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According to tribal historians, the Omaha Tribe has lived in this area for well over 400 years. Oral history says they
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Omaha Tribe's Harvest Celebration Powwow
First full moon weekend in August.
402-837-5391.
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HISTORICAL
The Presbyterian Mission Church: The mission was built in 1856 and contains a cemetery site is located on the reservation.
Holy Fireplace: Young Omaha men fasted and prayed for a vision and song that gave them a direction in life. North of Big Elk Park.
Omaha Lodges: Built at various sites, the lodges held secret society meetings of the Omaha.
Joe Town:Joe was a white man’s village built by Joseph LaFlesche, a half-blood Omaha.
Grave marker of Chief Logan Fontenelle: (1825-1855)
Logan Fontenelle, well-known chief of the Omaha tribe, was born at Fort Atkinson in l825. A son of Lucien Fontenelle, a Frenchman and noted fur trader, his mother was an Omaha Indian woman, a daughter of Big Elk, noted chief of the Omaha. After receiving his education in Saint Louis, he returned to Bellevue where he was an interpreter for the United States government from 1840 to l853.
Although he was not a chief by blood, he was elected principal chief of the tribe in 1853. At the time, the transfer of the tribe to its northeast Nebraska reservation was being negotiated. In the early 1850's he became recognized as a chief of the Omaha by both the tribe and the
U. S. government. As both chief and interpreter he went with the Omaha chiefs to Washington, D.C. where they signed a treaty on March 16, 1854, selling most of their land to the government and restricting themselves to a reservation in northeast Nebraska. This opened the Nebraska Territory to settlement. Fontenelle was respected by members of his tribe and by the whites. While he maintained absolute control over the Omaha, he promoted education and agriculture.
Although there is controversy over his exact death date, Logan Fontenelle was killed in a skirmish with the Sioux while leading Omaha Indians on a hunt on Beaver Creek in present-day Boone County in the summer of 1855.
Many Nebraska landmarks have been named for Logan Fontenelle, including a town (spelled "Fontanelle") in Washington County; Fontenelle Forest north of Bellevue; and parks, schools, streets, and public housing in eastern Nebraska.
PARKS / HUNTING & FISHING
Big Elk Park: 3 miles east of Macy.
Campground: Tents, RV pads and cabins
Trails: 21 miles of trails through beautiful terrain, suitable for horses, hiking or ATVs.
Hunting and fishing allowed with tribal permits.
Ranger Station: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 4:00pm
Big Elk Park Office: Monday - Thursday - 11:am to 7:00pm; Friday - Sunday - 8:00am to 8:00pm
Phone: 402-870-4289 or 402-837-5301 www.rezhunter.com
Robber’s Cave: A small recess in the bluff along the Missouri River.
Known as Hole in the Rock, this cave, according to legend was used as a hideout by Jesse James and his gang, as well as other river bandits. It is located near Macy in a soft sandstone bluff facing the Missouri River.
Jesse James is said to have hidden loot “here and there” across the territory he traveled.
Some fortune seekers believe a cache may have been left in or near the cave.
Mrs. Samuels, mother of Frank and Jesse James, taught one term of school in Decatur in 1862.
The Federal Guide to Nebraska describes it as once the hideout of river bandits: “When an unsuspecting trapper was seen floating his season’s catch down the river, the bandits would assail him, and take his furs. At one time the opening of the cave formed a right angle and it was necessary to crawl on hands and knees to enter it. Now erosion and the destruction of vandals have changed it. The James brothers are said to have evaded capture on one occasion by hiding in this cave after attempting to rob a bank in Northfield, Minnesota.”
Federal Writers’ Project, op. Cit., p.263.
From Nebraska Folklore, Louise Pound, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln 1959. Pg 22.
Blackbird Scenic Overlook South of Macy on US Hwy 75 - View a modern model of an earthen lodge and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Missouri River. Site also contains information about the Omaha Tribe. 402-837-5391
Omaha Indian Reservation Thurston and Cuming Counties. Mural celebrating the contributions made by Omaha women can be seen near Jct US Hwy 75 & NE Hwy 91
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CAMPING
Big Elk Park
See above. 402-837-4389 www.rezhunter.com
FUEL
‘C’ Store, gas and groceries
CHURCH
UMOnHOn REFORMED CHURCH
PO Box 369, Macy, NE 68039, 402-837-5527
The Reformed Church in America began its ministry with the people of the Omaha tribe in 1934 when the Women's Board of Domestic Missions acquired a Presbyterian mission already started outside of Macy, Nebraska. The church was then moved into the town of Macy, and a congregation of Indian and Anglo Christians has been worshiping together ever since.
COLLEGE
Nebraska Indian Community College, 402-837-5078
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