The State of Nebraska

Located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States, Nebraska is currently a farming and ranching state, though it was once considered part of the Great American Desert. The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln, and the largest city is Omaha. Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. with a unicameral legislature.

Nebraska probably gets its name from an Omaha Indian word Ní Btháska, which means "flat water" after the Platte River that flows through the state.

History

Many Indian tribes have resided in Nebraska, including the Omaha, Missouria, Ponca, Pawnee, Otoe and Sioux. French-Canadian explorers traveled the lands of Nebraska, including the Mallet brothers in 1739, long before the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They were on their way to trade in Santa Fe.

Vast European-American settlement did not occur until after 1848. The Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory on May 30, 1854. Omaha was the territorial capital. The first large wave of homesteaders came in the 1860s to claim free land granted by the federal government. Because there were so few trees on the prairie, many of the first farm settlers built their homes of sod.

Shortly after the Civil War, Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867. The capital was then moved from Omaha to Lancaster, which was later renamed Lincoln after President Abraham Lincoln who had been recently assassinated.

Interesting Facts

• Edwin Perkins created Kool-Aid in the city of Hastings, Nebraska in 1927. Each year, the event is celebrated on the second weekend of August with Kool-Aid Days. Also, Kool-Aid is the official soft drink of Nebraska.
• Clifton Hillegass invented CliffsNotes in Rising City, Nebraska, though his idea was inspired by the original Canadian pamphlets, "Coles Notes."
• As of January 2010, Nebraska's unemployment rate was only 4.6 percent.
• The Arbor Day holiday began in Nebraska, founded by J. Sterling Morton.

Tourist Information

Nebraska offers many forms of entertainment, including events, attractions, recreation and road trips. The state offers scenic visuals (acres of beautiful farmland, lakes, rivers, etc.), culture (the Arbor Day Farm, various memorials and national sites, etc.), sports (fishing, rodeos, Nebraska Cornhuskers sports, etc.), and state parks. There are seemingly endless attractions in the state of Nebraska. For a full list of "things to do" visit www.visitnebraska.gov today.