100-619: The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History is located in Hastings , Nebraska . It claims to be the largest municipal museum between Chicago and Denver. It is housed in a building funded by the Works Progress Administration and dedicated on June 15, 1939. The museum exhibits include Kool-Aid , natural history dioramas, local history, weapons, life of pioneers on the Plains, rocks, minerals, fossils, antique vehicles, coins, and
200-602: A planetarium . The Museum is under the jurisdiction of the City of Hastings and all employees are personnel of the Hastings government. The museum is governed by a 7-member board, with each member serving a term of 5 years. The board has the power to adopt rulesand it has control of the Museum funds. The board is responsible to the Mayor and City Council of Hastings, Nebraska. It is also supported by
300-453: A Foundation to increase awareness and support, which was incorporated in 1985. The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History displays natural and cultural histories of Hastings, Adams County and the Great Plains of Nebraska. Founded in 1926 by Albert Brooking, it became home to his collection of Native American artifacts, fossils, and mounted birds. Albert Brookings’s bird collection
400-501: A designated period in American history. The term was adopted by literary and cultural critics as well as historians, including Van Wyck Brooks , Lewis Mumford , Charles Austin Beard , Mary Ritter Beard , Vernon Louis Parrington , and Matthew Josephson . For them, Gilded Age was a pejorative term for a time of materialistic excesses and widespread political corruption. The early half of
500-485: A five-year county seat war , the county seat was transferred to Hastings from Juniata . However, a fire in 1879 destroyed 33 buildings downtown. The city was rebuilt between 1880 and 1890 in fireproof materials and in a more planned fashion, with characteristically ornate Victorian buildings , many designed by Charles C. Rittenhouse , the first practicing architect in Adams County and also mayor for ten years. Thanks to
600-459: A gain of 48%. Economic historian Clarence D. Long estimates that (in terms of constant 1914 dollars), the average annual incomes of all American non-farm employees rose from $ 375 in 1870 to $ 395 in 1880, $ 519 in 1890 and $ 573 in 1900, a gain of 53% in 30 years. Australian historian Peter Shergold found that the standard of living for industrial workers was higher than in Europe. He compared wages and
700-595: A gain of 59%. The Gilded Age was also an era of poverty, especially in the South, and growing inequality, as millions of immigrants poured into the United States, and the high concentration of wealth became more visible and contentious. Railroads were the major growth industry, with the factory system, oil, mining, and finance increasing in importance. Immigration from Europe and the Eastern United States led to
800-564: A great communications network. Elisha Otis developed the elevator, allowing the construction of skyscrapers and the concentration of ever greater populations in urban centers. Thomas Edison , in addition to inventing hundreds of devices, established the first electrical lighting utility, basing it on direct current and an efficient incandescent lamp . Electric power delivery spread rapidly across Gilded Age cities. The streets were lit at night, and electric streetcars allowed for faster commuting to work and easier shopping. Petroleum launched
900-415: A lifetime career for young men; women were rarely hired. A typical career path would see a young man hired at age 18 as a shop laborer and promoted to skilled mechanic at age 24, brakeman at 25, freight conductor at 27, and passenger conductor at age 57. White-collar career paths likewise were delineated. Educated young men started in clerical or statistical work and moved up to station agents or bureaucrats at
1000-624: A long-distance outlet for wheat, cattle and hogs that reached all the way to Europe. Rural America became one giant market, as wholesalers bought the consumer products produced by the factories in the East and shipped them to local merchants in small stores nationwide. Shipping live animals was slow and expensive. It was more efficient to slaughter them in major packing centers such as Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati, and then ship dressed meat out in refrigerated freight cars. The cars were cooled by slabs of ice that had been harvested from
1100-426: A margin of error of +/- $ 3,112) and the median family income $ 72,458 (+/- $ 6,758). Males had a median income of $ 36,612 (+/- $ 2,682) versus $ 22,994 (+/- $ 2,354) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $ 29,221 (+/- $ 1,883). Approximately, 9.4% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 18.4% of those under the age of 18 and 8.5% of those ages 65 or over. As of
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#17328479777971200-479: A new industry beginning with the Pennsylvania oil fields in the 1860s. The United States dominated the global industry into the 1950s. Kerosene replaced whale oil and candles for lighting homes. John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil Company and monopolized the oil industry. It mostly produced kerosene before the automobile created a demand for gasoline in the 20th century. According to historian Henry Adams
