Forgotten Omaha is a series of caches that will take you to the locations of iconic Omaha landmarks that have given way to progress, redevelopment, and the changing needs of a growing city.
The Union Stockyards opened on this site in South Omaha in 1883. The stockyards grew in size and capacity throughout the early and mid-1900’s. Omaha eventually surpassed Chicago as the nation’s largest livestock market and meat packing center in 1955, processing over 6.75 million animals per year. At its height, the pens of the Union Stockyards stretched from 27th to 36th, between L and Q streets. Lines of trucks bringing animals to market would stretch for 3 miles along L Street, while trains moved in and out of the stockyards 24 hours a day. The heart of the operation was the 11 story Livestock Exchange building, which still stands at this site.
Driven by the demand from the nearby Amour, Swift, Cudahy, and Wilson packing houses, Omaha remained the nation’s largest livestock market until 1973. Changing industry practices eventually shifted to smaller rural meat processing operations closer to the feedlots and manned by cheaper non-union workers.
The stockyards eventually ceased operations in the late 1990’s. Redevelopment of the Stockyards Historic District includes a new south campus of Metropolitan Community College, the South Omaha Public Library, and various residential and commercial use properties.