Pago 6
Daily Ncbraskan
Monday, March 1, 1982
Nebraska's third capitol
marks 50th anniversary
ViSA
The 50th anniversary of the completion
of the state capitol was marked with sev
eral events this weekend. Saturday, NU
football Coach Tom Osborne was awarded
the first annual Nebraskalandcr Award.
Sunday, the Ncbraskaland Foundation
and the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commiss
ion sponsored several events in the cap
itol's rotunda.
Among them were remarks by Gov
Charles Thone, a slide presentation of the
capitol's history, the cutting of a birthday
cake and recitation of the Pledge of Alle
giance. The longer of the stories below records
how the capitol building developed and
explains how Lincoln came to be the state
capital.
By Mel inch) Norris
The 50th anniversary of the Nebraska
State Capitol Building this year celebrates
more than the completion of a building.
It marks the end of a statewide dispute
which began in the mid-1 880s.
The capitol building, towering 400 fect
in the air, is the third one in the state's
history, and Lincoln is the third capital
city.
Disagreement had been increasing be
tween the settlers in the southern and
northern Nebraska Territory. Separated
by the Platte River, some pioneers came
from Kansas on the Oregon Trail passing
through Nebraska on the south side of the
Platte. On the Mormon Trail, the pioneers
traveled along the northern side of the
river. Most of these settlers were forced to
make Nebraska their home when a broken
wagon, sickness or weather veered them off
the trail.
As more settlers arrived, a territorial
capital needed to be named.
In 1854, Francis Burt, Nebraska's
first territorial governor, arrived in Ne
braska via the Missouri River to name the
new capital. Greeted by representatives
from both the south and north side of the
Platte River who requested the title, Burt
took refuge in a Bellevue mission home,
sick from his journey, where be died a
few days later.
Because Burt died in Bellevue, many
believe that is the site of the state's first
capital.
However, following Burt's death, the
executive power was passed to the territ
orial secretary of state, Thomas B. Cuming,
who picked Omaha as the temporary seat
of the state government.
Angry about the loss of the capital,
Bellevue legislators joined legislators south
of the Platte River in passing a bill locating
the capital in "the town of Douglas in
Lancaster County."
But because there was no town of Doug
las, or any other town in Lancaster Coun
ty, the bill was vetoed by the third territ
orial governor, Mark W. Izard, and the state
capital stayed in Omaha.
The Civil War delayed the dispute about
the location of the capital. But in 1866,
the state constitution and first state offi
cers were elected, putting the dispute in
the spotlight again.
In 1867, the Legislature chose three
members to form the Capitol Commission.
These members were to choose the site of
the capital within the southern half of
Saunders, the northern section of Lancas
ter, Seward and Butler counties.
Also stipulated by the Legislature, the
commission was to locate a state univer
sity, agriculture college and state penitent
iary. As a bill ncarcd passage naming Lan
caster County as the seat of the Legislature,
Douglas County-Omaha senators made a
Final effort for the capital.
The city that was to house the relocated
capital was to be appropriately named
"Capital City." However, the Omaha
legislators, knowing the democrats south of
the Platte River had sympathized with the
South during the Civil War, amended the
bill changing the name of the future capit
al city to Lincoln.
However, the southerners didn't mind
that name, and voted to move the capital
to Lincoln.
Fearing a renewed effort to move the
capital back to Omaha would arise with the
convening of the 1869 Legislature, Lincoln
commissioners quickly hired an architect,
who constructed a building in Lincoln
one month before the Legislature met.
Fventually, the capitol building was
reconstructed, and some additions were
made on the original plans.
In 1920, state officials decided to build
a third capitol building.
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue of New
York City was given the contract to build
the revolutionary building.
The Legislature allotted S5 million to
construct the building, but by the time the
final bill arrived, the cost had increased to
$10 million.
During the construction phase Goodhue
died. However, all his plans were complet
ed and the task was finished by Goodhue's
associates.
On April 24, 1930, the 8Vi-ton Sower
was hoisted to the top of the capitol.
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