Dan Desdunes was The Man. For more than 20 years, he was the leader of Omaha’s powerhouse music scene. He also launched several musicians’ careers, volunteered around the community, and was well-thought of throughout his life. But even before he got to Omaha, Desdunes made waves ripple in Louisiana. This is the biography of North Omaha’s Dan Desdunes.

Our thanks to our patrons:

Jenna Smith

Dan Hedrick

Troy Lewellen

Carl Jackson

Kelsey Tarrell

Richard Gude

Daniel Ammons

Sara Rogers

Jim Collison

Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh

Kristine Gerber

Jay Hannah

and

Lori Schwartz

The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to Patreon.com/Omaha

Imagine a warm summer evening at the turn of the century. Look out on Carter Lake and see the lightning bugs flickering and listen to the cicadas roaring. Picture yourself strolling along a boardwalk wrapped along the edge of the lake, wearing fancy clothes and just basking in the natural opulence. Walking by clubs and docks with sailboats bobbing in the darkness, you see cottages and restaurants all crowding the edge. Then you see a brightly lit amusement park. This is a history of Cortland Beach, Omaha’s finest summertime resort from 1889 to 1905.

Our thanks to our patrons:

Dan Hedrick

Troy Lewellen

Carl Jackson

Kelsey Tarrell

Richard Gude

Daniel Ammons

Sara Rogers

Jim Collison

Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh

Kristine Gerber

Jay Hannah – and

Lori Schwartz

The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to Patreon.com/Omaha

North Omaha is screaming full of history, and the new 24th and Lake Historic District is a tremendous example of how that’s so. After its first developments in the 1870s, this intersection evolved to become a hotbed of the African American community; as well as the heart of the Jewish community; a farm supply area; and much, much more. In 2016, 38 buildings were included in a new listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Adam Fletcher Sasse guides us through a large jewel in North Omaha’s historical crown.

Our thanks to our patrons:

Carl Jackson

Kelsey Tarrell

Richard Gude

Daniel Ammons

Sara Rogers

Jim Collison

Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh

Kristine Gerber

Jay Hannah - and

Lori Schwartz

The North Omaha History Podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to Patreon.com/Omaha

North Omaha sits on the shoulder of a city that keeps growing, but leaves this community alone. Routinely forgotten about, the community is largely neglected by investors and developers who see it as dead space. Perched uncomfortably on the precipice of downtown Omaha, the rest of this growing metro looks at North Omaha’s foibles and history mercilessly.

Instead, Omaha is slowly devouring the southern boundaries of North Omaha in an apparent effort to gentrify the neighborhood for the benefit of Creighton University and the growing NoDo area.

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Tucked away in North Omaha is a historic neighborhood that gets little attention. However, the people who’ve lived there have vibrant memories and meaningful stories that lasted a lifetime. The Central Park neighborhood extends from North 33rd to North 48th Streets, from Ames Avenue to Sorenson Parkway. Located west of the town of Saratoga, it was never an incorporated town like its neighbors in Irvington or Benson. A lot of the oral histories of the area talked about it being a rural community, surrounded by farms and fields, orchards, and more. Rising from cornfields and hills, the Central Park neighborhood has a long history starting in the 1880s. Adam Has lots of detail in this episode.

Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

In the 1840s, crossing the raging Missouri River was a harrowing struggle. Men, women, and children in schooners, on foot and riding horses, had to get across the water in a way they would survive that would keep all their supplies and possessions intact. It took 100 years to build a permanent structure across the water. Adam explores the bridge, the ferries, the politics, the economics, and more of the Mormon Bridge.

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North Omaha has been the home to many fraternal lodges, community societies, political and social organizations and other groups. It has also been home to a lot of private clubs, nightclubs, dance halls and ballrooms. Its long history includes serving as the city’s African American cultural, religious and social hub, along with its Scandinavian roots, business ties, and other connections. There are also neighborhood social clubs, fraternal organizations and halls throughout the community.

Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

With more than two dozen houses that are 130 years old, a major metro area park and a mysterious lost community hidden in a forest, the history of the Omaha View neighborhood, Adams Park and the Plum Nelly community is very tantalizing. Adam Fletcher Sasse fills us in.

Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

As a light industrial mecca, North Omaha offered businesses a place to try dozens of ideas and launch a number of industries. One of the earliest came from demand, technology and aspiration, and it was vehicle manufacturing. This is a short history of vehicles made in North Omaha from Adam Fletcher Sasse.

Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

An African-American minister and his wife built a congregation in North Omaha that is credited with raising the community and fighting segregation. St Phillip the Deacon Episcopal Church and it’s pastor John Albert Williams, his wife Lucinda. Adam Fletcher tells us the story of this dynamic couple.

Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha