Nebraska History Podcast

As the US Army moved westward, military forts had to find ways to be more self-sufficient. This was the case at Fort Atkinson, Nebraska, among other locations nationwide. Their success varied, however, and officials expressed conflicting opinions about the appropriateness of soldiers spending their time farming.

This episode is from the article, "To Plow, To Sow, To Reap, to Mow: The US Army Agriculture Program," written by Miller J Stewart and published in the Summer 1982 issue of Nebraska History Magazine.

In 2009, Michael Oriard’s book, “Bowled Over,” examined the effects of politics and social change on big-time college football during the past fifty years. The author of this episode’s 2010 article, Russ Crawford, investigates the issues of race, power, and money in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s storied football program.

This episode features the 2010 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Nebraska Football and Michael Oriard's Bowled Over: A Review Essay," by Russ Crawford.

Lured by Marlon Brando's mother, actor Henry Fonda got his start at the Omaha Community Playhouse in 1925. Fonda maintained close ties with the Playhouse after his rise to stardom, and in time, his children Jane and Peter made their theatrical debuts there, too.

Author Leo Adam Biga joins Chris Goforth to discuss his article and the significant relationship between the Fondas and their home state.

The article was published in the Summer 2024 issue of Nebraska History Magazine.

Omaha radio station owner Todd Storz played a key role in pioneering the Top 40 format in the 1950s. He was a figure of national significance, permanently changing radio programming with an approach that was “vibrantly populist, crassly commercial, and undeniably young.”

This episode is from the 2012 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Vox Populi of Omaha: Todd Storz and the Top 40 Radio Format in American Culture," written by Chris Rasmussen.

At Peru State College, on Tuesday morning, April 25, 1950, Professor Barney K Baker shot to death the college president, Dr William L Nicholas, and the head of the education division, Dr Paul Ammon Maxwell. He then went home and killed himself. The tragedy followed Dr Baker's being notified of his future dismissal from the college. This article investigates the circumstances surrounding his dismissal.

The episode is from Nancy Handy Moran's 1988 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Tragedy at Peru State College: The Murders of William Nicholas and Paul Maxwell."

Ten of the twenty-three buffalo soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for actions in frontier conflicts or the Cuban Campaign of 1898 served at Fort Robinson. This episode introduces you to some of these heroes and how they earned the Medal of Honor.

This episode is from the 1997 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Ten Troopers: Buffalo Soldier Medal of Honor Men Who Served at Fort Robinson" by Frank Schubert.

After many delays and some hurried final preparations, Nebraska was officially represented at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, marking the 100th birthday of the United States.

Despite its small population, the youngest state (except for Colorado) made a creditable showing among the other states and territories, as well as foreign countries, that exhibited.

This episode is from the article Nebraska in the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, 1876 by Anne P. Diffendal and was published in the Spring 1976 issue of Nebraska History Magazine.

Buffalo Bill Cody and Doc Carver were partners during the 1883 season of Cody and Carver’s Wild West, a touring outdoor western show.

Their partnership dissolved after one year, and their bitter legal dispute over control of the name “Wild West” made them adversaries for the rest of their lives.

In this episode, Chris Goforth brings you the article "Buffalo Bill Cody v. Doc Carver: The Battle over the Wild West," by Sandra K. Sagala, printed in the Spring 2004 issue of Nebraska History Magazine

Louise Vinciquerra was the queen of Nebraska bootleggers, and she bribed, argued, or charmed her way out of court more times before she was thirty than many male bootleggers did in their entire careers. Author Kylie Kinley joins the show to discuss her research into Queen Louise and what makes her such a fascinating figure in Nebraska history.

'Louise Vinciquerra: Nebraska's Bootlegger Queen" was published in the Summer 2018 issue of Nebraska History Magazine.

The decline of Cheyenne dominance in the late 19th century was marked by rapid white settlement and the expansion of the Union Pacific Railroad. The Cheyenne, particularly the Dog Men warrior society, resisted encroachment on their hunting grounds, essential for their economic subsistence and spiritual beliefs. The Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 offered the Cheyenne a false promise of continued access to their lands, as the treaty's final document lacked assurances made during negotiations. Despite the Cheyenne's efforts to maintain their way of life, the relentless advance of settlers and the decimation of the bison herds led to the irreversible alteration of their landscape and the eventual collapse of their traditional society.

This episode is a reading of John H. Monnett's article "The Collapse of Cheyenne Supremacy in the Great Plains" from the Fall 2023 issue of Nebraska History Magazine.