Omaha In The 60's and 70's

[Coyote]

Sunset is probably better remembered - so much history.
Nebraska was a drag strip NE of the 144th and Giles intersection.

[RockHarbor]

Sunset is probably better remembered - so much history.
Nebraska was a drag strip NE of the 144th and Giles intersection.

Golly, I don't remember that at all.  And, my childhood was spent near 144th & Giles.  Where exactly did that sit?  Was it right on the NW corner (where a flat field of crops now sits)?  

Sunset was fun.  I think it is now gone.  Funny, that area is pretty much housing now -- or, at least on the edge of new housing.

[Coyote]

My bad - I changed my post to NE where that concrete place is. The echo in that valley was wicked.
It was probably gone by the 70's. My Aunt lived across the street from Millard Lumbar - so we were in Old Millard a lot in the 70's

[RockHarbor]

Oh...  We moved to the area in 1981(ish) and it was that Watkins Company as far back as I can remember.  Interesting...  I had no idea that used to be a speedway.  Do you remember what that neighborhood across the street (SE of 144th & Giles) was before?  Somebody said it used to be a horse farm.  It seems almost too hilly to me to be a former farm w/ fields of crops.  So, I was curious.  I'm sure it looked a lot different back then.  

When I was a young kid, I can remember them putting-in all the subdivisions immediately south of Harrison, all around 144th Street.  Stony Brook stretched to 156th Street, and there was nothing but gravel and fields beyond that.

[Coyote]

I would have to ask my father about that. He may remember - he turned 80 a few months ago...
Big E may remember the lights of Sunset from our neighborhood - he lived just down from us.
But he is like 20 years younger than me...

[RockHarbor]

I would have to ask my father about that. He may remember - he turned 80 a few months ago...
Big E may remember the lights of Sunset from our neighborhood - he lived just down from us.
But he is like 20 years younger than me...

Yeah, I had heard it was a horse farm.  I guess if it was, or wasn't, it is no big deal.  I'm trying to picture horses roaming those very hilly hills, and it makes sense to me more than a tractor going up steep hills to harvest crops...

It is neat talking with older people, and what they can remember.  I know one that can remember a farm sitting where Crossroads Mall sits now.  Now, that was a long time ago!

[Coyote]

or the bus that would end there so you would have to find alternative transportation to Peopany.

[Seth]

I wasn't sure where to post this, and perhaps it deserves it's own thread, but here's an interesting article from the WH:

Omaha graphic designer matches old postcards, current photos

http://www.omaha.com/article/20140118/L ... 18747/1707" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Steve Raglin has watched many of Omaha's buildings slammed with a wrecking ball or burned to the ground.

But the freelance graphic designer always had pieces of these buildings tucked away in his apartment: He owns more than 100 historic postcards featuring images of Omaha and Nebraska.

Raglin juxtaposes these 75-year-old postcards with modern-day portraits of Omaha landmarks and displays them on his website, Postcards of Omaha. The website, postcardsofomaha.com, is designed to encourage people to preserve and repurpose classic structures by showing these old buildings next to their modern-day counterparts.

[ricko]

Not to sound nit-picky, but Steve Raglin got one of the postcard locations wrong. The Brandeis Theater building was on 17th & Douglas (the postcard).The adjoining photo is the Brandeis Department Store on 16th & Douglas. The Brandeis Theater building housed what was considered to be one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau theaters in the nation----it was torn down in the 1950's and replace with the current parking structure.

[jessep28]

Someone should put those photos in a slideshow and set it to Lyndsay Buckingham's "Holiday Road."

[skinzfan23]

Not to sound nit-picky, but Steve Raglin got one of the postcard locations wrong.  The Brandeis Theater building was on 17th & Douglas (the postcard).The adjoining photo is the Brandeis Department Store on 16th & Douglas. The Brandeis Theater building housed what was considered to be one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau theaters in the nation----it was torn down in the 1950's and replace with the current parking structure.

Thanks for posting....I was reading the description his website yesterday:

16th & Douglas Streets | Originally a theater, this structure became the Brandeis department store in 1906. A renovation included two new floors and the business thrived for decades as a high status destination for shoppers. It closed in 1980 and the upper floors are now condominiums

I have read some of the history on the Brandeis Department store building and don't remember hearing that it ever was a theater building. I didn't even notice the streets were different too (16th and 17th and Douglas)

Maybe I am crazy, but I hate when someone posts historical "facts" which aren't actually true. If they do the proper research, they will be able to find the truth. Maybe this guy (Steve Raglin) should write for the World-Herald!

