Gophertown | |
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Neighborhood | |
Etymology: Dugout homes of the neighborhood likened to gopher holes [1] | |
Coordinates: 41°18′57″N95°56′59″W / 41.31589225751195°N 95.94972314642784°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Nebraska |
City | Omaha |
Gophertown was a shanty town neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the north side. It was believed to be the first Irish American neighborhood in Omaha. Although the neighborhood's exact boundaries are unknown and there are no historical markers denoting it, historians believe it was situated roughly where the present-day Miller Park neighborhood stands. [2]
Gophertown was founded in 1857 by Irish immigrant Dennis Dee alongside his two relatives Michael and Maurice, a group that was a part of 38 Irish men who immigrated to the Omaha area. The group of three men created a dugout home to live in amidst hard times. It is disputed whether Dee dug a new shelter or reused a pre-existing ridge. Soon, a small shanty town began to form. The area became home to several Irish families with the men taking up local jobs in farming, roadwork, and ditch-digging.
The neighborhood stood near Florence. The Florence Claim Club, a de facto claim club formed by Florence residents, became aware of the settlement and took exception as Dee had not consulted the club before establishing a neighborhood nearby. James C. Mitchell, the leader of the group and founder of Florence, purportedly formed a mob to confront the Gophertown settlers, with the only written source on the incident being a now-defunct newspaper called the Omaha Nebraskian. According to the report from October 8, 1857, Mitchell and other Claim Club members stormed the Gophertown settlement to confront the men, but only found women and children as the men were away at work. When the Gophertown men received word about the incident, they returned to the settlement with firearms and shillelaghs, causing the Claim Club members to retreat. According to the Nebraskian report, the Claim Club returned later that night with firearms of their own but ultimately retreated once again. [2]
It is unknown when Gophertown formally ceased to exist, but the area was used for the Miller Park neighborhood, founded in 1896. [3]
Winter Quarters was an encampment formed by approximately 2,500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they waited during the winter of 1846–47 for better conditions for their trek westward. It followed a preliminary tent settlement some 3½ miles west at Cutler's Park. Members of the LDS faith built more than 800 cabins at the Winter Quarters settlement. Located in present-day North Omaha overlooking the Missouri River, the settlement remained populated until 1848.
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
Florence is a present-day neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, United States on the city's north end and was one of the oldest cities in Nebraska before being annexed by Omaha. Given the high concentration of National Register of Historic Places in the neighborhood, it is acknowledged that "The historic Florence neighborhood was a city before Nebraska was officially a state," and is regarded as "the historic front door to Omaha as well as the state."
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Saratoga Springs, Nebraska Territory, or Saratoga, was a boom and bust town founded in 1856 that thrived for several years. During its short period of influence the town grew quickly, outpacing other local settlements in the area including Omaha and Florence, and briefly considered as a candidate for the Nebraska Territorial capitol. Saratoga was annexed into Omaha in 1887, and has been regarded a neighborhood in North Omaha since then.
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The Miller Park neighborhood in North Omaha, Nebraska, is a historically significant community housing a historic district and several notable historic places. It is located between Sorenson Parkway on the south and Redick Avenue on the north, Florence Boulevard on the east and 30th Street on the west. The Minne Lusa neighborhood borders on the north, and the Saratoga neighborhood is on the south. Fort Omaha borders the neighborhood on the west. Miller Park is the namesake park in the neighborhood, as well as the Miller Park Elementary School. In 2017, the Miller Park/Minne Lusa area was ranked as having the 2nd highest rate of homicides and other violent crimes out of 81 Omaha neighborhoods.
The Minne Lusa Residential Historic District is located in North Omaha, Nebraska. It is included on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the National Park Service, it is an "example of a substantial, affordable single-family residential development within the city limits that was platted, developed and constructed by a single firm between 1915 and 1941." The neighborhood is filled with bungalows, Craftsman, and other styles that were popular in the era. There are 540 properties in the neighborhood that contribute to the historic district, the other 167 do not. Minne Lusa Boulevard is a contributing structure.
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