photo by gusto

Lincoln is the capital of Nebraska. With 192,000 people, it is the second-largest city in the state.

Located 50 miles southwest of Omaha via I-80, it is an educational, government, and retail shopping center with many fine parks and gardens, an active nightlife, and a reputation for a high standard of living. Lincoln is serviced by the highway system, a large airport, and trains and buses.

The Nebraska State Fair, held in Lincoln, is one of the state’s most important annual events.

White settlers were drawn to the area by the Salt Valley Lakes.

The city was founded in 1859 and initially named Lancaster. When Nebraska became a state in 1867, it was chosen as the state capital and was renamed Lincoln to honor the recently assassinated president.

The University of Nebraska was established in Lincoln by the state legislature in 1869, and the first railroad arrived in 1870.

Dominating the skyline of Lincoln and the surrounding plains is the State Capitol which is an interesting departure, architecturally, from the usual Classical designs of such buildings. With its 400-foot domed tower, it is the tallest building in the state. There are free tours of the beautifully detailed interior with its mosaic floor and murals representing the state’s natural, social, and political development. Commanding views of the city can be had from the 14th floor. Visitors can also view the country’s only unicameral (single-chamber) legislature in action. The statue of Abraham Lincoln is attributed to Daniel Chester French, who created the sculpture at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

The Historic Haymarket District is the warehouse and farmer’s market section of the city. Today it features galleries, restaurants, and antique shops in late-nineteenthcentury buildings. The city’s oldest building is Kennard House (1869), named for the first Nebraska secretary of state. A more prominent political figure was William Jennings Bryan, an orator and unsuccessful presidential candidate on three occasions. He moved to Lincoln in 1887, and served Nebraska in the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895. In the 1920s Bryan was seen as a hero or a fool, depending on one’s beliefs, for aiding the prosecution in the infamous and highly public Scopes “monkey trial,” in which John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching Darwinian theory in a Tennessee school.

Not far north of the capital is the University of Nebraska, which is home to numerous attractions. The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden is made entirely of marble. It traces the development of American art with a particularly fine twentiethcentury collection, including works by Hopper, Warhol, and Brancusi.

The State Museum of Natural History has a hands-on natural science discovery room and one of the most substantial collections of fossils in the country, including the largest mammoth fossil in the world. Other displays relate to the age of dinosaurs and Nebraska wildlife. In the same building is the Ralph Mueller Planetarium which operates laser shows. The Great Plains Art Collection, in Love Library, features western artworks, including sculptures by Russell and Remington, and works by Native American artists. Other attractions include the Larsen Tractor Museum; the International Quilt Study Center; the Lentz Center for Asian Culture; and the Robert Hillestead Textiles Gallery, which showcases fiber art, textiles, and apparel from a range of eras and locations. The college football team, the Cornhuskers, is enthusiastically supported at the 76,000-seat Memorial Stadium.

Lincoln also sustains several off-campus museums. The Museum of Nebraska History examines the state’s anthropological history. There is a moving exhibit on the Native Americans of the Great Plains and a hands-on room for children. The National Museum of Roller Skating features skates, costumes, films, and other skating memorabilia dating back to 1819.

Other attractions are the Frank Woods Telephone Pioneer Museum, the Lincoln Children’s Museum, and a museum dedicated to preserving the culture and history of immigrants from Russia.

Folsom Children’s Zoo and Botanical Gardens features 300 animals from 95 species as well as train and pony rides. On the western side of town is Nine Mile Prairie, where visitors can hike amid the natural landscape of the region. Pioneers Park and Nature Center has a range of wildlife, including bison, deer, and elk, as well as 5 miles of trails. The Salt Valley Lakes are popular fishing and recreational areas, particularly Pawnee Lake and Branched Oak Lake.