1300-500: A new middle class was rapidly growing, especially in northern cities. The nation became a world leader in applied technology. From 1860 to 1890, 500,000 patents were issued for new inventions—over ten times the number granted in the previous seventy years. George Westinghouse invented air brakes for trains (making them both safer and faster). Theodore Vail established the American Telephone & Telegraph Company and built
1400-749: A peak membership in 1919. This period saw several financial crises and economic recessions—called "panics", notably the Panic of 1873 and the Panic of 1893 . They lasted several years, with high urban unemployment, low incomes for farmers, low profits for business, slow overall growth, and reduced immigration. They generated political unrest. Gilded Age politics, called the Third Party System, featured intense competition between two major parties, with minor parties coming and going, especially on issues of concern to prohibitionists, to labor unions and to farmers. The Democrats and Republicans (the latter nicknamed
1500-478: A year and there was a critical shortage of housing, which prompted both alteration of existing housing stock and rapid construction of new neighborhoods. Once World War II ended, staff was reduced at the ammunition depot, bringing Hastings' last growth period to an end in 1950, and the depot eventually closed. The NAD also significantly increased the city's African American population, which went from 70 Black residents in 1940 to more than 1,000 by 1943. Kool-Aid
1600-555: A year, which kept them mired in poverty. Workers had to put in roughly 60 hours a week to earn this much. Wage labor was widely condemned as 'wage slavery' in the working class press, and labor leaders almost always used the phrase in their speeches. As the shift towards wage labor gained momentum, working class organizations became more militant in their efforts to "strike down the whole system of wages for labor." In 1886, economist and New York Mayoral candidate Henry George , author of Progress and Poverty , stated "Chattel slavery
1700-576: A yearly summer festival called Kool-Aid Days on the second weekend in August in honor of their city's claim to fame. Kool-Aid is known as Nebraska 's official soft drink . Today, Heartwell Park and Central Hastings, two of the oldest neighborhoods, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The Hastings Symphony Orchestra performs in the Chautauqua Pavilion , built in 1907 and on
1800-677: Is Adams Central Junior-Senior High School (public rural) Athletics Class C. Hastings College is a private liberal arts college, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) , and founded in 1882. Central Community College , a two-year technical college, began serving students in 1966, and it occupies the site of the old Naval Ammunition Depot. The Jacob Fisher Rainbow Fountain in Highland Park shoots continuously changing arrays of water jets (reaching heights of 67 feet) while green, yellow, orange, red, magenta, and blue lights illuminate
1900-562: Is a city and the county seat of Adams County , Nebraska , United States. The population was 25,152 at the 2020 census , making it the 8th most populous city in Nebraska . Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid in Hastings in 1927; the town celebrates the invention with the Kool-Aid Days festival every August. During World War II , Hastings operated the largest Naval Ammunition Depot in
2000-512: Is dead, but industrial slavery remains." The unequal distribution of wealth remained high during this period. From 1860 to 1900, the wealthiest 2% of American households owned more than a third of the nation's wealth, while the top 10% owned roughly three-quarters of it. The bottom 40% had no wealth at all. In terms of property, the wealthiest 1% owned 51%, while the bottom 44% claimed 1.1%. Historian Howard Zinn argues that this disparity along with precarious working and living conditions for
2100-528: Is generally given as the beginning of the Progressive Era in the 1890s (sometimes the United States presidential election of 1896 ). The Gilded Age was a period of economic growth as the United States jumped to the lead in industrialization ahead of Britain. The nation was rapidly expanding its economy into new areas, especially heavy industry like factories, railroads , and coal mining . In 1869,
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#17328479777972200-591: Is located in Hastings, serving central and south-central Nebraska and six counties in north-central Kansas . The data below are from the WRCC. Hastings has a humid continental climate ( Dfa ) with short, cold, and snowy winters and hot, rainy summers with mild nights. Hastings is the principal city of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area , which consists of Adams and Clay counties. The 2020 United States census counted 25,152 people, 10,137 households, and 6,139 families in Hastings. The population density
2300-467: Is located within the museum. The Naval Ammunition Depot, constructed on 49,000 acres (200 km ) southeast of Hastings and in operation from 1942 to 1946, was the largest United States World War II naval munitions plant, encompassing over 2,200 structures valued at $ 71 million. Hastings was chosen as the location for the plant because of its central location. In 1945 it employed 6,692 civilians in addition to 125 officers and 1,800 enlistees. The plant
2400-518: Is now the police headquarters. The Clarke Hotel , built in 1914 and also on the National Register of Historic Places, is now the Kensington, a home for senior citizens. Spencer Park, an 840-unit "village" built to house workers in the 1940s, is now Good Samaritan Retirement Village. In 2000, there were 200 African Americans living in Adams County, with almost all living in Hastings. According to
