Kountze Park (Omaha, Nebraska) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kountze Park |
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|---|---|
| Type | Municipal (Omaha) |
| Location | North Omaha |
| Area | 11 acres (45,000 m2) |
| Created | 1889 |
| Status | Open all year |
Kountze Park is a fun public park located at 1920 Pinkney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. This park is super important in history because it was the main spot for the huge Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898.
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What is Kountze Park?
Kountze Park is a great place to visit! It's surrounded by 19th Street to the east, 20th Street to the west, Pinkney Street to the south, and Pratt Street to the north. The park has lots of cool things for everyone.
- A water park for splashing around on hot days.
- A playground with swings and slides.
- Courts for playing basketball and tennis.
- A pavilion, which is a covered area for events or picnics.
The City of Omaha Parks and Recreation Department also runs a summer program here, so there's always something exciting happening!
A Look Back: Kountze Park's History
Kountze Park wasn't always a park. Long ago, it was a wide, flat piece of land between the towns of Omaha and Saratoga in the Nebraska Territory. This land belonged to a banker named Herman Kountze.
The Amazing Trans-Mississippi Exposition
The most famous event at Kountze Park was the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898. Imagine a giant fair, like a world's fair, but for the states west of the Mississippi River!
When the people planning the Exposition needed a big area, Herman Kountze made a generous offer. He sold 11 acres (45,000 m2) of his land for $15,000. He also donated another $5,000 worth of land to create this future park.
Soon, the empty land was transformed! It was covered with amazing buildings, wide boulevards, and a beautiful lagoon almost half a mile long. This lagoon was lit up at night by the newest technology of the time: electric lights! It was a truly spectacular sight.
More Fairs and Park Creation
The year after the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, another big event called the Greater America Exposition was held in the same spot, using many of the same buildings.
By the end of 1899, all the grand buildings from both Expositions were taken down or moved. Over the next few years, the long lagoon was filled in with dirt. The area was then leveled to create what we now know as Kountze Park. A community of homes grew around the park, connecting different parts of Omaha.
A small, pretty pond remained in the park for a while, a reminder of the original lagoon. But even that was filled in with dirt in 1953.
Kountze Park Today
In 1980, something cool happened. Workers were digging for a new sewer in Kountze Park and found pieces of a building from the old Exposition! They tried to find more historical items, but it was tough. Today, only a few plaster pieces from those grand Exposition buildings remain as real historical treasures.
In 1998, Kountze Park got some great upgrades. New playground equipment was added, more trees were planted, and a special historical marker was put up. This marker helps everyone remember the amazing Trans-Mississippi Exposition that once stood on this very spot.
