Nebraska has been great since the beginning of time – we all agree on that, right? These vintage photos take us back to times long gone – from hardscrabble pioneer life to the major changes that took place in the mid-20th century.

A Family in Front of Their Sod House (Complete With a Windmill on the Roof of an Outbuilding), Coburg, 1884 or 85

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A Hay Bale House in Lexington, 1938

Library of Congress

An Eli Windmill on George Stuckenolz’s Farm, Near Nebraska City, Date Unknown

Library of Congress

A Group Posing in Front of the Holland and McDonald Hardware Store, Broken Bow, 1886

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A War Veteran Selling Pencils in Omaha, 1938

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Directors of the Union Pacific Railroad Standing at the 100th Meridian, Later to Become Cozad, 1866

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St. Benedict’s Catholic Church, Nebraska City, 1934

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A Storage Cave in Falls City Farmsteads, 1936

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“Photographing the Baby in a Sioux Village,” Rushville, 1908

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A Barber in Front of His Shop, Omaha, 1938

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A Home Made of Old Freight Cars, Box Butte County, 1936

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Cars Parked on an Omaha Street, 1938

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Kids Holding Sugar Beets on a Farm in Hall County, 1940

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Chimney Rock in 1904

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Homesteaders With Their Covered Wagon During the Great Western Migration, Loup Valley, 1866

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Cyclone in Alliance, August 4, 1911

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Main Street in Mitchell, 1910

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Eagle Fruit Store and Capital Hotel, Lincoln, 1942

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Emmanual Lutheran Church, Dakota City, 1934

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Workers Breaking Concrete on the North Platte Project, Bayard, 1940

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First Street in Hastings, Circa 1944

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Frederic Shreyer’s Sod House, Custer County, 1880s

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Gustav Rohrich’s Sod House, Bellwood, 1934

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A Lincoln Street in 1942

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A Little Girl Carrying Her Father’s Lunch Box in South Omaha, 1938

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The Destruction After the 1913 Tornado, Omaha

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Children Going Into Their One-Room Schoolhouse in Seward County, 1938

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“Old Reynor Sod House,” Custer County, 1904

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A Crowd of People Running to Meet Taft on His Campaign Tour, De Witt, 1908

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Scotts Bluff, Circa 1899

Library of Congress

These vintage photographs provide a whole new look at life in Nebraska going way back to the early days of photography. Some readers might even recognize some of the more recent scenes. How did you like this glimpse into the past? Let us know in the comments!

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