Wilber in Saline County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Czech Capital
Photographed By Joan Shurtliff, September 1, 2014
1. Czech Capital Marker
They left a land which knew a great history and culture. The first university in Central Europe was established in Prague over 100 years before Columbus discovered America. Throughout generations of wars and oppression the Czech people kept alive their language, music, arts and customs, and they brought them to the New World. Here they live on.
Charles Culek, who came to Nebraska in 1856, was the first permanent Czech settler. The first Czechs came to Saline County in 1865. In all, some 50,000 Czechs settled in Nebraska, most of them from the Province of Bohemia.
They tended to congregate in villages, such as Wilber, officially designated by the Governor as the Czech Capital of Nebraska. Schuyler, Clarkson, Prague, and other towns were mainly settled by Czechs. Like other pioneers, Czechs conquered the hardships of frontier life, and thrived in the new land. Here they found freedom from oppression, and opportunity for their children. There peoples' industry and patriotism, with that of other nationalities, helped to make America and Nebraska great.
Erected by Nebraska Czechs of Wilber; Historical Land Mark Council. (Marker Number
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1856.
Location. 40° 28.89′ N, 96° 57.629′ W. Marker is in Wilber, Nebraska, in Saline County. Marker is at the intersection of West 3rd Street and State Highway 103 (Nebraska Highway 41), on the right when traveling north on West 3rd Street. The marker is just across the street from the east side of the Wilber Czech Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wilber NE 68465, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hotel Wilber (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Swan City (approx. 5.2 miles away); Erected to the memory of Bohemian pioneers in Saline County, Nebraska (approx. 5.9 miles away); Navy Department - United States of America (approx. 9.6 miles away); Doane College (approx. 9.8 miles away); Gates College (approx. 9.8 miles away); Pleasant Hill (approx. 10.2 miles away); Plymouth (approx. 12.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilber.
Also see . . . The Nebraska Czechs of Wilber. The Wilber Czech Museum's page on how Wilber became the center of Czech culture in Nebraska. (Submitted on September 24, 2014.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2014, by Joan Shurtliff of Seward, Nebraska. This page has been viewed 582 times since then and 54 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on September 1, 2014, by Joan Shurtliff of Seward, Nebraska. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