2500-467: Is reflected by buildings in the Craftsman , Prairie , Colonial Revival , and American Foursquare styles. The leading Arts and Crafts architect was Claude W. Way . Hastings had four brickyards and in 1911 was producing more bricks than any other city in Nebraska, and all the paving bricks. During this period, the city also became known as the cigar-making capital of Nebraska. The largest cigar factory,
2600-529: The Gilded Age is described as the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction Era and the Progressive Era . It was named by 1920s historians after an 1873 Mark Twain novel . Historians saw late 19th-century economic expansion as a time of materialistic excesses marked by widespread political corruption. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in
2700-628: The Northern and Western United States. As American wages grew much higher than those in Europe, especially for skilled workers, and industrialization demanded an increasingly skilled labor force, the period saw an influx of millions of European immigrants. The rapid expansion of industrialization led to real wage growth of 40% from 1860 to 1890 and spread across the increasing labor force. The average annual wage per industrial worker (including men, women, and children) rose from $ 380 in 1880 ($ 11,998 in 2023 dollars ) to $ 584 in 1890 ($ 19,126 in 2023 dollars ),
2800-548: The U.S. Census , in 2022 African Americans comprise .6% of the city's population. On June 24, 2007, Hastings won Yahoo's Greenest City in America competition. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 13.66 square miles (35.38 km ), of which 13.48 square miles (34.91 km ) is land and 0.18 square miles (0.47 km ) is water. A National Weather Service Forecast Office
2900-520: The census of 2010, there were 24,907 people, 10,110 households, and 6,160 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,847.7 inhabitants per square mile (713.4/km ). There were 10,847 housing units at an average density of 804.7 per square mile (310.7/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 90.4% White , 1.0% African American , 0.5% Native American , 1.7% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 5.0% from other races , and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.8% of
3000-602: The economic depression of the 1870s and became known as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 , which was, according to historian Jack Beatty , "the largest strike anywhere in the world in the 19th century." This strike did not involve labor unions, but rather uncoordinated outbursts in numerous cities. The strike and associated riots lasted 45 days and resulted in the deaths of several hundred participants (no police or soldiers were killed), several hundred more injuries, and millions in damages to railroad property. The unrest
3100-468: The eight-hour working day , and the abolition of child labor ; middle-class reformers demanded civil service reform, prohibition of liquor and beer, and women's suffrage . Local governments across the North and West built public schools chiefly at the elementary level; public high schools started to emerge. The numerous religious denominations were growing in membership and wealth, with Catholicism becoming
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3200-468: The first transcontinental railroad opened up the far-west mining and ranching regions. Travel from New York to San Francisco then took six days instead of six months. Railroad track mileage tripled from 1860 to 1880, and then doubled again by 1920. The new track linked formerly isolated areas with larger markets and allowed for the rise of commercial farming, ranching, and mining, creating a truly national marketplace. American steel production rose to surpass
3300-440: The "Grand Old Party", GOP) fought over control of offices, which were the rewards for party activists, as well as over major economic issues. Very high voter turnout typically exceeded 80% or even 90% in some Northern states as the parties ran strong campaigns. Turnout in the South was lower. Average presidential turnout 1872 to 1900 was 83% in the North and 62% in the South. Competition was intense and elections were very close. In
3400-644: The Aquacourt Water Park, the City Auditorium, Lake Hastings, Chautauqua Pavilion, Duncan Field, the Pioneer Spirit Trail, Smith Softball Complex, Brickyard Park Amphitheater, and Heartwell Lake. The principal newspaper in Hastings is the Hastings Tribune , published six days a week. KNHL 's studio is located north of Hastings on U.S. 281 . Gilded Age In United States history ,
3500-516: The Democrats and Republicans. Gilded age politicians are somewhat infamous among historians for having few actual policies and doing very little of importance in office. Gilded age presidents are frequently called the "forgotten presidents" because of their mediocre presidencies where they did very little. The major metropolitan centers underwent rapid population growth and as a result had many lucrative contracts and jobs to award. To take advantage of
3600-713: The Gilded Age roughly coincided with the middle portion of the Victorian Era in Britain and the Belle Époque in France. With respect to eras of American history, historical views vary as to when the Gilded Age began, ranging from starting right after the Civil War ended in 1865, or 1873, or as the Reconstruction Era ended in 1877. The date marking the end of the Gilded Age also varies. The ending
