The waters of the Missouri River roared wild and free over its valley for thousands of years before Omaha was settled. Even after pioneers gathered on Capitol Hill for a picnic to found Omaha City in 1854, the Missouri still whipped around, flooding the area, shifting its channel and moving willy-nilly. During this time, a little nest of water in East Omaha was created. When European settlers saw it, they called it Florence Lake.

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Lynchings, shootings and hangings occurred in Omaha City before the Nebraska Territory was founded in 1854. The Omaha Claim Club, made up of the city’s founding fathers, was notorious for using intimidation, threats, and drownings in order to enforce their will. In 1860, the US Supreme Court made their actions illegal, so they had to find other means to enforce their notions of justice. In 1863, the Nebraska Territory held its first legal execution in North Omaha.

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