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David Bristow

What We Found

Clouds of Grasshoppers in 1874

agriculture | Grasshopper
  By David L. Bristow “In a clear, hot July day a haze came over the sun,” Addison Sheldon recalled. “The haze deepened into a gray cloud. Suddenly the ...
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The Cartoons of Herbert Johnson

cartoons | New Deal
By Deb Arenz, Associate Director, Collections (From Nebraska History News, July-August-September 2014) John Falter, featured in a 2012-13 Nebraska History Museum ...
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Found at an Estate Sale: A Trophy from the Year Nebraska Banned Girls’ Basketball Tournaments

athletics | Basketball | Blue Springs | Gage County | women
By David L. Bristow, Editor   Jim Brogden was browsing an estate sale in Acworth, Georgia, when he noticed this beautiful trophy. It tells a story not only of ...
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Evelyn Sharp, Nebraska’s teen airmail pilot

Evelyn Sharp | Ord | WASPs | Women's History | World War II
Evelyn Sharp wasn’t Nebraska’s first female pilot, but is remembered for all she accomplished during her brief life. Sharp’s father owned a café in Ord and rented ...
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Willa Cather’s Real-Life Ántonia on the Radio

Cold War | Czech | Webster County | Willa Cather
By David L. Bristow Ántonia Shimerda is perhaps Willa Cather’s most beloved fictional character, the namesake of her 1918 novel, My Ántonia. Cather based Ántonia ...
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Nebraska’s Japanese American History

Japanese Americans
By David L. Bristow, Editor April 18, 2023   Japanese immigration to the West began following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, with immigrants coming first ...
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How they celebrated the Fourth of July in Bellevue when Nebraska was a new territory (1854)

Bellevue | Independence Day | Nebraska Territory
  By David L. Bristow, Editor Nebraska was a newly-organized US territory in 1854. Not yet whittled down to its present boundaries, “Nebraska” was a ...
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Fonda Family and the Omaha Community Playhouse Share Legacy Spanning its Hundred Year History

film | Grand Island | Omaha | theater
This article appears in the Winter 2023 issue of Nebraska History Magazine, a quarterly publication of History Nebraska. Family-plus members receive four issues per ...
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Help Perserve and Share History

Become a Member

Being a member is the easiest way to be involved in our mission to preserve and share our state's rich history. Find out how!

Volunteer

Volunteers work with NSHS staff members to support our mission

Start Your Career

Interested in joining the NSHS team? Keep an eye on job listings!

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

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Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

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Chimney Rock
Fort Robinson
John Neihardt
Nebraska History Museum

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Neligh Mill
Senator Norris House
Thomas Kennard House
Historical Markers
Gift Shops

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Museum Field Trips
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Scout Merit Badge Workshops

NSHS Programs

Learn more about the programs associated with NSHS.

Historical Markers
Historical Marker Equity Program
National Register of Historic Places
Nebraska Hall of Fame
Semiquincentennial Commission

 

 

Nebraska Statewide Cemetery Registry
Willa Cather National Statuary Hall
Heritage Hero Award Recipients
Nebraska SHRAB

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Research, Reference, & Genealogy
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Explore Nebraska Collections

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Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

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Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.

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