3700-635: The Kipp Cigar Company, was by 1921 hand-rolling one-fifth of all cigars produced in Nebraska; in 1925 it produced half, a total of 10 million. Cigars lost their popularity to cigarettes between the two World Wars, and in the 1930s the Great Depression again brought the town's expansion to a halt. In 1942, the Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) was constructed, initiating explosive growth: Hastings' population grew from 15,000 to 23,000 in under
3800-498: The Knights claimed 700,000 members. By 1890, membership had plummeted to fewer than 100,000, then faded away. Strikes organized by labor unions became routine events by the 1880s as the gap between the rich and the poor widened. There were 37,000 strikes from 1881 to 1905. By far the largest number were in the building trades, followed far behind by coal miners. The main goal was control of working conditions and settling which rival union
3900-580: The National Register of Historic Places, while the Hastings Community Theatre performs in the auditorium of the former Spencer Park School, built during the housing shortage of the 1940s. The city has adapted several of its historic buildings to new uses. Central Community College is housed in buildings of the former Naval Ammunition Depot. St. Michael's Elementary School (formerly the Lincoln Elementary School building), built in 1912,
4000-410: The United States led the world. Kennedy reports that "U.S. national income, in absolute figures in per capita, was so far above everybody else's by 1914." Per capita income in the United States was $ 377 in 1914 compared to Britain in second place at $ 244, Germany at $ 184, France at $ 153, and Italy at $ 108, while Russia and Japan trailed far behind at $ 41 and $ 36. London remained the financial center of
4100-615: The United States, and for this reason was awarded the distinction of American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service in 2023. Hastings was founded in 1872 at the intersection of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad. It was named for Colonel D. T. Hastings of the St. Joseph and Grand Island Railroad , who was instrumental in building
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4200-554: The agricultural and technical ("Ag & Tech") fields. Railroads, which had previously invented railroad time to standardize time zones, production, and lifestyles, created modern management, with clear chains of command, statistical reporting, and complex bureaucratic systems. They systematized the roles of middle managers and set up explicit career tracks for both skilled blue-collar jobs and for white-collar managers. These advances spread from railroads into finance, manufacturing, and trade. Together with rapid growth of small business,
4300-406: The average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in
4400-419: The bay from San Francisco . Hastings is served by major highways, including east-west U.S. Highways 6 and 34 , and north-south U.S. Highway 281 . Burlington Avenue is the main street running from south to north in Hastings; northward it leads to U.S. 281. Hastings is approximately 14 miles (23 km) south of Interstate 80 . Hastings Municipal Airport , owned and operated by the City of Hastings, serves
4500-514: The book, whereby an increasingly complex set of rules dictated to everyone exactly what should be done in every circumstance, and exactly what their rank and pay would be. By the 1880s the career railroaders were retiring, and pension systems were invented to provide for them. America developed a love-hate relationship with railroads. Boosters in every city worked feverishly to make sure the railroad came through, knowing their urban dreams depended upon it. The mechanical size, scope, and efficiency of
4600-542: The city was $ 35,461, and the median income for a family was $ 44,688. Males had a median income of $ 29,633 versus $ 21,262 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,941. About 5.6% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over. Amtrak , the national passenger rail system, provides service at station in Hastings , operating its California Zephyr daily in each direction between Chicago and Emeryville, California , across
4700-527: The city. The school district is the Hastings Public Schools . Hastings has several elementary schools. The largest public elementary is Alcott. Others include Hawthorne, Watson, and Lincoln. Zion Classical Academy serves students in grades Preschool–8. There was a new middle school that opened in the fall of 2008. The high schools are Hastings High School (public) Athletics Class B and St. Cecilia's (Catholic) Athletics class C–2. Just outside town
4800-430: The city. The population density was 2,448.5 inhabitants per square mile (945.4/km ). There were 10,333 housing units at an average density of 1,051.4 per square mile (405.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 93.39% White , 0.79% African American , 0.42% Native American , 2.02% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 2.39% from other races , and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.58% of
4900-558: The combined totals of Britain, Germany, and France. Investors in London and Paris poured money into the railroads through the American financial market centered in Wall Street . By 1900, the process of economic concentration had extended into most branches of industry—a few large corporations, called " trusts ", dominated in steel, oil, sugar, meat, and farm machinery. Through vertical integration these trusts were able to control each aspect of
