US Capital History Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire

Capital Almost Named Lancaster

Lincoln is the capital and second largest city in Nebraska located in the southeastern part of the state. In the 1850s settlers were drawn to the area by the salt flats. The site was named after Lancaster, a Pennsylvania city by a salt company representative in 1856.

In 1867 the site was chosen for the state capital. The name for the capital Lincoln was chosen for President Abraham Lincoln.

Some of the highlights of the city are:

The Nebraska State Capitol (pictured above) has a 400-foot tower with offices.

The Sunken Gardens with three main gardens -the Healing Garden, the Perennial Garden, and the Annual Garden.

Capital Named After a River

John C. Fremont an American explorer, politician, and soldier, and this exploration party were the first to set foot in Eagle Valley in January 1843. The river flowing through the valley was named the Carson River in honor of his famous mountain man scout, Christopher “Kit” Carson. Before the explorers came the residents of the valley and surrounding area were the Washoe Indians.

In 1851 the Eagle Station Ranch became a trading post and stopover for travelers. The trading post and valley got their name from a bald eagle that had been killed and was featured on the wall of the post. When Abraham Curry bought Eagle Station in 1851 he named the settlement Carson City after the Carson River.

Gold and silver were discovered on the nearby Comstock Lode in 1859 and the population of Carson City began to rise. At that time Curry built the Warm Springs Hotel and Carson City was chosen as the territorial capital. The hotel was used as the territorial prison and Curry served as first warden. Nevada became a state in 1864 during the Civil War and Carson City became the permanent capital. The city had some tough times when the Southern Pacific Railroad built a railway line through Donner Pass which was too far to the north to be of benefit to Carson City.

It revived when there was a mining boom. The U.S. Federal Building which is today known as the Paul Laxalt Building was completed in 1890. Carson City was advertised as “America’s Smallest Capital”. In 1991 the city adopted a downtown plan that no building within 500 feet of the capitol building is to pass it in height.

Presently the tallest building in downtown Carson City is the Ormsby House Hotel and Casino, 117 ft. in height. Carson City is a nice quieter option for the thrills of gambling than Las Vegas.

Nevada State Capitol

The Land Originally Called Pennacook

The land was originally called the Pennacook by the Abenaki Native Americans. The tribe fished in the Merrimack River and used it as a transportation route for their birch oak canoes, traveling from Lake Winnipesaukee to the Atlantic Ocean. The area officially became the Plantation of Penacook. Finally, in 1765, Governor Benning Wentworth named it Concord.

Concord continued to grow throughout the 18th century. After the American Revolution, it was chosen as the capital of New Hampshire. To keep the city growing the Middlesex Canal connected it to Boston, Massachusetts. The State House was built in 1819 and is the oldest state capitol.

In 1828 the company Abbot-Downing Coaches was established. Their most famous coach became the Concord Coach which was modeled after King George III's coronation coach. In the 19th century, the city became a hub for the railroad industry.

Today Concord is a center for health care and several insurance companies. It is home to Concord Litho, one of the largest independently owned commercial printing companies in the country.