map, with the approximate area of the future state highlighted|left
Early history Indigenous peoples lived in the region of present day Nebraska for thousands of years before
European colonization. The historic tribes in the state included the
Omaha,
Missouria,
Ponca,
Pawnee,
Otoe, and various branches of the
Lakota (
Sioux), some of which migrated from eastern areas into the region. When European exploration, trade, and settlement began, both
Spain and
France sought to control the region. In the 1690s, Spain established trade connections with the
Apache, whose territory then included western Nebraska. By 1703, France had developed a regular trade with native peoples along the
Missouri River in Nebraska, and by 1719 had signed treaties with several of these peoples. After war broke out between the two countries, Spain
dispatched an armed expedition to Nebraska under Lieutenant General Pedro de Villasur in 1720. The party was attacked and destroyed near present-day
Columbus by a large force of Pawnee and Otoe, both allied with the French. The massacre ended Spanish exploration of the area for the remainder of the 18th century. In 1762, during the
Seven Years' War, France ceded the
Louisiana Territory to
Spain. This left Britain and Spain competing for dominance along the
Mississippi River; by 1773, the British were trading with the native peoples of Nebraska. Spain dispatched two trading expeditions up the Missouri River in 1794 and 1795; the second, under James Mackay, established the first European settlement in Nebraska near the mouth of the Platte River. Later that year, Mackay's party built a trading post, dubbed Fort Carlos IV (Fort Charles), near present-day
Homer.
American settlement and statehood In 1819, the United States established
Fort Atkinson as the first U.S. Army post west of the Missouri River, just east of present-day
Fort Calhoun. The army abandoned the fort in 1827 as migration moved farther west. European-American settlement was scarce until 1848 and the
California Gold Rush. On May 30, 1854, the U.S. Congress created the
Kansas and
Nebraska territories, divided by the
Parallel 40° North, under the
Kansas–Nebraska Act. The Nebraska Territory included parts of the modern-day states of
Colorado,
North Dakota,
South Dakota,
Wyoming, and
Montana. The territorial capital of Nebraska was
Omaha. in central Nebraska in 1888|left
Late 19th century In the 1860s, after the U.S. government forced many of the
American Indian tribes to cede their lands and settle on
reservations, it opened large tracts of land to agricultural development by
European immigrants and
American settlers. Under the
Homestead Act, thousands of settlers migrated into Nebraska to claim free land granted by the federal government. Because so few trees grew on the
prairies, many of the first farming settlers built their
homes of sod, as had Native Americans such as the Omaha. The first wave of settlement gave the territory a sufficient population to apply for statehood. Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867, and the capital was moved from Omaha to the center at Lancaster, later renamed
Lincoln after the recently assassinated President of the United States,
Abraham Lincoln. The battle of
Massacre Canyon, on August 5, 1873, was the last major battle between the
Pawnee and the
Sioux. During the 1870s to the 1880s, Nebraska experienced a large growth in population. Several factors contributed to attracting new residents. The first was that the vast prairie land was perfect for cattle grazing. This helped settlers to learn the unfamiliar geography of the area. The second factor was the invention of several farming technologies. New agricultural innovations such as barbed wire, windmills, and the steel plow, combined with fair weather, enabled settlers to transform Nebraska into prime farming land. By the 1880s, Nebraska's population had soared to more than 450,000 people. The
Arbor Day holiday was founded in
Nebraska City by territorial governor
J. Sterling Morton. The
National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in
Nebraska City, with some offices in Lincoln. In the late 19th century, African Americans migrated from the South to Nebraska as part of the
Great Migration. Eventually, they moved primarily to
Omaha which offered working-class jobs in
meat packing, the railroads and other industries. Omaha has a long history of
civil rights activism. Blacks encountered discrimination from other Americans in Omaha and especially from recent European immigrants who were also competing for the same jobs as well.
20th century In 1912, African Americans founded the Omaha chapter of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to work for improved conditions in the city and state. During the
Omaha Race Riots in 1919, many white rioters protested throughout Omaha in response to an incident in which a black man was accused of sexually assaulting a white woman.
The Great Depression also greatly affected the residents of Nebraska. From 1930 to 1936 the
Dust Bowl, a period of dust storms caused by drought, destruction of topsoil by farming practices, and other factors affected Nebraska along with much of the
Midwestern United States. In 1934, voters passed an initiative to make Nebraska's legislature a unicameral body, and the first
unicameral session was held in 1937.
Kay Orr was elected Nebraska's first female governor on November 4, 1986. ==Geography==