in area
- 1948 - Beechwood School District merges with Omaha Public Schools
Economy
East Omaha is home to Omaha's main airport, Eppley AirfieldEppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield is a medium hub primary airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska...
. It is also a major industrial manufacturing and warehousing area, with the Lozier Corporation located at 6336 John J. Pershing Drive and several shipping companies in the area. The Omaha Public Power District
Omaha Public Power District
Omaha Public Power District, or OPPD, is a public electric utility in the State of Nebraska. It is one of the largest publicly owned electric utilities in the United States, serving more than 340,000 customers in 13 southeast Nebraska counties. OPPD was formed in 1946 as a political subdivision of...
North Omaha plant is also in the area.
Education
Schools have long played an important role in East Omaha's identity, with the most important being Sherman Elementary SchoolSherman Elementary School
Sherman Elementary School is located at 5618 North 14th Avenue in East Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1888 at 16th and Jaynes Streets for 21 students, today Sherman is home to over 275 students in prekindergarten through sixth grade...
, which is part of Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska. This public school district serves a diverse community of more than 46,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha, Nebraska...
. Sherman's history extends back to 1887. At its largest the school had almost 600 students in grades kindergarten through eight. Other important schools in the area included Beechwood Elementary School, part of the now-defunct Beechwood School District, and Pershing Elementary School, once located at 28th and Perkins Street. It was razed in 1968 when Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield is a medium hub primary airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska...
was expanded. The community was also home to Saint Therese School located at N. 16th& Ogden.
Environment
A recent report named East Omaha "one of the most dangerous toxic waste sites in the nation" after the United States Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) showed that more than 2,600 children in the area have lead poisoning. In early 2003, a large section of East Omaha was declared a Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site after thousands of yards tested positive for high levels of lead contamination resulting from a nearby lead smeltering plant that operated for more than a century.
Geographic details
East Omaha sits on a flood plain west of the Missouri RiverMissouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. The area is the location of Carter Lake, an oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
. The lake was once the site of East Omaha Island. In the crux of Carter Drive is an unnamed sulpher spring, and located south of there is Hardwood Creek. East Omaha was once the location of Florence Lake, which dried up at some point in the 1920s.
The portion of East Omaha that lies east of 1st Street (based on the Greater Omaha street numbering system) loosely uses the street numbering of Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....
. Numbering of streets to the southeast and east of Carter Lake directly corresponds with streets in Carter Lake, but due to smaller block sizes in the East Omaha neighborhood immediately to the north of Carter Lake, north-south streets intersecting East Fort Street do not perfectly match between 8th St. E and 15th St. E. (for example, 8th Street East in Omaha is directly north of North 10th Street in Carter Lake).
Locations of interest
East Omaha is the site of several important facilities for the entire City of Omaha as well as the local community. The Sherman Community Center has been home to recreational activities and meeting space for East Omaha for more than 20 years. Levi Carter Lake ParkCarter Lake (lake)
Carter Lake is a shallow oxbow lake in Nebraska and Iowa, located next to Omaha and Carter Lake. Soon after its formation the lake was called the East Omaha Lake, and then Lake Nakoma.-History:...
has been offering recreational opportunities to Omaha for more than 100 years.
The Open Door Mission has been an Omaha institution since the 1950s. It relocated to 2706 North 21st Street East in 1986. The USS Hazard
USS Hazard (AM-240)
USS Hazard was an which served in the United States Navy during World War II.Hazard was launched on 1 October 1944 and was commissioned on 30 December 1944. The vessel was built by the Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Corporation of Winslow, Washington...
is a former US warship permanently berthed at the Omaha Marina in East Omaha. She is maintained as a World War II museum and memorial. The Omaha Correctional Center, or OCC, is a medium/minimum security facility located on a 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) site in East Omaha, just south of Eppley Airfield. Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield is a medium hub primary airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska...
serves as Omaha's primary airport, providing service throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Racism
When a local school was racially integratedRacial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
in the 1970s, some students and adults expressed their desire to maintain segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, and regularly harassed students of color with racial epithets.
