OmahaRiverFront.com - Missouri River News

Omaha's New Riverfront Park Name Debate Continued...

by Nancy Neurohr
June 13, 2001

Artists concept drawing of Omaha's proposed riverfront

The new Omaha City Council went right to work this week, voting 7-0 to repeal the old council's decision to name the park Union Labor Plaza. More than 50 union members and supporters attended Tuesday's meeting to make their plea of retaining the name.

The council, however, made a decision to start over and add the name Union Labor Plaza to the list of seven other names being considered.

It is not clear how soon a decision will be made so stay tuned for the continuing saga of 'What to Name the Park!'

Editorial Published in Omaha World Herald - Sunday, June 10

In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark

The published journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition contain significant information to establish a link between the explorers and the riverfront park on the former Asarco site in downtown Omaha.

Such information should be considered by the City Council if it decides to reopen the question of naming the park. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led their company northward along the Missouri River, coming through what is now the Omaha area in July 1804.

People who say the Asarco-site park should be given some other name contend that there are hundreds of places along the Missouri that could appropriately be dedicated to the memory of Lewis and Clark.

Yes, but few of those places have as direct a link to the explorers as the park in question.

Gary E. Moulton, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln history professor who edited the journals, added a significant footnote to a journal entry describing a campsite along the river. The journal said, "Camped in a bend to the (right) L.S. in some wood." This was a reference to the larboard (west) bank near a rightward bend in the river.

Moulton's footnote places that campsite "in the vicinity or north of the Douglas Street Bridge (Interstate 80)." Another passage tells of members of the party walking on a flood plain examining mounds left by the Otoe Indians. Moulton identifies the area of that stroll as downtown Omaha.

At a time when the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition will bring about a higher profile for the explorers' accomplishments, it's fitting that communities and states along the route of their voyage ask whether what they did has been properly commemorated. Certainly if the new Omaha City Council is of a mind to take up the park-naming question, the strong historical linkage of the site to Lewis and Clark should be prominent among the factors to be considered.

ORIGINAL POST
June 06, 2001

On June 6th, we announced the Omaha City Council had reached a decision on what to name the 23-acre area, which sits on the banks of the Missouri River and will soon be the centerpiece of Omaha's Riverfront. The council approved the name 'Union Labor Plaza' with a 6-1 vote.

Disregarding the fact that an Omaha Parks and Recreation Advisory Board had received more than 360 suggestions from the public as to what to name the park, the council decided to move ahead and approve this name to honor the many union laborers who have worked and continue to work on this property.

This decision created quite a controversy with the general public over the past week. In January, the council had rejected the advisory boards suggestion to name the park 'River Gate Plaza'. It was then suggested that they seek input from the public. Schoolchildren, organizations and others, overwhelmed the advisory board with their ideas. Before they had a chance to select a name, however, the city council (who will be replacing 5 of their 7 members on Monday, June 11th) decided to move on the name 'Union Labor Plaza'.

The parks advisory board decided this past Monday that they would resist the name and would submit seven alternatives to the new City Council later this month. The seven names the board plans to present are:

River Gate Plaza
Lewis and Clark Landing
River Walk Landing
River Walk Plaza
Nebraska Gateway
Omaha's River Walk
Discovery Landing

Local television station - Channel 7, ran a survey on Tuesday asking the public to vote on their preference from this list. Lewis and Clark Landing seemed to be the favorite. Even Council President Mark Kraft, who will remain on the council after the newcomers are sworn in, said he wouldn't fight for Union Labor Plaza and Lewis and Clark Landing sounded just fine to him.

The outcome of the name-war, remains to be seen but as far as this writer is concerned, I think Lewis and Clark Landing is fine with me too. What's your opinion? Send us your comments and we'll be happy to print them.