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 AK-SAR-BEN racetrack was built on the western edge of Omaha in 1919. The coliseum and exhibition hall were completed in 1929. The complex was built to fund the civic and philanthropic activities of the Knights of AK-SAR-BEN. The Knights intended to turn Nebraska around, hence the spelling of their name (Nebraska spelled backward).
Horse racing proved to be wildly popular, and drew large crowds from across the region. In the mid-1980’s AK-SAR-BEN racetrack was tenth in the nation in attendance, regularly drawing crowds of 25,000 on race weekends. 1935 Triple Crown winner Omaha was buried at the racetrack’s circle of champions. Omaha is memorialized in nearby Stinson Park and is the subject of an Omaha Art multi-cache (GC92EQT).
The coliseum hosted presidential campaign speeches from Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower, concerts by acts ranging from Elvis Presley to Nirvana, and was home to the United States Hockey League’s Omaha Lancers and the Continental Basketball Association’s Omaha Racers. The Racers won the CBA championship in 1993. The coliseum was also home to annual community events including the Greek Festival, rodeos, River City Roundup, and many more.
In the early 1990's, casino gambling and dog racing in neighboring states siphoned away AK-SAR-BEN’s profits. Horses last ran on AK-SAR-BEN racetrack in 1995. The entire complex was demolished by 2005 to make way for the AK-SAR-BEN Village development, Stinson Park, and construction of the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s College of Information and Technology.
The cahe is roughly where the grandstand once stood. Check out the gallery to see an overlay of the former track on the current map. The coliseum and exhibition hall were to the south, approximately where the HDR building, Inner Rail Food Hall, and parking garage are today.