Before the neighborhood was created, the area was the focus of the first court trial ever held in the Nebraska Territory. The case took place in 1857 when F.M. Woods brought a case against J. Pentecost for land theft. Defended by Nebraska Territorial politician Edward Morearty, Pentecost won the trial.
Elmwood park - established in 1890.
In the 1880s C.C. and J.E. George laid out Happy Hollow Boulevard and developed the area south of Dodge and west of 50th to Elmwood Park. They filled in the creek that ran along 50th Street and added sidewalks and streetlights. Homes in the area reflected the Colonial, Georgian and Tudor Revival styles.
A mansion near Elmwood Park.
In 1889 the famous landscaper H.W.S. Cleveland who was hired by the city recommended that Omaha acquire a park large enough to shut out city sights and sounds in order to refresh the senses. Elmwood Park, founded in 1889 at 802 South 60th Street, was one of Omaha's largest parks through the 1950s.
The Omaha Bee described it as a "wild and romantic place... containing a wooded ravine that followed the course of a small stream." They continued, "There are all manner of shady nooks in this dell, and some of the largest forest trees in this section of the country are to be seen in it." The park, along with Happy Hollow Boulevard, was part of Cleveland's parks and boulevard plan for Omaha. Today the boulevard runs north from Elmwood Park past the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus and Memorial Park, onward to Benson.
Elmwood Park.
The Elmwood Park Golf Course was opened in 1916, and featured ravines, grassy fields and roadways throughout. By 1917, the park had grown to 208.13 acres (0.8423 km2), and it was the second largest in the city.
Roundabout at Elmwood Park.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha relocated from its North Omaha campus to a 30-acre (120,000 m2) parcel next to the park in 1937, sealing the park's size permanently.
In the 1940s native Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett set up a golf ball stand at the golf course in the park.
References:
Elmwood Park (Omaha). Wikipedia.
Published: 04/11/2010
Nice page on a great neighborhood in Omaha! Along with Dundee, probably the nicest area in the city. Here's a cool, local page about Elmwood Park itself, the green space that gives the neighborhood its name.
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