5000-437: The competitive sectors. Increased mechanization of industry is a major mark of the Gilded Age's search for cheaper ways to create more product. Frederick Winslow Taylor observed that worker efficiency in steel could be improved through the use of very close observations with a stop watch to eliminate wasted effort. Mechanization made some factories an assemblage of unskilled laborers performing simple and repetitive tasks under
5100-481: The direction of skilled foremen and engineers. Machine shops grew rapidly, and they comprised highly skilled workers and engineers. Both the number of unskilled and skilled workers increased, as their wage rates grew. Engineering colleges were established to feed the enormous demand for expertise, many through the Federal government sponsored Morrill Land-Grant Acts passed to stimulate public education, particularly in
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#17328479777975200-404: The divisional or central headquarters. At each level they had more and more knowledge, experience, and human capital . They were very hard to replace and were virtually guaranteed permanent jobs and provided with insurance and medical care. Hiring, firing, and wage rates were set not by foremen, but by central administrators, to minimize favoritism and personality conflicts. Everything was done by
5300-475: The end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the rise of Jim Crow laws , African American (more generally termed Black, referring to darker skin color) people in the South were stripped of political power and voting rights, and were left severely economically disadvantaged. The political landscape was notable in that despite rampant corruption, election turnout was comparatively high among all classes (though
5400-424: The era by 1920s historians who took the term from one of Mark Twain 's lesser-known novels, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873). The book (co-written with Charles Dudley Warner ) satirized the promised " golden age " after the Civil War, portrayed as an era of serious social problems masked by a thin gold gilding of economic expansion. In the 1920s, and 1930s, the metaphor "Gilded Age" began to be applied to
5500-463: The era, the bottom 25% owned 0.32% of the wealth while the top 0.1% owned 9.4%, which would mean the period had the lowest wealth gap in recorded history. He attributes this to the lack of government interference. There was a significant human cost attached to this period of economic growth, as American industry had the highest rate of accidents in the world. In 1889, railroads employed 704,000 men, of whom 20,000 were injured and 1,972 were killed on
5600-880: The expense of the working class, by chicanery and a betrayal of democracy. Their admirers argued that they were "Captains of Industry" who built the core America industrial economy and also the non-profit sector through acts of philanthropy. For instance, Andrew Carnegie donated over 90% of his wealth and said that philanthropy was their duty—the " Gospel of Wealth ". Private money endowed thousands of colleges, hospitals, museums, academies, schools, opera houses, public libraries, and charities. John D. Rockefeller donated over $ 500 million to various charities, slightly over half his entire net worth. Reflecting this, many business leaders were influenced by Herbert Spencer 's theory of social Darwinism , which justified laissez-faire capitalism, competition and social stratification . This emerging industrial economy quickly expanded to meet
5700-486: The extent of the franchise was generally limited to men), and national elections featured two similarly sized parties. The dominant issues were cultural (especially regarding prohibition , education, and ethnic or racial groups) and economic (tariffs and money supply). Urban politics were tied to rapidly growing industrial cities, which increasingly fell under control of political machines . In business, powerful nationwide trusts formed in some industries. Unions crusaded for
5800-741: The job. The U.S. was also the only industrial power to have no workman's compensation program in place to support injured workers. Craft-oriented labor unions, such as carpenters, printers, shoemakers and cigar makers, grew steadily in the industrial cities after 1870. These unions used frequent short strikes as a method to attain control over the labor market and fight off competing unions. They generally blocked women, blacks, and Chinese from union membership, but welcomed most European immigrants. The railroads had their own separate unions. An especially large episode of unrest (estimated at eighty thousand railroad workers and several hundred thousand other Americans, both employed and unemployed) broke out during
5900-399: The largest. They all expanded their missionary activity to the world arena. Catholics, Lutherans , and Episcopalians set up religious schools, and the largest of those schools set up numerous colleges, hospitals, and charities. Many of the problems faced by society, especially the poor, gave rise to attempted reforms in the subsequent Progressive Era . The term Gilded Age was applied to
6000-666: The local factory owner who could patrol every part of his own factory in a matter of hours. Civil engineers became the senior management of railroads. The leading innovators were the Western Railroad of Massachusetts and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the 1840s, the Erie in the 1850s, and the Pennsylvania in the 1860s. The railroads invented the career path in the private sector for both blue- and white-collar workers. Railroading became
