Nebraska History Podcast

Grover Cleveland Alexander, a Hall of Fame pitcher from Elba, Nebraska, achieved legendary status in baseball but faced significant personal setbacks. Despite his remarkable baseball career, marked by National League records and a World Series championship, Alexander's life was also defined by struggles with alcoholism and health issues. We explore the contrast between his professional success and personal failures through the article, "His Own Worst Enemy: The Rise and Fall of Grover Cleveland Alexander," written by Andrea I. Paul in a 1990 issue of Nebraska History Magazine.

In this episode, we travel back to 1935, to a time when the Republican River transformed from a gentle stream into a raging force of nature. Join us as we explore the devastating flood that swept through the Republican River Valley, claiming 113 lives and reshaping the landscape of recovery and federal intervention in American life. We learn more through the 2016 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Gentle River Goes Mad: The Republican River Flood of 1935 and its New Deal Legacy" by Stacey Stubbs.

Join us as we explore the life of Susan LaFlesche Picotte, Nebraska’s first Native American physician, who served the Omaha tribe from 1865 to 1915. Author Valerie Sherer Mathes explores Picotte's pioneering medical career and advocacy for her community's rights. Discover how Picotte transformed healthcare and fought for justice. This article was originally published in a 1982 issue of Nebraska History Magazine titled "Susan La Flesche Picotte: Nebraska's Indian Physician."

The Nebraska statehood struggle revealed the significance of national Reconstruction policy on the level of local frontier politics. Nebraska's admission marked the first time Congress forced a "condition" upon a new state requiring it to acknowledge its power to set voting qualifications.

In this episode, we dive deeper into the struggles of Nebraska's statehood through the 1988 Nebraska History Magazine article "Nebraska Statehood and Reconstruction" by James B. Potts.

Frederick Douglass, one of the most renowned leaders of the abolitionist movement, had an adopted sister, Ruth Cox Adams, who later lived in Nebraska. Her experiences may have influenced Douglass’s belief that the full liberation of Black Americans required the political empowerment of women.

This episode explores this relationship through the 2010 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Always on My Mind: Frederick Douglass’s Nebraska Sister," by Tekla Ali Johnson, John R. Wunder, and Abigail B. Anderson.

Senator George Norris championed the unicameral legislature during the 1920s and 1930s, arguing for its advantages over the two-house system. In this episode, we explore Senator Norris's efforts to establish the unicameral in Nebraska in the 1964 Nebraska History Magazine article "George W. Norris: The Unicameral Legislature and the Progressive Ideal" by Robert F. Wesser.

On December 18, 1900, Pat Crowe and an associate kidnapped fifteen-year-old Edward A. Cudahy, Jr., son of a wealthy Omaha meat packer, and held him for $25,000

#Crime #Omaha #Kidnapping

The Air Mail Service began between Washington D.C. and New York City in 1918. As a coast-to-coast service was being developed, Nebraska would become a key player in its completion. In this episode, we explore the early history of the Air Mail Service through the 2018 article, “Trail Above the Plains: Flying Airmail through Nebraska from 1920 to 1930 by Kathleen Alonso.

Many Christmas activities and unique holiday customs developed in Omaha in the 1850s. By 1980, beautiful downtown store window displays had disappeared, but a strong tradition of charitable work has endured for over a century.

This look back at the history of Christmas in Omaha comes from the 1987 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Sales, Santa, and Good Fellows: Celebrating Christmas in Omaha," by Tommy Thompson.

Winters in Nebraska are hard to predict. Some bring seasonal weather with hardly a drop of precipitation, while others can bring snow storms threatening life and property. During the winter of 1948 and 49, Nebraskans learned to adapt and survive one of the worst seasons in Nebraska history.

In this episode, we take a comprehensive, in-depth look at the impact of that winter through the 2002 article “I’m Never Going to be Snowbound Again: The Winter of 1948 and 49” by Harl Dalstrom.