UNK Special Collection is comprised of materials on select subject areas, such as the history of Nebraska, the Great Plains, and settlement of the West. For this collection the Library is committed to assembling primary and secondary scholarly materials on specific topics that support UNK's curricular and research needs.
Select digitized Special Collections materials are available here.
Statement on Harmful Material: Materials in UNK Archives and Special Collections are historical in nature and reflect the society in which they were produced. As such, they may contain racial, gender, sexual, religious, and other language and imagery that are offensive by today's standards. The documents, images, publications, and other materials have been retained in order to fully represent the materials in their original format. If the offensive text is not in the original, but in a finding aid, catalog record, or other description created by library employees, please contact Archives and Special Collections to bring this to our attention. Archives & Special Collections is guided by the core values of the Society of American Archivists. If you have questions about this statement or about Archives and Special Collections’ work, we welcome your feedback. Please contact us at archives@unk.edu or 308-865-8593.
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A History of the Kearney Public Library & Information Center: the First Century 1890-1990
Ron Norman
History of the Kearney, Nebraska Public Library, written for its centennial in 1990.
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Kearney State College 1905-1980: A History of the first seventy-five years
Philip S. Holmgren
History of Kearney State College, produced for the 75th anniversary of the institution.
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A Shape a Writer Can Contain
Don Welch
Detailed instruction on how to write an essay from Nebraska poet Don Welch
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The Negroes of Nebraska
Writers' Program, Work Projects Administration in the State of Nebraska
Statement on Harmful Material:
Materials in UNK Archives and Special Collections are historical in nature and reflect the society in which they were produced. As such, they may contain racial, gender, sexual, religious, and other language and imagery that are offensive by today's standards. The documents, images, publications, and other materials have been retained in order to fully represent the materials in their original format. If the offensive text is not in the original, but in a finding aid, catalog record, or other description created by library employees, please contact Archives and Special Collections to bring this to our attention. Archives & Special Collections is guided by the core values of the Society of American Archivists. If you have questions about this statement or about Archives and Special Collections’ work, we welcome your feedback. Please contact us at archives@unk.edu or 308-865-8593.
Preface:
The Negroes of Nebraska, though a book arbitrarily limited as to length, nevertheless is an attempt to highlight the entire picture of Negro life in this State. It represents the efforts of several persons. If the book has achieved its intended purpose it has done so because these persons have consulted every available source in collecting and verifying the material from which it was written.
The State's Negro citizens comprise, numerically, a minority group, and much of the colorful side of their story, in the absence of written records, is irretrievably lost. Yet much more that would have been lost has found permanence in this account, through the diligent research of two Negro employees of the Nebraska Writers' Project, Fred D. Dixon and Albert J. Burks. The fact remains that there are gaps in the story, and because of incomplete records inaccuracies may appear in the text. If such are noted the editors will appreciate having these brought to their attention.
The editors wish to acknowledge their gratitude for valuable aid and criticism to the University. of Nebraska, the Nebraska State Historical Society, and to Raymond R. Brown and Millard F. Wood, Executive Secretaries respectively of the Urban Leagues of Omaha and Lincoln. Drawings are by Paul Gibson, Omaha Negro artist.
Sponsored by The Omaha Urban League Community Center. Written and compiled by workers of the Writers' Program, Work Projects Administration in the state of Nebraska. Drawings by Paul Gibson.
OCLC Number: 123134673
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The History of Fort Kearney
Lyle Edwin Mantor
History of Fort Kearny and its role in the colonization of the west. Also contains information on the use of the land after the fort closed and the early days of the area's conversion to a historic site. Contains additional reference material such as lists of the commanding officers at Fort Kearny and discussion of available primary sources related to the fort.
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Molly Whiteface: The Tale of a Cow
Bruce McCulloch
In this story of MOLLY WHITEFACE, the tale of a cow, we have enjoyed the intimate and interesting way in which Mr. McCulloch has carried the calf along from her happy home in the West to her ultimate end on the market.
UNION STOCK YARDS COMPANY OF OMAHA, Limited.
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Memories of the Old West
Thaddeus J. Foley
Booklet of stories about personal experiences in Nebraska and Nebraska place names, compiled at the request of J.T. Link.
Publication date approximate.
More information on Foley available at http://libraries.ne.gov/northplatte/2021/thaddeus-foley-and-his-grand-victorian-house/
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The History of Fort Kearney
Lillian M. Willman
Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College of the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History
History of Fort Kearny, Nebraska. Traces the history of the fort, both the original at Table Creek and the later one on the Platte River. Also discusses some of the initial 1920s conversion of the fort into a historic site.
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Chadron : a chronological view of the early history of the old-home-town
H. D. Mead
History of Chadron, Nebraska from 1885-1925, with the bulk of the time spent on 1885-1910.
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Song of the Great Blizzard : "Thirteen were saved" : or, Nebraska's fearless maid
William Vincent
Song based on the story of Miss Minnie Freeman, a teacher who saved 13 children during the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888.
From the introduction:
Miss Minnie Freeman, the plucky little school teacher at Mina Valley, whose heroism, care and presence of mind saved from death her thirteen little pupils during the terrible storm last week, was in this city to-day. When pressed, she told the following story: "The storm came on very suddenly and struck the school-house just about the time for closing. I knew from indications that it was going to be a regular 'blizzard,' and told the children to all wrap up well. While I was attending to them the door blew in, and then the windows. I put my cloak on and was wondering what I was going to do. I had made up my mind that the building would not lasl long. Then I happened to think of a ball of twine I had taken away from a little fellow named Frankie Gibben, who was playing with it during school hours. I began tying the children together, and when I had completed this task I awaited developments. Very soon the roof of the building blew off and I said, 'Come on, children,' and we started. The nearest house was three-quarters of a mile away, and in order to reach it we had to face the storm for about one third of the distance. I thought at one time we should be lost, and I came near losing hope, for I was nearly exhausted. You see, I was carrying the smallest child- a little girl-and my talking to the children and urging them to keep up their spirits, tired me very much.'"
