Statehood 1867

Nebraska

The area that is now Nebraska was claimed by France in 1682 as part of Louisiana, though the vast territory was never widely developed due to lack of resources. Following the Seven Years' War, Spain acquired the territory via the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762) and held it until retroceding it to France in 1801 under the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso. France then sold the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Nebraska was organized as a territory by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of May 30, 1854, and admitted to the Union as the 37th U.S. state in 1867.

Statehood
1867
Historic sites
1,206
Military engagements
141

Pre-contact era

The Plains Indians are the descendants of a long line of succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples in Nebraska who occupied the area for thousands of years before European arrival and continue to do so today.

Colonial history

The vast French Louisiana was not widely developed, due to a lack of human and financial resources.

Spain took possession of the trading post of St. Louis and all of Upper Louisiana in the late 1760s, though there was little Spanish presence in the wide expanses of what they called the 'Illinois Country'.

A transfer ceremony of Upper Louisiana to France and then to the United States took place on Three Flags Day in St. Louis, encompassing ceremonies held over two days: 9–10 March 1804.

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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Explore Nebraska records

1,206
National Register historic sites
National Register listings ›
141
Military engagements
Military history records ›
21
Indigenous groups
Heritage records ›
15
Notable figures
Born in Nebraska ›
18
Colonial-era events
1492 to early statehood ›
Nebraska counties
Census population history ›
Sources

State history content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Historic sites data: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

About Nebraska

When did Nebraska become a state?
Nebraska was admitted to the Union in 1867.
What European powers colonized Nebraska?
The territory that became Nebraska passed through several colonial periods. The vast French Louisiana was not widely developed, due to a lack of human and financial resources. Spain took possession of the trading post of St. Louis and all of Upper Louisiana in the late 1760s, though there was little Spanish presence in the wide expanses of what they called the 'Illinois Country'. A transfer ceremony of Upper Louisiana to France and then to the United States took place on
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