The state of Nebraska is actually named after the Platte River from the French meaning "broad river." The Omaha Indians called the river "ibôápka" also meaning "broad river."

In 1842, John Charles Fremont used the word Nebraska in referencing the Platte River and this was the name that was given to the territory when it was created in 1854.

Nebraska, a land of distinct natural beauty. Prairies extend for miles, pine-covered buttes dot the landscape, endless fields of wheat bend in the breezes, and huge herds of cattle roam on vast grazing lands.

It is easy to visualize the Old West in the land of Nebraska. This is the territory of the Pony Express, the Overland Stage, Boot Hill, the Oregon and Mormon Trails. This is where the mighty Missouri flows, and where the Sioux and the Omaha have flourished. This is where historical figures, like Crazy Horse and Chief Red Cloud, Walter Reed, and Lewis and Clark played out the early history of the American West. The stagecoaches and steam locomotives may be gone today, but the days of trappers and traders, of pioneers and explorers, remain in the spirit of Nebraska.