[1] Originally separated from Omaha by the Missouri River, a large section of the area's land was dissected by a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in 1892.
Today, 2,500 houses, a school, grocery stores and a church that made up the original town have been demolished and replaced by several government facilities, the Eppley Airfield, and more.
Early reports about East Omaha identified it closely with the Union Pacific Railroad yards just north of downtown.
The Company spent a total of $300,000 clear low-lying land of willows and to grade streets before lots were offered for sale.
Before the creation of Carter Lake, Iowa, the East Omaha community wrapped around a meander on the west bank of the Missouri River.
The Court delayed a final decree to allow Nebraska and Iowa to reach an agreement consistent with its holding, which they did.
[12] The Carter White Lead Company built a large scale plant in East Omaha.
Sherman's history extends back to 1887 when a two-room building was constructed by a neighborhood developer at N. 16th and Jaynes Street.
Under pressure of 125 students over-crowding its building without the funds to continue operating, the district closed in 1947 and was merged into Omaha Public Schools.
After several floods and the expansion of nearby Eppley Airfield, it was demolished in 1975 and students were sent to Sherman and North High.
Serving neighborhood students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the original building was replaced with a large parish structure in 1927.
[22][23] A recent report named East Omaha "one of the most dangerous toxic waste sites in the nation" after the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed that more than 2,600 children in the area have lead poisoning.
In the crux of Carter Drive is an unnamed sulphur spring, and located south of there is Hardwood Creek.
The Sherman Community Center has been home to recreational activities and meeting space for East Omaha for more than 20 years.
[28] Eppley Airfield serves as Omaha's primary airport, providing service throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The surrounding park was home to sailing events, Bungalow City, the Omaha Gun Club, and a YMCA Camp as late as the 1930s.
[30] The Ames family of Boston, Massachusetts were early investors responsible for platting the area[32] and dealing with the ever-changing Missouri River.
[33] However, one 1937 plat map entirely dismisses the residential and commercial district of East Omaha, instead focusing on the then-underdeveloped area surrounding Eppley Airfield.
The cottages along the lake were mostly destroyed, the Illinois Central trestle obliterated and scores of store buildings wrecked.
One report states, The flood of April 13, 1952 led to 40,000 people being evacuated from East Omaha and Carter Lake.
President Harry S. Truman personally visited the scene of the flooding in Omaha and officially declared it a disaster area.