6100-548: The most hated railroad men in the country was Collis P. Huntington (1821–1900), the president of the Southern Pacific Railroad , who dominated California's economy and politics. One textbook argues: "Huntington came to symbolize the greed and corruption of late-nineteenth-century business. Business rivals and political reformers accused him of every conceivable evil. Journalists and cartoonists made their reputations by pillorying him.... Historians have cast Huntington as
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#17328479777976200-534: The museum in 1926 and provided it with many exhibits, including Indian relics, fossils, and the largest private collection of mounted birds in the US, was buried in the basement in 1946. The museum currently houses the Lied Super Screen Theatre, McDonald Planetarium, and local and regional exhibits including the largest diorama of whooping and sandhill cranes in the world. The Adams County Historical Society
6300-447: The natural resources and virgin lands that were available in America acted as a safety valve for poorer workers, hence, employers had to pay higher wages to hire labor. According to Shergold the American advantage grew over time from 1890 to 1914, and the perceived higher American wage led to a heavy steady flow of skilled workers from Britain to industrial America. According to historian Steve Fraser, workers generally earned less than $ 800
6400-557: The new market demands. From 1869 to 1879, the U.S. economy grew at a rate of 6.8% for NNP (GDP minus capital depreciation) and 4.5% for NNP per capita. The economy repeated this period of growth in the 1880s, in which the wealth of the nation grew at an annual rate of 3.8%, while the GDP was also doubled. Libertarian economist Milton Friedman states that for the 1880s, "The highest decadal rate [of growth of real reproducible, tangible wealth per head from 1805 to 1950] for periods of about ten years
6500-537: The new state of Nebraska with advertisements. Hastings' first settlers were English, from Liverpool , and were quickly joined by other English, Irish, Germans, Danes, and Germans from Russia . Between 1872 and 1880, when the population had grown to 2,800, Hastings was a boomtown. Settlers first built sod houses, dugouts, and shanties, then houses and stores. The city was incorporated in April 1874, and in September 1878, after
6600-399: The northern lakes in wintertime and stored for summer and fall usage. Chicago, the main railroad center, benefited enormously, with Kansas City a distant second. Historian William Cronon concludes: During the 1870s and 1880s, the U.S. economy rose at the fastest rate in its history, with real wages, wealth, GDP, and capital formation all increasing rapidly. For example, from 1865 to 1898,
6700-413: The output of wheat increased by 256%, corn by 222%, coal by 800%, and miles of railway track by 567%. Thick national networks for transportation and communication were created. The corporation became the dominant form of business organization, and a scientific management revolution transformed business operations. By the beginning of the 20th century, gross domestic product and industrial production in
6800-405: The policemen dispersing a meeting. Police then randomly fired into the crowd, killing and wounding a number of people, including other police, and arbitrarily rounded up anarchists, including leaders of the movement. Seven anarchists went on trial; four were hanged even though no evidence directly linked them to the bombing. One had in his possession a Knights of Labor membership card. At its peak,
6900-414: The population was under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 95.5 males. The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $ 52,747 (with
7000-443: The population. There were 10,110 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
7100-408: The population. There were 9,610 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and
7200-427: The production of a specific good, ensuring that the profits made on the finished product were maximized and prices minimized, and by controlling access to the raw materials, prevented other companies from being able to compete in the marketplace. Several monopolies—most famously Standard Oil —came to dominate their markets by keeping prices low when competitors appeared; they grew at a rate four times faster than that of
7300-582: The railroad through Adams County. The area was previously open plain: the Donner party passed through on its way to California in 1846 and a pioneer cemetery marker in Hastings bears an inscription taken from Tamsen Donner's journal: "The country between the Blue and the Platte is beautiful beyond compare. Never have I seen so varied a country so suitable to cultivation." In the 1870s, railroads lured European immigrants to
7400-403: The railroads made a profound impression; people dressed in their Sunday best to go down to the terminal to watch the train come in. Travel became much easier, cheaper, and more common. Shoppers from small towns could make day trips to big city stores. Hotels, resorts, and tourist attractions were built to accommodate the demand. The realization that anyone could buy a ticket for a thousand-mile trip
7500-468: The railroads, the city enjoyed great prosperity during the Gilded Age . The population grew to 13,500. This period of expansion ended with the drought and agricultural depression of the 1890s; the town's population fell to 7,000 and would not reach 15,000 until 1930. African Americans have lived in Hastings since the 1860s. In 1876, Horace G. Newsom started the first Black-owned newspaper in Nebraska . Hastings saw renewed growth from 1900 to 1930, which
7600-672: The rapid growth of the West based on farming, ranching, and mining. Labor unions became increasingly important in the rapidly growing industrial cities. Two major nationwide depressions—the Panic of 1873 and the Panic of 1893 —interrupted growth and caused social and political upheavals. The South remained economically devastated after the American Civil War ; the region's economy became increasingly tied to commodities like food and building materials, cotton for thread and fabrics, and tobacco production, all of which suffered from low prices. With
7700-488: The solution. The AFL was a coalition of unions, each based on strong local chapters; the AFL coordinated their work in cities and prevented jurisdictional battles. Gompers repudiated socialism and abandoned the violent nature of the earlier unions. The AFL worked to control the local labor market, thereby empowering its locals to obtain higher wages and more control over hiring. As a result, the AFL unions spread to most cities, reaching
7800-490: The southern states, lingering resentment over the Civil War remained and meant that much of the South would vote Democratic. After the end of Reconstruction in 1877, competition in the South took place mainly inside the Democratic Party. Nationwide, turnout fell sharply after 1900. Despite the high voter turnout, aggressive political campaigning, and frequently nasty elections, there were few real policy differences between
7900-534: The standard of living in Pittsburgh with Birmingham, England, one of the richest industrial cities of Europe. After taking account of the cost of living (which was 65% higher in the U.S.), he found the standard of living of unskilled workers was about the same in the two cities, while skilled workers in Pittsburgh had about 50% to 100% higher standard of living as those in Birmingham, England. Warren B. Catlin proposed that
8000-418: The state's most despicable villain." However Huntington defended himself: "The motives back of my actions have been honest ones and the results have redounded far more to the benefit of California than they have to my own." The growth of railroads from 1850s to 1880s made commercial farming much more feasible and profitable. Millions of acres were opened to settlement once the railroad was nearby, and provided
8100-448: The system of railroads needed: The impact can be examined through five aspects: shipping, finance, management, careers, and popular reaction. Railroads provided a highly efficient network for shipping freight and passengers throughout the U.S., spurring the evolution of a large national market. This had a transformative impact on most sectors of the economy including manufacturing, retail and wholesale, agriculture, and finance. The result
8200-578: The water in varying patterns. Fisher Fountain was originally a temporary exhibit at the 1932 Adams County Fair, called the Electric Fountain. It was invented by Edward R. Howard and became a symbol of hope during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl . Because of its popularity, it was moved to the park and made permanent. A competition among schoolchildren to rename it resulted in two winning names that were combined: Rainbow Fountain, and Fisher Fountain after Mayor Jacob Fisher. According to Spilinek, it
8300-451: The working classes prompted the rise of populist , anarchist , and socialist movements. French economist Thomas Piketty notes that economists during this time, such as Willford I. King , were concerned that the United States was becoming increasingly inegalitarian to the point of becoming like old Europe, and "further and further away from its original pioneering ideal." According to economist Richard Sutch in an alternative view of
8400-918: The world until 1914, yet the United States' growth caused foreigners to ask, as British author W. T. Stead wrote in 1901, "What is the secret of American success?" The businessmen of the Second Industrial Revolution created industrial towns and cities in the Northeast with new factories, and hired an ethnically diverse industrial working class, many of them new immigrants from Europe. Wealthy industrialists and financiers such as John D. Rockefeller , Jay Gould , Henry Clay Frick , Andrew Mellon , Andrew Carnegie , Henry Flagler , Henry Huttleston Rogers , J. P. Morgan , Leland Stanford , Meyer Guggenheim , Jacob Schiff , Charles Crocker , and Cornelius Vanderbilt would sometimes be labeled " robber barons " by their critics, who argue their fortunes were made at
8500-484: Was $ 1.8 billion; 1897, it reached $ 10.6 billion (compared to a total national debt of $ 1.2 billion). Funding came primarily from private finance throughout the Northeast, and from Europe, especially Britain, with about 10 percent coming from the Federal government, especially in the form of land grants that could be realized when a certain amount of trackage was opened. The emerging American financial system
8600-413: Was 1,691.5 per square mile (653.1/km ). There were 11,103 housing units at an average density of 746.7 per square mile (288.3/km ). The racial makeup was 83.16% (20,917) white , 0.99% (250) black or African-American , 0.66% (167) Native American , 1.62% (408) Asian , 0.04% (9) Pacific Islander , 5.88% (1,480) from other races , and 7.64% (1,921) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race
8700-401: Was 13.0% (3,343) of the population. Of the 10,137 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18; 44.1% were married couples living together; 30.1% had a female householder with no husband present. 33.6% of households consisted of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 3.0. 23.3% of
