Nebraska
State Pride|History

30 Rare Photos From Nebraska That Will Take You Straight To The Past

Vintage photos showcase Nebraska's history from pioneer life to mid-20th century changes.

Published Jul 23, 2015

Written by 

Delana Lefevers

Nebraska has been great since the beginning of time - we all agree on that, right? These vintage photos take us back to times long gone - from hardscrabble pioneer life to the major changes that took place in the mid-20th century.

A Family in Front of Their Sod House (Complete With a Windmill on the Roof of an Outbuilding), Coburg, 1884 or 85

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Library of Congress

A Hay Bale House in Lexington, 1938

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Library of Congress

An Eli Windmill on George Stuckenolz's Farm, Near Nebraska City, Date Unknown

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Library of Congress

A Group Posing in Front of the Holland and McDonald Hardware Store, Broken Bow, 1886

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Library of Congress

A War Veteran Selling Pencils in Omaha, 1938

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Library of Congress

Directors of the Union Pacific Railroad Standing at the 100th Meridian, Later to Become Cozad, 1866

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Wikimedia

St. Benedict's Catholic Church, Nebraska City, 1934

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Wikimedia

A Storage Cave in Falls City Farmsteads, 1936

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Library of Congress

"Photographing the Baby in a Sioux Village," Rushville, 1908

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Library of Congress

A Barber in Front of His Shop, Omaha, 1938

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flickr/pingnews.com

A Home Made of Old Freight Cars, Box Butte County, 1936

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Library of Congress

Cars Parked on an Omaha Street, 1938

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Wikimedia

Kids Holding Sugar Beets on a Farm in Hall County, 1940

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Wikimedia

Chimney Rock in 1904

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Wikimedia

Homesteaders With Their Covered Wagon During the Great Western Migration, Loup Valley, 1866

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Wikimedia

Cyclone in Alliance, August 4, 1911

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Library of Congress

Main Street in Mitchell, 1910

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Wikimedia

Eagle Fruit Store and Capital Hotel, Lincoln, 1942

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Wikimedia

Emmanual Lutheran Church, Dakota City, 1934

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Wikimedia

Workers Breaking Concrete on the North Platte Project, Bayard, 1940

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Wikimedia

First Street in Hastings, Circa 1944

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Wikimedia

Frederic Shreyer's Sod House, Custer County, 1880s

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Wikimedia

Gustav Rohrich's Sod House, Bellwood, 1934

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Wikimedia

A Lincoln Street in 1942

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Wikimedia

A Little Girl Carrying Her Father's Lunch Box in South Omaha, 1938

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Wikimedia

The Destruction After the 1913 Tornado, Omaha

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Wikimedia

Children Going Into Their One-Room Schoolhouse in Seward County, 1938

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Library of Congress

"Old Reynor Sod House," Custer County, 1904

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Wikimedia

A Crowd of People Running to Meet Taft on His Campaign Tour, De Witt, 1908

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Library of Congress

Scotts Bluff, Circa 1899

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Library of Congress

These vintage photographs provide a whole new look at life in Nebraska going way back to the early days of photography. Some readers might even recognize some of the more recent scenes. How did you like this glimpse into the past? Let us know in the comments!

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State Pride|History

What Every Town In Nebraska Had In The 1930s. It Was A Simpler Time.

Updated Jul 21, 2024

Written by 

Delana Lefevers

Have you ever wondered what it was like in the 1930s in Nebraska? Life in the 1930s in Nebraska was a time of growth and change, triumph and disappointment. But as different as the world was back then, there are some things that have stayed more or less the same. These historic photos of Nebraska depict what our state's towns and cities looked like in the 1930s and early 1940s.

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1. Barber and shop, South Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

2. Churches, Gilead, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

3. Civic spirit sign, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

4. Saturday afternoon, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

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5. Saturday afternoon, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

6. Farmers in town on Saturday afternoon, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

7. Chain store, Wymore, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

8. Motor truck in wholesale district, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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9. Circus poster, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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10. Liquor store, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

11. Gas station on Dodge Street encroaching on private home, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

12. Men in front of the post office, South Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

13. Man in front of saloon in stockyard district, South Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

14. Morning mail, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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15. Flophouse on lower Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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16. Secondhand goods. Note surgical instruments in window, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

17. Billboard on the courthouse lawn, Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

18. Saturday morning movie crowd, North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

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Photogrammar

19. Poster, North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

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20. Railroad depot, Grand Island, Nebraska - 1938

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21. Livestock commisary, Grand Island, Nebraska - 1938

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22. Glorified hamburgers, Lincoln, Nebraska

