A pioneer school located in Harrisburg, Banner County, Nebraska

History/Geography

Lesson time: 20 minutes 

OBJECTIVES:  The students will become familiar with the way Nebraska was settled. 

The students need to understand the contributing factors that led to settlement and statehood of Nebraska.  Nebraska became a state on March 1, 1867.  Banner County became a county in 1889.  The “Great American Desert” was generally considered unfit for farming, but the first people who came to settle came not as farmers, but as town builders. They came to make money by trading, and eventually by selling land claims. 

The “desert” was conquered by railroads that could bring lumber and coal to settlers and link them with the east.  Most early settlers to Banner County traveled at least part way by train and then the remainder of the way by horse driven wagons. 

The students discuss the importance of the railroad in the settlement of Nebraska and the fact that the railroad never reached Banner County.  This was an important factor in the lack of cities and population growth in Banner County.

The students will learn the date of Nebraska’s statehood and relate the number of stars on the 1888 flag to the number of states in the union at that time.  During opening exercises the students salute the 37 star flag and at this time will actually count the stars realizing which one stands for Nebraska’s statehood. 

The student  will discuss the federal land policies, the Homestead Act  and the Timber-Culture Act that aided in the settlement of Nebraska.  They will discuss the difficulty in making a living on a homestead of 160 acres in Banner County.

The students will discuss where their ancestors immigrated from and identify the counties on a world map.  They may also discuss when and how their ancestors came to western Nebraska.