March 2022 • Nebraskaland 53
of it. That was not what Cuming and his Omaha backers
wanted to hear. The unbridged Platte was a major travel
barrier and was quickly becoming a political divide. South
Platters didn't want the capital to be in Omaha.
The acting governor ignored the census results and
assigned most of the legislative seats to the area north of
An early-twentieth century postcard preserved this 1865 view of Omaha, numbering the homes of early residents.
The view is northwest from 15th and Douglas streets; the territorial capitol stands atop the hill. RG2341-0-11-a