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23. Girl playing among tombstones, Lexington, Nebraska - 1938

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24. Ice cream, Lincoln, Nebraska - 1938

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25. Palace Hotel where Mildred Irwin lives. She entertains in the saloon on the corner. North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

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26. Entertainer in saloon at North Platte, Nebraska - 1938

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27. Men in booths. North Platte, Nebraska. Saloon - 1938

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28. Home turned into grocery store. Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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29. Henshaw Cafeteria, Omaha's most popular eating place. Omaha, Nebraska - 1938

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30. Store in south Omaha which caters to farmers of surrounding area. Nebraska - 1938

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31. Agate, Nebraska

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32. Auction. Farmer after farmer in the drought area is forced to see his few possessions to go on the block of the auctioneer as drought drives him from his homestead and makes him a propertyless migrant - 1936

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33. Yardman. Grand Island, Nebraska - 1939

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34. Grain elevator along railroad yard. North Platte, Nebraska - 1939

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35. Whiteclay, Nebraska - 1940

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36. County courthouse, Beatrice, Nebraska - 1938

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37. Facilities for recreation in the Pine Ridge area. Dawes County, Nebraska - 1936

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Photogrammar

These historic photos of Nebraska were originally commissioned by the Farm Security Administration and is available via the Library of Congress and other public sites. The photographers concentrated most of their attention on the more populous eastern part of the state. We're so fortunate to have these photos depicting life in the 1930s in Nebraska to remind us of what yesterday looked like and to give us a sense of pride in our Nebraska roots.

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State Pride|History

A Terrifying, Deadly Storm Struck Nebraska In 1913… And No One Saw It Coming

Nebraska experienced its deadliest tornado outbreak on March 23, 1913, causing over 100 deaths and extensive damage.

Updated Jul 12, 2024

Written by 

Delana Lefevers

Nebraska has seen some pretty terrifying and destructive tornadoes over the years, but none was deadlier than the outbreak of storms that struck on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1913 - some of the worst tornadoes in Nebraska history. The tornadoes killed a record number of people - more than 100 - and caused millions of dollars of damage in eastern Nebraska.

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By Via http://www.historicomaha.com/tornado.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3988308

When the 1913 tornado in Nebraska struck, there were no weather radars back then, no TV meteorologists to tell people to take cover. The day dawned warm and sunny, which was a welcome break from the chilly spring weather.

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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service
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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service

By 5 pm, the lovely day turned into a stormy nightmare. A huge storm system formed at least four tornadoes that would rip through several villages and towns in Nebraska. Several more tornadoes spawned that day in Iowa from the same storm system.

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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service
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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service

The deadliest tornado of the day began in Sarpy County and then swept through north Omaha, leveling buildings and wiping out homes.

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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service
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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service

These pictures show the devastation caused by the massive tornado in Omaha. Although the Fujita Scale - the method by which tornado intensity is measured - didn't exist then, the Easter Sunday tornadoes were later classified as F-4s, just one step lower than the most severe category.

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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service
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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service

In Omaha alone, as many as 2000 homes and buildings were leveled. A pool hall in north Omaha was not only destroyed by the storm; a gas line was broken in the tornado and the building ignited, killing 25 people inside.

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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service
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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service

The utter devastation of this deadly outbreak has never been matched in Nebraska.

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Public Domain/Wikimedia Common

The damages climbed to $10 million, which would be more than $317 million in 2024.

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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service

It's hard to pinpoint exactly how many people were killed in the tornado outbreak, partly because there were seven tornadoes that ripped through both Nebraska and Iowa from the same storm system. Methods of reporting and transmitting information were much less sophisticated in 1913, and sometimes facts were changed, lost, or muddled from one outlet to the next. Records of the deaths range from 101 to 168.

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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service
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MARDOS Memorial Library via National Weather Service

What we do know for sure is that the wicked storms, some of the worst Nebraska tornadoes - and the one that struck Omaha in particular - were incredibly intense and extremely destructive. But as a testament to the spirit of Nebraska people, life went on. The next day, cleanup and rebuilding efforts began in earnest, and the city rose from the rubble.

This tornado outbreak, spawning some of the worst tornadoes in Nebraska history, left hundreds of people dead, injured, and homeless. It's one of Nebraska's greatest tragedies, and one that will hopefully never be matched. One of the reasons the 1913 outbreak was so deadly was the lack of forecasting and advanced warning technology. Fortunately, with today's technology - including television and internet warnings, as well as specialized weather radios - even the most destructive tornadoes are less deadly than the 1913 storms.

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