A recent racial hate crime was the firebombing
Firebombing
Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs....
of "Bob's Grocery" store at 16th and Fort Streets has reignited concerns about potential racist elements. The store owner was Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and a racist epithet was spray-painted on the building. Bound and gagged, the store owner escaped uninjured; the building exploded and burnt to the ground. Police are investigating.
Recreation
In the late 19th century the East Omaha Lake (also called Cut-Off Lake and Lake Nakoma) was renamed after the founder of the Carter Lead Co., and is still called Carter Lake. The surrounding park was home to sailing events, Bungalow City, the Omaha Gun Club, and a YMCA Camp as late as the 1930s. In 1896 the United States Supreme Court ruled that Carter Lake, which was originally an arm of the Missouri RiverMissouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, belonged to the State of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
.
In 1979, the Omaha chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America held its first motorcycle show and swap meet at the Four "T" Service shop in East Omaha.
Residences
East Omaha was an early Omaha suburb dating from the late 19th century. It was founded by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy RailroadChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
's East Omaha Land Company, which spent a total of $300,000 to clear the low-lying land of willows and grade streets before lots were offered for sale. The Ames family of Boston, Massachusetts were early investors responsible for platting the area and dealing with the ever-changing Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. However, one 1937 plat map entirely dismisses the residential and commercial district of East Omaha, instead focusing on the then-underdeveloped area surrounding Eppley Airfield.
Through the 1920s, East Omaha neighbors in the area around Carter Lake belonging to Iowa lacked the basic city services enjoyed by their fellow residents of Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
who lived east of the Missouri. Ironically, they were still subject to same city taxes. The community successfully seceded from Council Bluffs in the 1920s, intending to become part of Omaha. The Nebraska city didn't want to pay to extend sewers or water lines either. In 1930 Carter Lake was incorporated as its own municipality, still within the boundaries of the State of Iowa.
Weather
In 1877, Carter Lake was formed by a massive flood which altered the course of the Missouri River.East Omaha was severely damaged by the Easter Sunday tornado of 1913, which destroyed many businesses and neighborhoods.
When the tornado crossed 16th Avenue, the path extended from Binney Street on the south to Emmet Street on the north. The tornado devastated the Missouri Pacific roundhouse and went across Carter Lake and the East Omaha bottoms. When it crossed the lake the twister "sucked the water high into the air, a real water spout. The cottages along the lake were mostly destroyed, the Illinois Central trestle obliterated and scores of store buildings wrecked. At this point the width of the path is said to have been nearly half a mile wide."
As many as 1,000 people were displaced by a flood in 1943, which sent the Missouri River, Carter Lake
Carter Lake
Carter Lake may refer the following places:* The city of Carter Lake, Iowa* Carter Lake , a reservoir near Loveland, Colorado* Carter Lake , an oxbow lake on the Iowa-Nebraska border that gives the city of Carter Lake its name...
, and the old Florence Lake into peoples' homes and businesses throughout East Omaha. One report states,
- "At Omaha, the river crested at 22.45 feet (6.8 m) and had a discharge of 200,000 cubic feet/second (89,760,000 gallons/minute). 3000 men helped fight the flood, but after a week, the River found a weak spot in the temporary dike and the battle was lost. 100 homes were flooded when the floodwater also breached a new dike at Locust Street. The industrial section on Grace Street was flooded, and businesses were closed several days. 1000 people were evacuated from Carter Lake and East Omaha as the old Lake Florence bed filled and inundated the airport with seven feet of water in 18 hours. One person was killed in Omaha and the damage estimate there was $1.4 million."
The flood of April 13, 1952 led to 40,000 people being evacuated from East Omaha and Carter Lake. President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
personally visited the scene of the flooding in Omaha and officially declared it a disaster area.
External links
- Anonymous (1890) Rise and Fall of Cut-off. Omaha Sunday Bee 19(342): 9. - An editorial remorsing the transformation of now-Carter Lake.
- Birds of Nebraska - Includes several stories about birding and nature in East Omaha.
- Omaha Lead - United States Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
's Superfund information webpage about East Omaha.