Brothers George and Chester Marshall founded Marshall Brothers in 1887. Incorporated as Marshall Nurseries in 1916, the tree nursery survived for more than a century, bringing prosperity to Arlington and influencing horticulture throughout the . . . — — Map (db m287995) HM
The old Fire Hall on Lincoln Street was replaced in 1912 by this two-story building built by Peter Kiewit Company of Omaha. The firemen started a fund in 1908 to raise money for a bigger facility, and by 1912 had enough to build a combined fire . . . — — Map (db m288990) HM
The train depot was built at the crossroads of the north-south tracks of the old Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha line (CSTPM&O) and the east-west tracks of the Sioux City & Pacific line. This 1880 depot was the second depot in Blair, taking . . . — — Map (db m289153) HM
Blair's first firehouse was built on this site in the 1870s. It was made from wood and did double-duty as the police station and jail. The Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 1874 with a bulky fire extinguisher as their only piece of equipment. . . . — — Map (db m288966) HM
This building is one of the earliest brick structures on main street, built in 1881 by J.H. Hungate, an early Blair pioneer and the town's first mayor. The bricks were manufactured in DeSoto and hauled by team and wagon to Blair. Hungate built . . . — — Map (db m288981) HM
Founded in 1870 by Israel Swihart, the cemetery was named for his wife, Mary Brewster Swihart. Those buried here include three civil war veterans, and several children who succumbed to the harsh conditions of life on the Great Plains. The cemetery . . . — — Map (db m7817) HM
With the founding of Blair in 1869, a school was started and graduated two students in its first class. By 1871, the school district had three teachers and 185 students, enough to justify a separate high school. Blair's original high school was . . . — — Map (db m288987) HM
Religous institutions have played an important role in the history of Nebraska. During the frontier period, churches fulfilled both the spiritual and social needs of the early inhabitants. The Congregational Church was one of Nebraska's pioneer . . . — — Map (db m7841) HM
Traditionally known as the Cuming City Cemetery, this eleven-acre tract of land was set aside in 1976 primarily as a preserve for native vegetation. Never plowed, this prairie looks much like it did to the Indians and to the first white men who . . . — — Map (db m7793) HM
The town of DeSoto was platted on this site in 1854 and incorporated in 1855. Steamboating on the Missouri was then in its heyday. DeSoto provided a landing for passengers and goods. A number of boats sank nearby, notably the Cora and . . . — — Map (db m7837) HM
Three plaques are on this marker. Top, left plaque
First Naturalists of the American West
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was more than a geographic expedition. Lewis; and Clark became the first scientists to document the natural . . . — — Map (db m76887) HM
On August 3 Lewis and Clark held a council with the Oto and Missouria Indians at a site they named "Council Bluff," near present Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. It was the first of many councils they would hold on their journey to the Pacific Ocean. . . . — — Map (db m7794) HM
This red sandstone structure has been a landmark of the downtown since 1890. It was originally built with two corner turrets on the roof. For years a flagpole was fixed to one turret, with the flag being raised by a rope accessible from the . . . — — Map (db m288968) HM
Originally the site of a blacksmith shop and livery stable, the city gained this stately post office after a clever Congressman from Blair secured federal funding for his hometown. A bill was passed that provided government funding for the . . . — — Map (db m288986) HM
During the mid-nineteenth century, steamboats played a major role in the settlement and development of the nation. In March 1865 the fully laden sternwheeler Bertrand left St. Louis under command of Captain James Yore. The cargo of general . . . — — Map (db m74161) HM
In 1804-06, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led about 40 soldiers and boatmen on an epic journey. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned this “Corps of Discovery” to find a route to the Pacific Ocean through the newly . . . — — Map (db m76886) HM
During the summer of 1804, the river below looked very different. Unlike todays course controlled by dams and dikes, the Missouri River that Lewis and Clark knew flowed wild and erratic. Strong currents, floating branches, embedded logs, . . . — — Map (db m76885) HM
The first county courthouse was located in Fort Calhoun when it was the county seat in the 1850s. When Blair experienced growth from the railroad in the 1870s, residents successfully lobbied to have Blair declared the new county seat. A small . . . — — Map (db m288900) HM
The Bertrand left St. Louis on March 18, 1865, on its maiden voyage up the Missouri to Fort Benton, Montana Territory. That spring saw many such departures, as steamboat owners rushed to complete the 2,000-mile journey before the high water . . . — — Map (db m288963) HM
Below the Surface - The Wreck of the Bertrand
Discovery
During the summers of 1968 and 1969, the Bertrand was uncovered by archaeologists at this location. The steamboat was well preserved after having spent more than a . . . — — Map (db m288959) HM
A Gristmill and More
The Army constructed a gristmill south of the barracks for the purpose of grinding grain into flour. The key feature of a gristmill are two large, round stones that grind grain, such as wheat, into flour for more . . . — — Map (db m288901) HM
Shaded by the keelboat sail, which was used as an awning, Lewis and Clark met with members of the Oto and Missouri tribes. This type of meeting was called a "Council" and this meeting would be the Expedition's first.
