Omaha History Podcast

In 1879, the trial of Chief Standing Bear changed the legal standing of Native Americans. Special guest Taylor Keen, a Creighton University professor and Chautauqua historical interpreter, discusses the life of the Ponca leader. Part two includes the Standing Bear trial, insight into Keen’s role as a Standing Bear historical interpreter, the Chief’s legacy on both the city … Continue reading "Episode 07: Chief Standing Bear (Part 02)"

In 1879, the trial of Chief Standing Bear changed the legal standing of Native Americans. Special guest Taylor Keen, a Creighton University professor and Chautauqua historical interpreter, discusses the life of the Ponca leader. Part one includes Standing Bear’s early life, the failure of the US Government to respect the treaties, and the subsequent forced removal of the … Continue reading "Episode 07: Chief Standing Bear (Part 01)"

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces infamously stormed the beaches at Normandy. The five beaches were given code names: Gold, Sword, Juno, Utah, and Omaha. How did Omaha Beach get its code name? Omaha carpenter Gayle Eyler was drafted in 1943, and found himself converting apartments in London into the headquarters utilized for planning the invasion of … Continue reading "Episode 06: Code Name Omaha Beach"

In 1885, there was quite the presidential scandal, originating from a saloon in Omaha. Rutherford B. Hayes, a temperance man who famously banned alcohol from the White House, was found to be the owner of the property on which a saloon was operating in Omaha. Discover the fickle nature of temperance politics, the twenty year … Continue reading "Episode 05: The Omaha Saloon Scandal"

This episode we bring you the fascinating life of Byron Reed. Reed was one of the founding fathers of the city of Omaha, and left behind an incredible legacy. His impressive collection of rare books, documents, and coins was gifted to the city and is now displayed and kept at the Durham Museum. We discuss Reed’s life, projects, … Continue reading "Episode 04: Byron Reed"

Larry Bader disappeared after a storm on Lake Erie, and his empty boat was found the next day. A few days later, a man who looked just like him showed up in Omaha, Nebraska, claiming to be Fritz Johnson. The Bader/Johnson saga is a fascinating tale of a popular Omaha disc jockey and television personality.

The Dundee area of Omaha was bombed by the Japanese during WWII. How did this even happen? Was Omaha a specific target, or was this a random event? Why was the incident shrouded in such secrecy? We would like to thank Hal Capps for sharing his memories of this unique aspect of Omaha History!

Dr. Charles A. Henry was accused of killing a man over a land dispute in 1855. Was is murder or self defense? And how is it that an outbreak of a deadly illness perhaps saved Henry’s life? From physician to pharmacist to Civil War spy, Dr. Henry was a busy and colorful contribution to Omaha … Continue reading "Episode 01: Dr. Charles A. Henry"

We wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves, and let you know what we have in store for the duration of this project. Tune in on January 7 for our first episode!