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| Trails | History | Land Management | Policies |
| History Of The Fontenelle Nature Association | |
Nebraska Phase Lodges by Nebraskaland Magazine A trading post was built by Joshua Pilcher of the Missouri Fur Company in 1822. This was built on what is now FNA property (near to the present "Great Marsh". This trading post began the settlement of Bellevue, Nebraska's oldest community, and served as a major stopover during the illustrious days of the Rocky Mountain fur trade. In 1828 it was purchased by Lucien Fontenelle, a French-American fur trader. Later it was used as an Indian Agency headquarters by the U.S. government.
Logan Fontenelle, original painting at Josyln Art Museum With the interruption of World War I, it took them until 1920 to raise $60,000 to buy the first tract of over 300 acres of land. Since that time, the total land area of Fontenelle Forest has been expanded to approximately 1,401 acres through additional purchases, gifts, and trades. Until the mid-1960's, the Forest was primarily used as a place for hikes and picnics; there were not any professional staff members employed other than a caretaker. However, in the 1960's Omaha's city forester, Jim Malkowski, began to lead educational hikes in the forest. These proved popular, and the ultimate result was the 1966 opening of the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center, with Malkowski as its first Director.
Fontenelle Forest Nature Center, from 1966 - 1999
In the years since, the Nature
Center's facilities have been expanded through a series of construction
projects, and the educational offerings have grown and diversified. In 1971 FNA accepted a gift of 120 acres of land from Miss Edith Neale, north of Omaha
on the Washington/Douglas county line. Miss Neale's father had homesteaded this
land in the mid-1800's (along with his two brothers), and she wished it to be
preserved in a state similar to how her ancestors had known it. This was the
beginning of Neale Woods Nature Center.
In the spring of 1999, FNA opened the new Gilbert and Martha Hitchcock Wetlands Learning Center on the floodplain portion of Fontenelle Forest, some two miles from the main visitor center. This new "satellite" education building provides two classrooms and basic visitor services; adjacent to it is the Gifford Memorial Boardwalk which leads 3/8 mile to a two-story observation tower on the edge of the Great Marsh. The Hitchcock Wetlands Learning Center temporarily served as Fontenelle Forest's main visitor entry point, while the new primary visitor center was under construction on Bellevue Boulevard. This new facility, the Katherine and Fred Buffett Forest Learning Center, opened in October 2000. In the year 2000, the FFA officially changed its name to the Fontenelle Nature Association. This change is intended to create more of an "umbrella" title for the organization, inclusive of all our facilities and major projects - rather than having the organizational name seem to refer only to Fontenelle Forest (as it long has). |
The
land we now know as Fontenelle Forest has a long and fascinating history of
human use. Diverse Indian (native American) cultures once flourished here, as
revealed by archeological evidence including 70 known sites of Indian lodges
and mounds from the "Nebraska Phase" culture of about 1100 - 1400 A.D. In 1804,
the Lewis and Clark expedition undoubtedly crossed our lands.
Trading Post Northern Natural Gas Collection - Josyln Art Museum Watercolor by Karl Bodmer - 1833
One of the United States'
interpreters at this Agency was Logan Fontenelle, one of five children of fur
trader Lucien Fontenelle and his Omaha Indian wife, Me-um-bane. Logan
Fontenelle was raised in both the white man's and Indian's cultures, and became
a highly respected spokesman for the Omaha tribe (prior to his death at the age
of 30 at the hands of a Sioux war party). Both Lucien and Logan Fontenelle are
buried on FNA property, though the exact site has never been located; it is
officially Logan for whom the Forest is named.
Neale Woods Nature Center
In 1995, FNA added 262
acres to Neale Woods by purchasing the "Krimlofski Tract" with the help of the Lozier Foundation. These forested lands directly connect
Neale Woods to the Missouri River. They include a small pond and stream, a
section of bluffs, and about one mile of river frontage. Somewhere on the
bluffs is the site of Manual Lisa's "Fort Lisa", constructed in 1813. We hope
to eventually sponsor an archeological "dig" to locate the exact site of this
trading post.
Wetlands Learning Center In subsequent years another 60 acres of contiguous land was donated by Carl Jonas, whose father had been a founding member of FNA; it is Carl's former home that has been modified into the current interpretive center at Neale Woods. In addition, bequests from Carl Jonas' estate allowed FNA to purchase 112 more acres; twenty-five of these acres have been cleared and planted as prairies, thought to be representative of the land in the mid-1800's.
If you have specific questions regarding FNA's history, please contact us. |
