Daniel Gruenig Interview

The UNO Libraries is pleased to announce that the oral history interview conducted in the 1976 with Omahan Daniel Gruenig is now available online. Gruenig was interviewed by his family member and UNO student Barbara Gruenig for an assignment in one of UNO History professor Michael Tate's classes.

The oral history interviews are part of the Omaha Stories: Oral Histories of Omaha, Nebraska website project. These interviews are part of the American Indian Oral History and Omaha Folklore Project Oral History Collection in UNO Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections.

Gruenig was born in 1895 and had lived in Omaha his entire life. He recounts some of the experiences of his parents who moved to Omaha in the late 1860s. His father was a cigar salesman and operated a store. Gruenig was asked about the attempted hanging of white Omaha mayor Edward Parsons Smith during the Omaha race riot of 1919. He recounted these acts of violence and the murder of African American Will Brown who was lynched by a mob in some detail, so listeners should be aware of this graphic account. Listeners can use the index and segment view of the audio recording to find or skip this section of the interview. The transcript is also available if users would prefer to read the text.

Gruenig discussed Omaha neighborhoods and the community's layout as well as different types of transportation during his lifetime including horse-drawn wagons, cable cars, railroad, automobiles, and the Lincoln Highway. He also shares his experience during the Omaha tornado of 1913 and the Great Depression.

The American Indian Oral History and Omaha Folklore Project Oral History Collection in UNO Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections includes dozens of interviews conducted from the mid-1970s through approximately 1980 (finding aid available online). Along with the Reflections in Time video recordings, describing these audio interviews and making them available online is part of the Omaha Stories: Oral Histories of Omaha, Nebraska website project.

Stay tuned for more about some of the over 200 interviews conducted from 1974 to 2007 from Omaha Stories: Oral Histories of Omaha, Nebraska.

Visit the Omaha Oral History Blogs to learn more.