Nebraska State Historical Society

Publications

Who We Are

The Nebraska State Historical Society publishes works that explore Nebraska history and culture. Our readers range from professional historians to history buffs to curious people who simply find that learning about the past helps them better enjoy living and traveling here. We all share a passion for well-crafted historical writing.

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Our members make history happen.

"Nebraska Timeline" Columns

From 1992 – 2019, the Nebraska State Historical Society wrote a series of articles for newspapers titled “Nebraska Timeline.” Below you can browse or search through those articles and discover interesting stories from Nebraska’s History.

Dodge-McGuire Murder Case

The murder of buffalo hunter James McGuire in 1874 was one of frontier Nebraska's most noted crimes. McGuire's weighted body was found October 4, 1874, in the Frenchman ...

Dowsing for Water

Locating a suitable well site was of paramount importance on the Nebraska frontier. Everett Dick noted in Conquering the Great American Desert, published in 1975 by the ...

Dr. Mary Walker

Civil War physician Dr. Mary Walker (1832-1919) after the war became a writer and lecturer, touring the United States and abroad to speak on health, temperance, and ...

Dr. Peabody’s Treatment of Cholera

Cholera was the most dreaded disease of overland travelers passing through the state in 1849 and the 1850s, and its possible recurrence was dreaded for decades ...

Dr. Rustin’s Mysterious Death

The strange death of prominent Omaha physician and surgeon Frederick Rustin in September of 1908 ushered in a series of widely publicized events culminating in ...

Drilling for Oil at Shelton

Nebraska's first producing oil well was drilled in Richardson County in 1940, but prior to that date some drilling had been done in other parts of the state. One such ...

Drinking and Shooting on the 1875 Farmers’ Excursion

It’s become a cliché that business trips to distant cities can become opportunities for behavior of the “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” variety. This was also ...

Drought and Depression in 1890s Nebraska

Nebraska in the early 1890s suffered from protracted drought, and farm prices fell to new lows. Conditions were so unfavorable that immigration, which had more than ...

Drought in Buffalo County

The summer of 1894 was a disastrous one for Nebraska. Faced with almost total crop loss due to drought, farmers sold or mortgaged property, turned loose livestock to ...

Drought Relief by the GAR

During the drought and financial hard times of 1893 and 1894, homesteaders in western Nebraska were especially hard hit. Charitable, fraternal, and religious groups ...

Dry Farming

"Dry Farming --The Hope of the West" was the title of an article which attracted considerableattention in Nebraska in 1906. The vagaries of rainfall on the Plains had ...

Dugout Construction

The dugout was a makeshift, temporary home and a predecessor of both the sod house and the log and frame house in early Nebraska. Such shelter was more easily made than ...

Contact Us

David Bristow | Publications
Nebraska State Historical Society
1500 R St
Lincoln, NE 68508
402-471-4748
[email protected]

Information Services:
Looking for research help? Contact Library/Archives, the Museum, or Education. The Publications division is an editorial office; we don’t have archival collections or reference staff here.

News and Events:
Looking for research help? Contact Follow the Nebraska State Historical Society on Facebook for event news, cool historical photos, and fascinating stories from the Nebraska State Historical Society blog. Members receive Nebraska History News.

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.

Explore Nebraska

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

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.

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.

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!

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.