Map of South Omaha Nebraska

Unrecorded map of South Omaha during a period of explosive growth.

Prior to the establishment of the Union Stock Yards in 1883, the area that would become South Omaha was largely undeveloped farmland. The stockyards and associated meatpacking facilities expanded rapidly, resulting in the town’s incorporation two years later and the acquisition of the nickname ‘The Magic City’ due to its unbelievable growth by the end of the decade.

This map was designed in 1893 by City Engineer W.S. King on behalf of the South Omaha Land Company. The image shows densely packed residential districts (home to mostly immigrant communities) subdivided into small lots and nestled around massive railway and meatpacking facilities. Swift & Co., G.H. Hammond, Omaha Packing Co., and Cudahy Packing Co. (formerly Armour) are four of the major operators labeled.

The Omaha Motor Railway has not yet been installed along Bellevue (24th St.), which would ultimately develop into the city’s commercial district and today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. South Omaha was annexed by the city of Omaha in 1915.

The map was published in St. Louis by August Gast Bank Note & Litho. Company. Rare and likely unrecorded, as I have been unable to find other examples in OCLC or available market records.

Sources: Nebraska History; National Park Service;