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First Contact-Expanding Trade

Activities: 1500-1799: First Contact: Expanding Trade - Grade Level [8-12]

1541 Coronado Reaches "Quivira"

The first recorded contact between Europeans and native people on the Central Plains came between the Spanish and the Wichita tribe in what is now Kansas. Contact with the French and the British came decades later. Contact with the Americans came a century or more later still. Very slowly at first, but inexorably, these contacts would change the lives of native people.

Christopher Columbus landed on an island ... Read more

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Wildlife Habitat, Management & Stewardship

The Central District’s project provides habitat for many species of fish and wildlife. Lake McConaughy, which is 22 miles long and three miles wide when full, and the surrounding area provides a variety of habitats ranging from open sandy beaches to riverine marshes and cold-water streams. The lake is home to numerous species of amphibians and reptiles, in addition to many species of fish and mammals. More than 300 species of birds have been spotted around Lake McConaughy, including large ... Read more

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Genetics

As early as the 1870s, ranchers knew that genetics were important. As their markets changed, they needed to produce cattle that in turn produced the quality of beef that their consumers wanted.
From extra footage from the 2008 NET Television production, Beef State

In the very first issue of Nebraska Farmer, published in January 1877, there were two articles on the importance of breeding. One, entitled "Galloway Cattle", praised the breed for its size, endurance, and traits, making it well suited ... Read more

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Farm Aid III

In the 1980s, celebrities — particularly those with rural backgrounds — were concerned with the crisis on the farm. Farm Aid was one response.

Willie Nelson is from the plains of Texas. In 1985, he wanted to heighten public awareness of the plight of the family farmer and raise money for farm support groups. So he, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp organized a benefit concert at the University of Illinois. A wide variety of performers appeared on that first Farm Aid ... Read more

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Hispanic Migration

Modern-day vaqueros still possess remarkable skills in roping, branding, and rounding up cattle. Find out more about the Spanish influence on cowboy culture at a Mexican Rodeo in Springfield, Nebraska. From the 2003 NET Television series Next Exit

The story of beef is the story of a migration from south to north. Cattle came to North America with the Spanish in 1493. The large herds that roamed the Texas plains descended from the Spanish cattle, and many of those cowboys who ... Read more

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Zebulon Pike

Lewis and Clark’s expedition was followed by an expedition led by Zebulon M. Pike in 1806. This expedition was General James Wilkinson’s idea. Wilkinson was a newly appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory. He sent Pike on an expedition towards Spanish territory, possibly to provoke a war or to spy.

The Spanish in the New Mexico territory became very frightened about American plans when Jefferson sent out the Lewis and Clark expedition because Spain still claimed parts of the Louisiana Territory.
... Read more

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A Horrible Lynching

From May through September 1919, over 25 race riots rocked cities from Texas to Illinois, Nebraska to Georgia. In Omaha, the trouble began on September 25, when a white woman, Agnes Loebeck, reported that she was assaulted by a black man.

The next morning, the Bee reached new lows reporting the event. The headline was: "Black Beast First Stick-up Couple."

"The most daring attack on a white woman ever perpetrated in Omaha occurred one block south of Bancroft street near Scenic Avenue ... Read more