Information and history of the state of Nebraska

French fur traders first visited Nebraska in the late 1600s. Part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, eastern Nebraska was explored by Lewis and Clark in 1804–1806. A few years later, Robert Stuart pioneered the Oregon Trail across Nebraska in 1812–1813.

Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867.

Nebraska is a leading grain-producer with crops of sorghum, corn, and wheat. More varieties of grass grow in this state than in any other in the nation.

Some Nebraska Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Mammal	3. State Flower	4. State Gemstone	5. State Soil
6. State Tree	7. State Insect	8. State Fossil	9. State Fish	10. State River

1. Western Meadowlark -Nebraska designated the western meadowlark as official state bird in 1929. The Western Meadowlark is a familiar songbird of open country across the western two-thirds of the continent.
2. White-tailed Deer- The white-tailed deer was designated the official state mammal of Nebraska in 1981.
3. Goldenrod - Goldenrod was designated the official state flower of Nebraska in 1895.
4. Blue Chalcendony - Nebraska designated blue chalcendony as the official state gemstone in 1967. Blue chalcedony is a pale stone which sometimes has a dark internal form with bands of blue and white and often has a colorless streak.
5. Holdrege soil series - Holdrege soils are extensive, making up about 1.8 million acres in south-central Nebraska.
6. Cottonwood - Nebraska designated the cottonwood as the official state tree in 1972, replacing the original choice made in 1937 - the American elm.
7. Honeybee - Nebraska designated the honeybee as official state insect in 1975.
8. Mammoth - Nebraska designated the mammoth as the official state fossil in 1967. Various species of mammoth crossed the Bering Strait land bridge in prehistoric times and spread throughout most of North America.
9. Channel Catfish - Nebraska designated the channel catfish as the official state fish in 1997. The most numerous catfish species in North America, the channel catfish.
10. Platte River - Nebraska designated the Platte River as the official state river in 1998. The name "Nebraska" is based on an Otos Indian word meaning "flat water" (referring to the Platte river).

Did you know?

• The state nickname used to be the "Tree Planter's State", but was changed in 1945 to the "Cornhusker State".
• The largest porch swing in the world is located in Hebron, Nebraska and it can sit 25 adults.
• Nebraska is the only state in the union with a unicameral (one house) legislature.
• Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day in Nebraska City in 1872.
• In 1927, Edwin E. Perkins of Hastings invented the powered soft drink Kool-Aid.
• Nebraska has more underground water reserves than any other state in the continental U.S.
• In Blue Hill, Nebraska, no female wearing a 'hat that would scare a timid person' can be seen eating onions in public.