[Brad]

That's a really cool idea. Steve was telling me about this at the last First Friday down at the gallery, but I forgot to check it out. I can't remember, but I think he said he reads the forums too.

[bigredmed]

I would have to ask my father about that. He may remember - he turned 80 a few months ago...
Big E may remember the lights of Sunset from our neighborhood - he lived just down from us.
But he is like 20 years younger than me...

Yeah, I had heard it was a horse farm.  I guess if it was, or wasn't, it is no big deal.  I'm trying to picture horses roaming those very hilly hills, and it makes sense to me more than a tractor going up steep hills to harvest crops...

It is neat talking with older people, and what they can remember.  I know one that can remember a farm sitting where Crossroads Mall sits now.  Now, that was a long time ago!

Horse farm south of the Drag Strip and Dairy and Grain farms north of the Drag Strip.

Harrison was a 2 lane gravel road and the kids of that era used to go hang out in the spooky Voss Mohr cemetary that was surrounded by corn fields then. At the bottom of the hill toward the east was the UP railroad (Old Main Line) and a bridge and crossing lights.

A trick that was regularly played was to get someone to stay in the cemetary at night to see the "haunted" statue of the German soldier in the cemetary. They would then have someone park a car or truck on the RR tracks to trip the sensor at the crossing. The red flashing lights would shine up the hill and reflect off the glass that was in the eyes of the statue. Red dots in the face of the statue.

Used to take friends there before they took the glass out in the late 90's-early 2000's, because you could get them to reflect your head lights if you flashed your high beams.

North of Harrison, was the dairy farm. Anyone familiar with Immanuel Hospital will recognize the Hollings Educational Center there. Donated by the Brother and Sister who owned the farm.

[Coyote]

Coyote: I don't remember that speedway. Where was it at? I remember Sunset Speedway, though, and went there a few times...

Cornhusker Speedway between 144th & 1-80 at Giles
Looking East at 144th, Giles on the right
S. Papillion Creek and RR tracks to the left.

image.jpeg (123.52 KiB) Viewed 1474 times

[bigredmed]

Coyote: I don't remember that speedway. Where was it at? I remember Sunset Speedway, though, and went there a few times...

Cornhusker Speedway between 144th & 1-80 at Giles
Looking East at 144th, Giles on the right
S. Papillion Creek and RR tracks to the left.

image.jpeg

Watkins block company etc now occupy that space. The owners were successful in getting in big time drag race crews, but when liability insurance went up, they found that they netted more money by leasing the space for storage. Eventually, dumping the track entirely.

[RockHarbor]

Wow, that is the first time I've seen the land bare where my childhood neighborhood exists now (The Meadows). So great seeing it.

I really don't like that area overall, with The Meadows isolated, and the Watkins block company there on the corner. Although I loved the pool in my childhood neighborhood, and had fun times with kids playing, I was never fond of that neighborhood. I might like that area all better once they widen Giles, that Costco goes in nearby, and they build on that land on the NW corner of 144th & Giles. Also, they are starting to build south of I44th (Highway 50) & I-80 now, with the new Veteran's Cemetery and Metro's new campus, so The Meadows will finally no longer be where the town fizzles out. So, the area is starting to change.

I took a bus as a kid from the Meadows north on Highway 50 to my elementary school. So, I can remember a farm & an old rickety barn where that Industrial office park is now (just north of Watkins). There was also a white barn & farm behind our house, where another Industrial park now is squeezed in (between the Meadows and I-80). In fact, that farm & barn is in that b&w picture you posted. I can also remember seeing StonyBrook South being put-in. This was all in the early 80's.

[mike r]

Coyote: I don't remember that speedway. Where was it at? I remember Sunset Speedway, though, and went there a few times...

Cornhusker Speedway between 144th & 1-80 at Giles
Looking East at 144th, Giles on the right
S. Papillion Creek and RR tracks to the left.

image.jpeg

Watkins block company etc now occupy that space. The owners were successful in getting in big time drag race crews, but when liability insurance went up, they found that they netted more money by leasing the space for storage. Eventually, dumping the track entirely.

[mike r]

Cornhusker Dragstrip, 144th and Giles, Property owned by Ray Fackler, brother in law Don Kroeger, Don was the 8 ball behind getting the strip started. Don also organized the Flightland Strip, early 60's, North Omaha. Strip was closed because of boycott of racers failing to pull up to the starting line except for 2. Claiming admission and concessions were to high. Don closed the strip that day and returned all monies to the 2 at the start line, and the spectators and announced the strip was closed. You can thank 1 racer for that, who organized the boycott he told me. I fished with Don many times in Canada. Mike