A Brief History of Omaha, Nebraska

Pawnee, Otoe, Sioux, the Missouri and Ioway all variously occupied the land that became Omaha since the 1600s. On July 21, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed by the riverbanks that would later become the city of Omaha. They met with the Otoe 20 miles north of the present day Omaha, and had a council meeting with members of the tribal leadership on the west side of the Missouri River. Many years later, fur traders were frequenting the region, and late in 1854 Omaha was chosen as the territorial capital for Nebraska. Omaha grew rapidly in the 1880s, and was the fastest-growing city in the United States.