448 OCEAN TO OCEAN ON HORSEBACK, 



United States, in the winter and early spring of 1854, 

 what is now Douglas County was nearly covered by 

 staked-out claims of ^^sooners" and speculators. 



May 23, 1854, Nebraska was admitted into the 

 Union as a Territory, and in the same year Douglas 

 County was created. Immediately, upon a beautiful 

 plateau, a town site was selected, laid out, and chris- 

 tened Omaha. 



The first house in Omaha was commenced before 

 Omaha itself legally existed. It was built by Thomas 

 Allen. It was a log house, was named the St. Nicho- 

 las, was used as a hotel, a store, or anything else 

 which the public demanded. 



In July of the same year another house was built — 

 this one being of pine flooring. It was on the present 

 site of Creighton College. Here, a few weeks after its 

 erection, the first native Omaha boy first saw the light, 

 and from this same house, a few days later, an Omaha 

 citizen first passed out to that mysterious country 



" From whence no traveller returns." 



The third house was called " Big 6." Its owner 

 opened " A general assortment of merchandise suitable 

 for time and place," and "Big 6" soon became a 

 place of note. 



House No. 4 was opened by a house warming, 

 which was attended even by settlers from the adjacent 

 State of Illinois. 



In the same year, that of 1854, the so-called Old 

 State House was built by the Ferry Company to ac- 

 commodate the first territorial legislature. It was not 

 an architectural beauty, and consequently, in 1857, it 

 gave place to a large, brick Capitol. 



In this, to Omaha, memorable^ year of 1854, the 