Expedition members had . . . — — Map (db m288482) HM
The First Council was the first official meeting between representatives of the United States government and an Indian tribe living west of the Mississippi River. The meeting occurred near this spot on August 3, 1804.
About 44 expedition . . . — — Map (db m288492) HM
The Lewis and Clark Expedition began in 1803 and ended in 1806. During those years, Lewis and Clark passed through territories of more than 50 Indian tribes, and held an official meeting, called a "Council," with 13 of them. The American explorers . . . — — Map (db m288486) HM
Civilization came to the west bank of the Missouri with establishment of Fort Atkinson in 1820 about a half mile southeast of here. Named after its founder, General Henry Atkinson, this western-most Fort protected the frontier's developing commerce. . . . — — Map (db m7890) HM
From 1820 to 1827, the nation's largest and most westerly military post occupied this site, the earlier scene of Lewis and Clark's Council Bluff. In late 1819, troops under Colonel Henry Atkinson established Cantonment Missouri along the river near . . . — — Map (db m223480) HM
Washington Square was the location for public
education in Fort Calhoun from 1865 to 1972. The
first school building was constructed in 1865 for about
one thousand dollars. Black locust trees from the nearby
Fort Atkinson site (1819-27) were . . . — — Map (db m269776) HM
On July 30 the explorers arrived at the bluff where Fort Atkinson would be built less than two decades later. Clark wrote, "The Situation of this place which we Call Council Bluff which is handsom ellevated a Spot well Calculated... for a . . . — — Map (db m7887) HM
Early settlers valued education and established "country schools" throughout the rural areas of Washington County. Long Creek School District #8 Fort Calhoun, was organized in 1866, built by the creek it was named for. By 1877, a new larger one was . . . — — Map (db m288926) HM
Built by Omaha's Metz Bros. Brewing in 1904, this building served as a saloon in the early part of the 20th century. Over the years, many business have occupied the space, including a drug store, meat market, cabinet builder, the American Legion, an . . . — — Map (db m288930) HM
When Lewis and Clark explored here in 1804, they found the river twisting and turning, changing its course, creating sandbars and islands that were (missing) or seasonal gone the next. Had they visited 100 years later, they could have heard . . . — — Map (db m287508) HM
While exploring here, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark wrote about thick forests along a meandering river, and an "abundance" of fish.
Today, the river is much different Where Clark saw a river that "lately has changed its bed," we now see a . . . — — Map (db m287509) HM
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson directed his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, and a young army officer, William Clark, to explore the course of the Missouri River in search of a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Leading an expedition . . . — — Map (db m287494) HM
About 3 a.m. on December 5, 1932, Fort Calhoun marshal Albert Suverkrubbe was shot while trying to apprehend two men fleeing Kruse's Red and White Grocery at 106 S. Fourteenth Street. Suverkrubbe died from his wounds nine days later, leaving his . . . — — Map (db m7767) HM
A Modern-day Food Pantry
Colonel Henry Atkinson proposed a new storehouse in February 1822, which troops constructed not long afterwards. He wrote "that it should be built where the Old Store House stands that is dug out in the side of the . . . — — Map (db m288480) HM
Oto and Missouri Indians first settled here in the early 1700s, moving from the Great Lakes area of present-day Michigan. They often traded with French, Spanish, and British people who visited their villages. In 1725, members of the tribe even . . . — — Map (db m288488) HM
Originally the home of the Washington County Bank of Fort Calhoun, this structure was built by Henry Rix in 1905. The bank was on the lower level of the building, while offices occupied the top level. Owned and occupied by the Solomon Lodge Number . . . — — Map (db m288929) HM
