Accidentally Historic Historical Society of Pottawattamie County

Great food tastes even better if it was invented right here in the Metro, and Omaha/Council Bluffs can claim many classics. Accidentally Historic host Richard Warner provides a brief history of many of them in this podcast.

Things out of history aren’t always what they appear. Historic figures that seem good or bad were actually every bit as complicated as we are. Even statues and monuments may have been designed to send messages other than what seems apparent. Historic General Dodge House director Tom Emmett tackles these complicated issues head on by using an incident from the Civil War that seemingly plagued General Dodge the rest of his life.

The Loess Hills soil of southwest Iowa and grape vines make a great combination, and Iowa's vineyards are flourishing. Prairie Crossing vineyard owner Doug Gray explains why southwest Iowa grew to be one of the country's largest grape producers, what caused that to change, the resurgence, and how different varieties of wine are blended. Mr. Gray is a new owner of the vineyard and explains some of the events he and his wife have planned for the winery.

It was the Great Depression and Council Bluffs was broke. In what has to be one of the bolder civic fundraising moves ever devised, the city contracted with the alleged boss of the New York mob to come to town and operate an illegal dog track on city property, the city coffers to get a share of the proceeds. As improbable a story as it is, and ethics aside it, worked like a charm. The city was out of debt in no time. The story was written by Historical Society member Kathy Butler Kuenzer for the Society’s Member Journal.

Omaha’s Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898 hosted an “Indian Congress” made up of representatives from several Native American tribes brought in to show visitors a last look at a “dying nation” poised to yield to “the greatest civilization of the world’s history,” that being the American settlers that had taken over the West. Odds are the creators of the Exposition were every bit as intelligent as we are, so we’ll assume their assessment made sense to them at time, but 125 years later most folks are shocked at the disregard of the native cultures and some suggest “genocide” may be a more accurate term than “yield.” How could attitudes shift so markedly in such a short period of time? And will our thinking right now seem just as appalling in another 125 years? It’s complicated, but anthropologist/historians Kat Slaughter and Troy Stolp take on the question in this episode.

Restaurants provide more than sustenance; it’s there that family milestones are marked, romances are kindled, friends bond, and weekends are celebrated. Some establishments come and go quickly, others last for decades, and everyone has their favorites. In this episode Kim Reiner, author of "Lost Restaurants of Omaha," describes some of Omaha’s iconic eateries, shares her personal favorites, and provides some tips on expanding the food horizons for kids.