Spring Comes to Omaha

These past days have been rainy or windy, but today, May Day, is one of those lovely sunny days. We have enjoyed the beautiful blossoms around the Trail Center and hate to see the wind blow them away. On the far right you can see the window of John and Barbara’s home and behind the tree just a little of the 27 cement stairs that go from the Trail Center to their house.

One of the loveliest parts of the Trail Center is our Memorial Room that overlooks the Cemetery. It was an especially lovely view with the flowers and blossoms this spring.

After church today we decided to get to know one of the places just down the road from the Trail Center that has caught our attention each time we drive past. This place was once Fort Omaha.

The setting reminds me of Fort Douglas, as its history is of that same period and it too has lovely old buildings, big parade ground, and housing that reminds me of Joe and Janet’s DeTrobriand home.

Fort Omaha was established in 1868 and named for General William Tecumseh Sherman. However by 1878 it was known as Fort Omaha and was the headquarters of the Army Department of the Platte that included not just Nebraska, but as far west as Utah and Montana. It was closed at the end of the century and then reopened to train soldiers for service in Army observation balloons in World War I. Today it has some recruiting offices but most of the buildings are now part of the Metropolitan Community College of Omaha.

The fort’s most interesting building is the home of the head of the Army Department of the Platte, General George Crook, a famous Indian fighter. It is a lovely brick home in the Italian style of the day built in 1879 and currently housing the Douglas County Historical Society. General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant and President Rutherford B. Hayes were among the many important people of the day who were entertained here.

Today’s college president lives in this home.

We love the spirit of Omaha. Not just the wonderful feelings that are part of the Trail Center, but the whole sense of history that pervades this area. Wonderful and exciting parts of our country’s history happened in our back yard and we are loving being part of it all.