Indian Wars and Homesteading

The first whites to settle in Nebraska did so illegally, as the territory was officially reserved for Indians. There soon were demands that the federal government organize Nebraska as a territory in order to legalize the settlements already there, provide a route for a railroad to the Pacific, and open the way for extending settlement westward. In 1854 the U.S. Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It created the Territory of Nebraska, which included Nebraska and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and North and South Dakota. New towns were soon established, including Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, and Omaha, which became the territorial capital. Settlement, however, was slow at first.

The coming of settlers to what had been Indian Territory led to conflict. The Battle of Ash Hollow, fought in western Nebraska in 1855, was one of many clashes between the Sioux and whites. The Pawnees ceded most of their land to the government, but they, too, clashed with settlers, and troops were sent to subdue them in 1859.

The Homestead Act in 1862 and construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, completed in 1869, caused rapid population growth. Other territories were carved out of the original Nebraska Territory, and Nebraska itself reached its present size in 1863. (The northern boundary was changed slightly in 1890.) In 1867 Nebraska was admitted to the Union as the 37th state. The capital was moved from Omaha to Lincoln, and David Butler was elected the first state governor. Scandals in Butler's administration led to his impeachment and removal in 1871 and the adoption of a new constitution in 1875.