My favorite little midwestern town turns 150 years old this month. Omaha’s Sesquicentennial

From the Fun Facts page

Omaha began as ì Omaha Cityî in 1854, named for a Sioux Indian tribe that had wandered east from the Appalachian Mountains, reaching the Mississippi River by 1500 and then continuing north and west up the Missouri River. They named themselves Omaha ìthose who go against the current.î It often is interpreted as ìabove all others on a stream.î

I was watching Unforgiven the other night. Gene Hackman has a great line: “I heard that one myself, Bob. Hell, I even thought I was dead ’til I found out it was just that I was in Nebraska.” (Source)

Finally, I was thinking about songs with Omaha in them; Counting Crows, Grand Funk, etc. Then I remembered it was 2004 and that meant that someone surely has a website with this information – Nebraska in Popular Song. I don’t know about Popular, but it’s their list. They seem to be missing Turn the page – “On a long and lonesome highway, East of Omaha…” I better drop them a line.