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What We Found

Lives Risked for a Drink of Water

"Forty miles to water, thirty miles to wood, twenty miles to hell, and I've gone there for good." Plains author Mari Sandoz quotes this inscription, left behind by a ...

Livestock Transportation

Railroad cars have been used to transport livestock since the 1830s, but until about 1860, the majority of shipments were made in conventional boxcars that had been ...

Lockwood, Belva, Visits Lincoln, 1885

The presidential election of 1884 was a memorable one. Democrat Grover Cleveland narrowly defeated Republican James G. Blaine after a scandal-filled campaign. The ...

Logging on the Niobrara

Nebraska is hardly known as a lumberman's paradise, but that didn't stop enterprising settlers from giving logging a try. B. Y. Shelley was one such hearty soul. Seeking ...

Lost on a Streetcar

"Churning about in a big tub of water at the offices of the Omaha Street Railway company, Twentieth and Harney streets, is a turtle of more than average size," said ...

Lost in the Mail: Soldiers’ Photographs from the Civil War

The spring of 1898 saw preparations well underway for the opening later that year of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in Omaha. The Omaha Daily ...

Love Letters, 1909

The tender expressions of young love typically exchanged on Valentine's Day have not always been encouraged. The Omaha Daily News on November 21, 1909, announced a ...

Lowell, the History of a Boom Town

Few Nebraska towns had such a boom history as Lowell in Kearney County. It was selected as a townsite by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad in 1871, and its ...

Lubber, the World’s Largest Horse

"Lubber, Biggest of Horses, is Dead," said the Norfolk Press on June 9, 1927, headlining an obituary for an animal exhibited throughout Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, ...

Luring Christmas Shoppers

The Corner Grocery at 801 South 11th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. 1904  Increased consumer demand from Thanksgiving through New Year's has always been a boon to ...

Pierce Lyden

A list of some of Nebraska's best-known movie and television stars would include not only such greats as Johnny Carson, Henry Fonda, and Robert Taylor, but the man who ...

Man-powered Paddle Boats on the Missouri

In 1824 Congress authorized a military expedition to the upper Missouri River. Its purpose was to sign peace treaties with the Indian tribes living along the river to ...

Help Shape History

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About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society 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 History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
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Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

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

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

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

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

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

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

Our YouTube Video Collection

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

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. 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.