Beatrice, Nebraska

==History==
Gage County was one of the 19 counties originally established by the [[Nebraska Territorial Legislature]] in 1854. At the time of its establishment, there were no settlers living within its boundaries.<ref name=survey/>

In 1857, the steamboat ''Hannibal'', carrying 300 passengers up the [[Missouri River]] from [[St. Louis, Missouri]] to [[Nebraska City, Nebraska]], ran aground near [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. While it was stranded, 35 of the passengers agreed to form the "Nebraska Association", under which name they would unite in seeking a townsite and establishing a settlement in the territory.<ref name=andreas/><ref name=casde/>

After reaching Nebraska City, the Association divided itself into two exploratory parties, one of which went directly westward and the other southwest. The latter party located the site of Beatrice, at the point where the [[DeRoin Trail]] crossed the [[Big Blue River (Kansas)|Big Blue River]], and the whole Association decided to settle there. The settlement was named after Julia Beatrice Kinney, the 17-year-old daughter of Judge John F. Kinney, a member of the Association.<ref name=andreas/><ref name=casde/><ref name=histofgage/>{{rp|120}}<ref>At least one reference suggests that it was named for [[Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|Beatrice]], last-born child of Queen Victoria (1857–1944), see {{cite book |first=Jerrold M. |last=Packard |title=Victoria's Daughters |location=New York |publisher=St. Martins |year=1998 |page=[https://archive.org/details/victoriasdaughte00pack/page/62 62] |isbn=0-312-19562-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/victoriasdaughte00pack/page/62 }}</ref>

The Territorial Legislature selected Beatrice as the county seat of Gage County in 1857.  The decision was challenged by [[Blue Springs, Nebraska|Blue Springs]], but was confirmed by the Legislature in 1859. In 1864, the Legislature dissolved the original Clay County (not the current [[Clay County, Nebraska]]), dividing its land between Gage and [[Lancaster County, Nebraska|Lancaster]] Counties. The addition of this ground in the north placed Beatrice near the center of the enlarged county, strengthening its claim to the county seat.<ref name=survey/>  It continues to hold that position today.<ref name=aboutgage/>

===Homestead Act===
In 1862, the U.S. Congress passed the [[Homestead Act of 1862|Homestead Act]], which allowed settlers to claim {{Convert|160|acre}} of government land for a nominal fee. The law went into effect on January 1, 1863.  Just after midnight on that day, [[Daniel Freeman (homesteader)|Daniel Freeman]] persuaded a clerk to open the local Land Office so that he could file a claim for a homestead located {{Convert|4|mi|sigfig=1}} west of Beatrice. His is regarded as the first of the 417 applications filed that day.<ref name=nythomestead/><ref name=archives/>

In 1936, Congress created [[Homestead National Monument of America]] on the site of Freeman's claim.<ref name=npshomestead/>

===Early development===
The Big Blue River was both a help and a hindrance to the development of Beatrice.  It provided the town with a water source, and produced ample power to operate the mills that were among the town's first industries.<ref name=andreas/><ref name=casde/>  However, it represented a major obstacle to travelers on the Oregon Trail route;<ref name=survey/> and floods frequently destroyed the dams and bridges in the area. Not until 1890 was a Big Blue bridge built in Beatrice that could survive for decades.<ref name=survey/><ref name=andreas/>

In 1871, the [[Burlington and Missouri River Railroad]] constructed a line from [[Lincoln, Nebraska]] to Beatrice. In 1879, the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] built a line joining Beatrice to [[Marysville, Kansas]]. By 1890, the [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad]] had also run tracks through Beatrice.<ref name=survey/>

On August 3, 1892, future president [[William McKinley]], then governor of Ohio, gave a campaign speech in Beatrice.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1892-08-03 |title=AN ADDRESS BY M'KINLEY; THOUSANDS LISTEN TO OHIO'S GOVERNOR AT BEATRICE. HE DEALS AT LENGTH WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM AND UN- FOLDS THE NUMEROUS BLESSINGS OF A HIGH TARIFF -- PROTECTION, HE SATS, HAS VINDICATED ITSELF. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/08/03/archives/an-address-by-mkinley-thousands-listen-to-ohios-governor-at.html |access-date=2023-05-02 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The former international foods conglomerate, [[Beatrice Foods]], (now a part of [[ConAgra Foods]]) was founded in Beatrice in 1894 as The Beatrice Creamery Company, by George Everett Haskell and [[William W. Bosworth]].

===Beatrice State Developmental Center===
In 1885, the Nebraska legislature enacted legislation to establish the Institution for Feeble Minded Youth near Beatrice, subject to the city's donating a suitable parcel of land.<ref name=histofgage/>{{rp|303}}  Beatrice donated 40 acres, located {{convert|2|mi|sigfig=1}} east of the city limits, and the first residents were admitted in 1887.<ref name=feeblenomform/>

Over the following decades, the institution expanded greatly. By 1935, there were 1171 residents living on {{convert|519|acre}}.  The institution was largely self-supporting, operating a farm on which the residents did much of the work; in 1935, {{convert|346|acre}} were under cultivation.<ref name=feeblenomform/>

In 1945, the institution was renamed the Beatrice State Home.<ref name=rename1/> Its resident population peaked at about 2300 in the late 1960s.<ref name=ljshist/>  From there it declined: new restrictions had been imposed on the use of unpaid labor by residents of institutions, and there was a national trend toward [[deinstitutionalization]].<ref name=feeblenomform/>  In 1975, the ''Horacek v. [[J. James Exon|Exon]]'' lawsuit was settled with a consent decree whereunder many of the residents of the Beatrice State Home were transferred to [[Community mental health service|community-based mental health facilities]].<ref name=horacek/>  In that year, the institution's name was changed to the current Beatrice State Developmental Center.<ref name=indictment/>

A 2006 investigation by the federal [[Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services]] revealed a number of severe deficiencies at the Center;<ref name=fedmed/> after two years of appeals, the Center lost its [[Medicaid]] certification in 2009.<ref name=medicaid/>

As of 2011, the Center served about 175 clients.<ref name=bsdc/>  The majority had been diagnosed with "severe" or "profound" retardation; nearly all suffered from two or more other disabling conditions.<ref name=bsdc-demo1/><ref name=bsdc-demo2/>

On June 11, 2022 five separate tornadoes touched down here according to the radar as well as local officials.
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[[File:Detailed map of Beatrice, Nebraska.png|thumb|Beatrice and environs]]