publications

Salt Creek Basin

Edward Manley, a Chicago educator, was the son of Samuel Manley, one of the five men that composed the faculty of the University of Nebraska when classes first began in the fall of 1871. The father’s health failed, and he soon resigned. The Manley family lived in Lincoln only a few years when the boy, Edward, was less than twelve years of age. He subsequently reminisced about these early years in a paper read January 25, 1932, before the Chicago Literary Club.



Manley recalled, “The town was new. Enthusiastic citizens claimed for it a population of 2,500. The prairie, undefiled by fences, came right up to the town. . . . Between the town and Salt Creek was an alkaline lowland, with steep banks, that was the Salt Basin. Into it nearby sulphur springs discharged their overflow. These springs, probably shaped centuries before by Indians, were lined with beautiful green fleece-like moss, that floated lazily in the depths. The water was palatable to many, who brought their jugs and filled them at the springs.



“There was flow enough from one well to supply a swimming pool. A group of aquatic enthusiasts excavated a pit of the proper dimensions, put in a wooden floor, and walled the sides with 16-foot boards placed vertically. These reached high enough to afford a screen. They also built a rude board cabin a platform’s width distant from the pool and used it for a dressing room. A more than academic knowledge of bathing suits had not yet penetrated the continent so far as this. Hence the need of the board wall about the pool. With a four-inch stream flowing constantly through, there was no need to pay attention to leakage.



“For those not fortunate enough to be included in the group that had financed the pool Salt Creek near by afforded some facilities for swimming. Unlike ‘Sweet Afton’ this stream needed no admonition to flow gently. For the most part it was kicked from behind by the salt springs on its way to the flattest of rivers. In times of flood it specialized in breadth rather than speed. Those who did not mind leeches found rest and comfort in its placid waters. In the winter it offered skating, marred it is true by blowholes or airholes, toward any one of which a beginner was drawn by some fatal attraction.”



 

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...
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.
Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska 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 History Nebraska members.

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

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.