Omaha daily bee., 1907-05-12


Bemls map. issued in 1873 by George p.
Bemis. who also made a map. from which
this is distinguished IN lisa These maps
show many additions not IN preceding ones.
Mr.. Bemis also made the ninth map Of
the city IN 1883 which indicates the sx-
pansion Of the town. n net Of the corpora
tion lines, as many tracts unplattsd on
former maps are laid down as parts of
the community, II not Of the corporation.
Omaha then hsd eight and one-haf square
miles within its boundaries.
Maps OF the Boom Days.
The "Mayne" map Of 1885 prepared by
Rosewater & Chrysler in 1885. is the tenth
! map 81 the city. 1t shows the anxiety OF
people TO buy Omaha real estate. even
though city taxes were not included in
the deal as the additions" far exceed
the area OF the corporation lines. This
was corrected in 1887 and the Rosewater
q Chrysler map OF 1881 exhibits Omaha
as having come into its own, the cor
poration lines having been placed in their
present position and Omaha including
twenty-five square miles within its bor-
ders
The twelfth map was issued by Muir q
Gaylord in 1891 from drawings OF Rose
water 4 Chrysler and the thirteenth map
by @. W. Craig in 1906.
In 1889 d plat book, but no map. was
issued.
The FIRST citizens Of Omaha apparently
| had more interest IN making the town
grow than in keeping = record of It's
| growth, hence there was more or less neg
lect OF official records. Close record 81
land selling by metes and bounds was not
deemed essential TO the prosperity Of the
holder, and for this reason perhaps no
plat Of the original town was filed.
The first plat filed In the offices Of the
register Of deeds was recorded March 3,
1856. It shows the claim OF the Winter
! Quarters or Florence Town company. The
first plat having to do with the city OF
Omaha was fled March %, 1856. It Is the
Council BLUFFS g. Nebraska Ferry com
pany's addition 20 Omaha City and COW
cred tract north of Webster street, Ons
and one-half blocks, lying between the
autographed plat Of Omaha and the plat
OF Jeffries' addition TO Omaha City, but
Mr.. Jeffries evidently did not think his
! addition was worth the recordsr,s fee and
memOry alone recalls It location.
When Napoleon Yves Lost.
On the second map the northern line
CT the Original survey il different from
that shown at present. - north Of lizard
street there were several blocks, now part
Of Horbach's addition, and the first consul
OF France thus missed becoming identified
with the Gateway Of the West, as No
poleon street fell when the original north
ern boundary was reduced. Antelope
street, Fremont street and q number of
others suffered the same fate, while Spring
street, then near the northern boundary,
is now found in the neighborhood OF South
| Omaha.
While ]. Sterling Morton was still to
make "Arbor day" famous. Omaha pro-
moters were impressed with the advan-
tages of parks, Washington square was
at Sixteenth and Farnam streets and was
later occupied by a court house Jefferson
square was spared that fate, but ''the
park" in the eastern part of town was
absorbed
Omahas first addition with a park
WIGS Hanscom park, plated by A. J. Han
soon and James Megeath about 1873. The
city was given the park on condition that
| It be improved and horse car line car
ried suburban residents" who desired to
live around the shady grove.
The first parked addition was Bemis
park, laid out in 1889. For some reason
tho park was forced to await recognition
of its advantages but the idea finally be-
came popular and in modified form has
been adopted by others.
In its expansion Omaha has absorbed
two towns, the first being Grandview and
the second one Saratoga. At the present
time it presses upon the borders of four-
South Omaha, Dundee, Benson and Flor
ence