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What We Found

In the Middle of a Prairie Fire, 1876

diary | fires | Phelps County | prarie | Rolf Johnson

Prairie fires were an ever-present danger in frontier Nebraska. Rolf Johnson of Phelps County knew this from experience. The Swedish immigrant provides a vivid ...

Gillespie Diary

Anna Gillespie | Chadron | diary | horse racing | Josiah B. Gillespie

The Josiah B. Gillespie family of six moved by wagon and horseback from their home at Coxville, near Chadron, Nebraska, to west-central Oklahoma in 1899. Gillespie, ...

Lilljeholm, John

diary | gold | John Lilljeholm | Newspaper | Overland Trail

Authors of trail diaries and reminiscences rarely discuss what they expect to experience on the journey west. One exception was John Lilljeholm, who was living in ...

Nebraska and the Civil War: Why the Story Matters

August Scherneckau | Civil War | diary | Nebraska History | Nebraska Territory

Nebraska has a rich Civil War legacy, according to James E. Potter, senior research historian at the Nebraska State Historical Society. Potter and Edith Robbins edited ...

Joseph Warren Arnold’s Journal of His Trip to and from Montana, 1864-1866

diary | Great Plains History | Joseph Warren Arnold | Omaha | Platte River

Joseph Warren Arnold was born in Honesdale, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in 1841. He attended school in Springville, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio. When he felt the lure ...

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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 Director Daryl Bohac. 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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