Omaha From The Iowa Side
Herman Schwabe
Watercolor on Paper, 1872
Great Plains Art Museum
Lincoln, Nebraska
“This watercolor was likely painted by Hermann Schwabe, an Omaha resident who worked as a tin smith, artist, and photographer in the late nineteenth century. Here the artist paints a view of 1872 Omaha seen from the banks of Iowa across the Missouri River. The longest river in the United States, the Missouri cuts across the northern Great Plains and, along with its many tributaries, is a significant source of water for cities, agriculture, and wildlife across the region. This artist’s rendering of the river shows what is possibly the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge (at left). Completed in 1872, this was the first permanent bridge across the Missouri”. (Great Plains Art Museum)
Immigrants began settling in Nebraska in the 1840’s as stragglers on the Oregon Trail, the Mormon resettlement to Utah, and the California gold rush decided to stay. Immigration in large numbers occurred following the American Civil War as war veterans moved west to take advantage of free land through the Homestead Act which also coincided with the building of the transcontinental railroad across Nebraska. Many place names in Nebraska are associated with Civil War personalities and events. Nebraska became a state in 1867 so this painting was made just 5 years after Statehood. It’s interesting to me to see how developed Omaha was in 1872. It would have been the largest city in Nebraska and remains so to this day. The Union Pacific railroad began construction of it’s leg of the transcontinental railroad from Omaha. The UP continues to have an important presence in Omaha and Nebraska.
Omaha From The Iowa Side
Herman Schwabe
Watercolor on Paper, 1872
Great Plains Art Museum
Lincoln, Nebraska
“This watercolor was likely painted by Hermann Schwabe, an Omaha resident who worked as a tin smith, artist, and photographer in the late nineteenth century. Here the artist paints a view of 1872 Omaha seen from the banks of Iowa across the Missouri River. The longest river in the United States, the Missouri cuts across the northern Great Plains and, along with its many tributaries, is a significant source of water for cities, agriculture, and wildlife across the region. This artist’s rendering of the river shows what is possibly the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge (at left). Completed in 1872, this was the first permanent bridge across the Missouri”. (Great Plains Art Museum)
Immigrants began settling in Nebraska in the 1840’s as stragglers on the Oregon Trail, the Mormon resettlement to Utah, and the California gold rush decided to stay. Immigration in large numbers occurred following the American Civil War as war veterans moved west to take advantage of free land through the Homestead Act which also coincided with the building of the transcontinental railroad across Nebraska. Many place names in Nebraska are associated with Civil War personalities and events. Nebraska became a state in 1867 so this painting was made just 5 years after Statehood. It’s interesting to me to see how developed Omaha was in 1872. It would have been the largest city in Nebraska and remains so to this day. The Union Pacific railroad began construction of it’s leg of the transcontinental railroad from Omaha. The UP continues to have an important presence in Omaha and Nebraska.