Nebraska's Oldest City
Intro
Bellevue and Omaha have grown into each other to the point that it is not clear where one starts and the other ends. Bellevue is home to Offutt A.F.B., the major employer. Several military and defense based businesses have offices in Bellevue to support military contracts. Bellevue has its own theatre, college, shopping center, and several other industries to support its continued growth.
The County. 
Bellevue is in Sarpy County, the 59th most populated county when license plates leading numbers were decided on (it would now be number 3). Sarpy is a wide county, so wide that most people never drive to its southwestern corner. If they did, they might see a herd of buffalo. A lot of people in Bellevue have never seen a buffalo in Sarpy County. They do exist (south of Buffalo Road, along Cornish Road).
Truly Historic.
Being the oldest settlement in the state,* there are lots of historical locations and other places of interest to visit.
Places of Interest
Consider visiting these places of interest.
Bellevue Haworth Park
River Dr. (
)
Bellevue is another spot to cross the Missouri River
A boat loading dock makes for easy access to the Missouri River.
Fontenelle Forest Nature Center.
1111 Bellevue Blvd N. ()
The forest is located along Bellevue Boulevard, a curvy road leading from Bellevue to Omaha, the old way, close to the river. The forest has a visitor's center, guided tours and programs. There are many trails to walk and enjoy the scenery. Look for anything from butterflies to deer. Fontenelle Forest has several educational programs, and special tours. Some of the help is volunteer, hint, hint.
Sarpy County Historical Museum.
2402 Clay Street ()
The museum is located at the Offutt AFB Bellevue Gate. The museum contains artifacts from the early pioneer days. Of all the spots in Bellevue to visit, this is one to not miss out on. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday all year long from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. You can call the museum at 402-292-1880.
Log Cabin.
1805 Hancock Street ()
The log cabin is from the 1830s. It originally was built near a trading post in what is now known as Fontenelle Forest. During a cholera epidemic in 1835, the building was moved to the plateau area (near its present day location???). It has been surmised that it probably is the oldest building that still remains between the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean. 402-293-3080
Fontenelle Bank.
2212 Main Street ()
The bank is from 1856. It claims credit to be the oldest commercial public building in Nebraska. It was the first bank granted the right to circulate and issue money in the Nebraska Territory. It failed during the Financial Panic of 1857. The building was used as a courthouse, jail, opera house, and dance house. When the county seat moved to Papillion in 1875 the city of Bellevue used a portion of the building as city hall. The city purchased the building in 1925. When a new City Hall was built in 1959, the building no longer was considered as important and was nearly torn down. It was sold to a private business, and had several shops inside. The city purchased the building back as a historic landmark in 1972. The original vault has been with the bank all this time. Other parts of the bank has been restored to take us back in time to the beginning.
Church.
2002 Franklin Street ()
The Presbyterian Church is from 1856. You might think that a church from this time would be a monument, preserved but off limits and could only be viewed from the outside or for special tours. Instead, the building has been in continued use and therefore constantly maintained. The original stained glass windows and oak pews are still in use. Services are still held there each Sunday. Call 402-293-3080 for additional information.
Pioneer Cemetery.
Bellevue Cemetery ()
The Bellevue Pioneer Cemetery is the second oldest graveyard west of the Missouri. Several early settlers and important people are buried there, among them the last full blooded chief of the Omaha nation, Big Elk.
The cemetery is located at Lord Boulevard and 19th Ave. Many of the gravesites are from the earliest settlers to the area.
Offutt Air Force Base
500 Meyer Ave. ()
Offutt Air Force Base contributes 67% of the population of Bellevue. Offutt was a B-26 bomber manufacturing plant during World War II. More recently, OAFB was home to Strategic Air Command (SAC). Since the mission has been changed to more than "Air," the name has been changed to U.S. Strategic Command, or USSTRATCOM. Many other units make up Offutt Air Force Base. In the military, things do change, so rather than attempt to keep up, check their website for up-to-date information.
In the past, each summer, Offutt opened its doors to the public for the open-house and Air Show event. This was an event to not be missed. Sadly, the Air Show was canceled in 2013, but returned in 2014 but was in July. For the year 2015, again the air show did not happen due to runway construction, and again in 2017 it did not happen due to the wing's high operational tempo. In 2018, it finally returned, but in 2019 after the dates were confirmed for June 1st and 2nd, the event got canceled again due to the massive flooding in Nebraska, which affected many building on the south end of the base. For 2020, no Air Show was planned, so again, we will miss out. You can read more and see some views of the Offutt Air Show on its own page.
The Public Relations Office can provide speakers on many topics to help educate on all the wonderful things that go on at Offutt and in the Air Force. To learn about Offutt tours, call 402-294-3663 or visit their website.
The museum that was once located on the base has been moved west to Interstate 80 exit 426, and has become a major attraction for the area due to its immense collection of aircraft and modern display area as the SAC Museum. The same exit has several additional attractions to enjoy, such as the Lee Simmons Conservation and Wildlife Safari.
More info.
You can call the Bellevue Tourist Center at 402-293-3080 (or 800-467-2779). (A great page on Bellevue history).
Bellevue Links
For more information, check out these related websites:
