OMAHA. The largest city of Nebraska and the county-seat of Douglas County, 492 miles west by south of Chicago. 111.; on the Missouri River, opposite Council bluffs. Iowa, and on the Burlington Route, the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pa cific, the Chicago, Saint Paul. Slinneapolis and Omaha, the Fremont. Elkhorn and Missouri Valley, the Chicago mid Northwestern. the Illi nois Central, the Slissouri Pacific, and the Pacific railroad, (Slap: 'Nebraska, J 2). The great bridges across the Missouri are among the sights of the city. These unite it, through Council Bluffs on the east side, with a great radiating system of railways to all points east ward. A belt line encircles the city, affording railway intercommunication.
Omaha is finely situated on a plateau. rising into bluffs which are largely used for residence sites, the business district lying'adjacent to the river. From its important position. with refer ence to the West, it has been called the 'Gate City.' It occupies an area of 24t!. square miles at an elevation of about 1030 feet above sea level, and 80 feet above the river, and has broad streets, of which 65 miles paved. The public park system, nearly 000 acres in extent, includes the more notable Hanscom, Riverview, Bemis, Miller, and Elmwood parks, and Jefferson Square. Omaha is the seat of Creighton University (Ro man Catholic), founded in 1$79,a Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Creighton Medical Col lege, Omaha .Aledical College, Nebraska Col lege of Pharmacy, Brownell Ilall, Academy of the Sacred Heart, and Saint Catherine's Academy, and has several libraries. The Public Library contains more than 55.000 volumes, and is located in one of the prominent buildings of the city. Other architectural features are the city hall, county court house, United States Gov ernment Building, high school, New York Life Insurance Building, office of the Omaha Bcc, Paxton Block, the Exposition Building, the Coli seum (a large convention hall), and Protestant Episcopal and Roman Catholic cathedrals. The State School for the Deaf is in the city, and there are also several well-equipped hospitals. among which particular mention may be made of Saint Joseph's. Presbyterian, Alethodist, and Immanuel (Swedish) hospitals. Omaha is the seat of the United States military headquarters of the Department of the Platte. The city has extensive shops of the Union Pacific Railroad.
and one of the most complete establishments in the country for smelting and refining the ores of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc which come from the mining regions along, the line of the Union Pacific and other railways. The meat packing industry, represented by five separate plants located in South Omaha (q.v.), has as sumed an extent excelled only by Chicago and Kansas City. Other manufactures include lin seed oil, white lead, carriages, malt and distilled liquors, boilers and steam-engines, and bricks. The trade in live stock, grain, lumber, dry goods, and groceries is enormous, due to the city's excellent facilities for transportation.
The government is vested in a 'mayor, chosen every three years; a unicameral council; and in subordinate administrative officials. appointed by the executive with the consent of the council. The board of educathm, composed of 15 members, is independently elected by popular vote. Omaha spends annually, in maintenance and operation, nearly $1,500,000, the principal items being about $375,000 for schools, $295.000 for interest on debt, $120,000 for the fire department, $80,000 for the police department, and $80.000 for mu nicipal lighting. The city carries (1901) a bonded debt of over $5,000,000. 'Population, in 1560, 1853; in 1570, 16,053; in 1550. 30,515; in 1890. 140.452: in 1900, 102.555, including 23.600 persons of foreign birth and 3400 of negro descent.
In 1804 Lewis and Clark held a council with the Indians on or near the present site of Omaha, and in 1825 J. B. Royce. a fur-trader. built here a stockade and trading station. which. however, soon fell into decay. The first per manent settlement was made in 1554, and from that date to 1567 Omaha (so called from the Omaha Indians, a tribe of the Dakotas) was the capital of Nebraska. It was incorporated as a city in 1S57. The growth of Omaha was greatly accelerated by the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, work on which was begun here in 1864. Previous to its completion Omaha was the most northerly outfitting place for overland wagon trains to the 'far West.' From June 1 to November 1, 1898, the great. Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was held here. Con sult: Savage and Bell, history of the City of Omaha (New York, 1894) : Sorensen. Early His tory of Omaha (Omaha, 1376) : Powell. Historic Towns of the Western States (New York, 1901).