Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska

Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska have made significant contributions to the political, social and cultural development of the city since the first immigrants arrived in 1868.

In the 1860s, many Czechs primarily from Bohemia and Moravia immigrated to Nebraska. Edward Rosewater and John Rosicky, early Omaha newspaper editors originally from Bohemia, encouraged countrymen to come by extolling promises of free land in frontier Nebraska. By 1880 Czechs were the most concentrated ethnic group in the city.

In 1893, the internationally known Czech composer Antonín Dvořák visited the city and performed there, attracting attendees from miles around. His extended visit to the United States inspired Dvořák to write his 9th Symphony: From The New World, also known as the New World Symphony. It was based on his impressions of the region and inspired by his fascination with birdsong, ragtime music by African-American musician and composer Scott Joplin, band music, and folksongs.

Komenský Clubs were founded in Nebraska, including in Omaha, Lincoln and other cities where there were numerous Czech immigrants. When the Bohemian National Alliance was formed in 1914, its midwestern district was headquartered in Omaha. Czechs in the city helped promote Bohemian independence after World War I. The nation of Czechoslovakia was created in the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. By 1920 an estimated 3,500 immigrants lived in Bohemian Town.

One of the most famous sons of Little Bohemia was Roman Hruska, elected to the US Senate from Nebraska in the mid-20th century. He was fiercely proud of his Czech heritage. Another notable Czech from Omaha who achieved political office was Thomas Capek, a lawyer and a member of the Nebraska State Legislature in the early 1900s.

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