Omaha daily bee., 1907-05-12
OMAHA HISTORY IN MAPS
Official Records Show bow the City Has
Grown from the Wilderness.
EARLY RECORDS ARE OF THE HAY SORT
First Settlers Not Much Given 60 the
Recording Habit, but Later Inn
portancs Has COrFeoted
the NeG1Aot.

Omaha has had thirteen maps IN its his
!. tory and the ebb and flow Of the move
kfHent in real estate-especially suburban
Srealty-is in q measure marked by the
frequency with which these maps have
been changed. In the beginning Of Omaha
the map showed rather what the promo
tiers hoped than what what really existed,
and for this reason some Of the things
which appear on the earlier editions are
lost in the later ones
The FIRST map of Omaha, called the A.
d. Jones map, was made in 1854 1t In
cluded within its borders 16 square mile.
It covered ground from what is now Sixth
street to Twentieth and the streets IN the
immediate vicinity Of Farnam.
The second Jones map, made the next
year, when the tewnsite company had been
formed and the members had Joined lands
in common holding, was an aspiring
showing Of i've square miles, and with
this tract the town was formally iincor-
porated.
The third map Is known as the Poppleton
q Byers map. made In 1S5T by the late A.
J. Poppleton ana w. N. Byers, later
Founder Of the Rocky Mountain News at
Denver. This map showed about six square
miles and is roughly covered by the "orig-
inal townsite" part Of current maps.
The fourth map was made by Poppleton
q Byers In 1858 and was similar to the
earlier one, with the exception Of the ad-
dillon OF Grandview. Grandview was really
Omaha's FIRST addition. Originally It was
townsite adjoining Omaha on the south.
It was laid out by Dr. A y. Moore, and
the federal land laws of the day are said
to account for the presence Of two towns
30 closely In touch.
First to show Growth,
The fifth map was the o. F. Davis map
of 1903, and, with the exception Of Grand
view shows the first expansion of the city
proper. From the original lines-Pierce,
Nicholas, First and Twenty third streets
the corporation boundary had expanded to
Thirtieth the west, the neighborhood of
Blnney street on the north and Wool
worth avenue on the south. Capitol addi-
ton, plated by o. b. Davis for John H.
Kellum. appears for the FIRST time on this
map. This addition was laid out IN
acreage property and has been subdi-
vided since 50 that of the original plat
little remains. In preparing the plat Mr..
Davis made no survey. as the owners did
not consider the land worth the expendi-
ture of the money, and the accuracy OF
the government survey was assumed,
which was all right for acreage. out since
the land has assumed "front-foot' value
there has been much question as to some
lines, as the first surveyors figures do not
always prove correct Armstrong; addi-
Non. Nelson's addition and Willard & Cald-
wells addition are shown on this map.
The sixth map was that by Byron Reed,
dated 1870. On this appears Credit Foncier
addition. plated in 1857 surveyed by Will
liam Cleburn, who is now living in Ken
lucky. and West Omaha, plated the same
year. omaha's corporation lines expanded
between the date OF the Davis map and
WI Of the Reed, the boundaries on the
litter being Pratt street on the north,
8hirty-sixth street on the west to a point
s4outh OF Center street, where the line ran
ARst to Twenty-fourth, thence south to
TLocuSt and east to the river This map
lHhows Kountze & Ruth's addition for the
sdrst time. south Of Howard street. west
Of Sixteenth. This addition was surveyed
by N. J. Paul, now banker at st. Paul,
Neb.
The seventh map is known as the '1ittls'