Eastern Nebraska
Art
From the small towns to the big city, Eastern Nebraska boasts vibrant arts communities. Whether you are interested in large museums that house internationally-known collections or smaller museums, galleries, and art centers, you can find it all in Nebraska. Brownville, Nebraska, is a small community that has embraced art, theater, and history, and is a destination for visitors.
Other opportunities for art lovers in Eastern Nebraska:
The Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
The Union for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE
The Center for Great Plains Studies, Lincoln, NE
The International Quilt Museum, Lincoln, NE
The Sheldon Art Museum, Lincoln, NE
Culture
The Missouri River began as a glacial geologic formation and has been used by indigenous peoples, fur traders, steam boats, paddle steamers, barges, homesteaders, farmers, and recreation enthusiasts. Nebraska’s northeastern corner is shaped by the eastern point of the Missouri National Recreational River, the last 100 miles of free-flowing, untamed Missouri that creates its northern border with South Dakota and shapes Nebraska’s eastern edge. The Missouri in Nebraska features prominently in the travels of Lewis and Clark, the tall tales of famous steam-boat pilots like Major Stephen H. Long, the transportation of people, goods and services, the access to water for cities and agriculture, the requirements for clean water, and the natural disasters experienced by people.
Ecosystem
This part of Nebraska contains its largest city, Omaha, the greatest remnants of its Tallgrass prairie ecosystem, as well as river bluffs along the Missouri dotted with trees. When many people think of Nebraska, corn and flatlands are what come to mind. But Nebraska is a land of diverse ecosystems and cultures. For instance, when homesteaders moved into the area, before it was a state, they did not always see the potential of the prairie, but missed the shade of the trees. As a result, we are known for both the prairie and the germination of the idea that planting trees is an investment in the future.
Nine-Mile Prairie, one of the largest tracts of unplowed prairie in Nebraska
Story
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, a member of the Omaha Nation, was the first Native American woman to receive her MD. She saw a need in her community and left it behind in order to increase her knowledge. She then came home to spend her entire life in service to her people. Currently, an effort is underway to restore the hospital she built in Walthill so others can continue her work.
NeWP
https://www.unl.edu/newp/