8800-439: Was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 24,064 people, 9,610 households, and 5,948 families residing in
8900-481: Was also a dark side. By the 1870s railroads were vilified by Western farmers who absorbed the Granger movement theme that monopolistic carriers controlled too much pricing power, and that the state legislatures had to regulate maximum prices. Local merchants and shippers supported the demand and got some " Granger Laws " passed. Anti-railroad complaints were loudly repeated in late 19th century political rhetoric. One of
9000-406: Was an integrated market practically the size of Europe's, with no internal barriers, tariffs, or language barriers to hamper it, and a common financial and legal system to support it. Railroad financing provided the basis for a dramatic expansion of the private financial system. Construction of railroads was far more expensive than factories. In 1860, the combined total of railroad stocks and bonds
9100-511: Was apparently reached in the eighties with approximately 3.8 percent." The rapid expansion of industrialization led to real wage growth of 60% from 1860 to 1890, spread across the increasing labor force. Real wages (adjusting for inflation) rose steadily, with the exact percentage increase depending on the dates and the specific work force. The Census Bureau reported in 1892, that the average annual wage per industrial worker (including men, women, and children) rose from $ 380 in 1880 to $ 564 in 1890,
9200-454: Was based on railroad bonds. By 1860, New York was the dominant financial market. The British invested heavily in railroads around the world, but nowhere more so than the United States; The total came to about $ 3 billion by 1914. In 1914–1917, they liquidated their American assets to pay for war supplies. Railroad management designed complex systems that could handle far more complicated simultaneous relationships than could be dreamed of by
9300-681: Was deemed severe enough by the government that President Rutherford B. Hayes intervened with federal troops. Starting in the mid-1880s a new group, the Knights of Labor , grew too rapidly, and it spun out of control and failed to handle the Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 . The Knights avoided violence, but their reputation collapsed in the wake of the Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago in 1886 , when anarchists allegedly bombed
9400-667: Was empowering. Historians Gary Cross and Rick Szostak argue: The civil and mechanical engineers became model citizens, bringing their can-do spirit and their systematic work effort to all phases of the economy as well as local and national government. By 1910, major cities were building magnificent palatial railroad stations, such as the Pennsylvania Station in New York City, and the Union Station in Washington, D.C. But there
9500-420: Was in control. Most were of very short duration. In times of depression strikes were more violent but less successful, because the company was losing money anyway. They were successful in times of prosperity when the company was losing profits and wanted to settle quickly. The largest and most dramatic strike was the 1894 Pullman Strike , a coordinated effort to shut down the national railroad system. The strike
9600-445: Was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen. Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack. To reduce shipping costs, in 1927, Perkins discovered a way to remove the liquid from Fruit Smack, leaving only a powder; this powder was named Kool-Aid. Perkins moved his production to Chicago in 1931 and Kool-Aid was sold to General Foods in 1953. Hastings still celebrates
9700-438: Was led by the upstart American Railway Union led by Eugene V. Debs and was not supported by the established brotherhoods. The union defied federal court orders to stop blocking the mail trains, so President Cleveland used the U.S. Army to get the trains moving again. The ARU vanished and the traditional railroad brotherhoods survived but avoided strikes. The new American Federation of Labor , headed by Samuel Gompers , found
9800-404: Was one of the largest in the United States. Other exhibits include natural history dioramas, an extensive armaments collection, and the history of Edwin Perkins , a local merchant famous for inventing Kool-Aid in 1927. The museum hosts an annual Native American festival. The Hastings Public Library and Adams County Historical Society are both at the museum. Hastings, Nebraska Hastings
9900-522: Was reactivated in the Korean War but decommissioned between 1958 and 1966, and the site now houses a US Department of Agriculture research station, training facilities for the National Guard and Reserves, an industrial park, Central Community College, and a golf course. Hastings has twenty parks and recreational facilities throughout the city. The city offers recreational and leisure programs and operates
10000-463: Was set up on the grounds of Hastings Utilities. Fisher Fountain was renovated in 1982 but was then dynamited by vandals in 1984. Its destruction aroused a strong community response. $ 63,000 was raised to rebuild it, and it was rededicated on Mother's Day in 1985. The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History is in an art deco building funded by $ 75,000 from the Works Progress Administration and completed in 1939. Albert Brooking , who founded
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