The first Volga German colonists to arrive in Lincoln came from Balzer in 1874. They were soon joined by hundreds of others. The largest of these immigrant groups came from Frank, Beideck, Huck, Balzer, and Kukkus.
They first settled in southwest Lincoln in the flood plains of Salt Creek, a neighborhood that became known as the South Bottoms. Development of the North Bottoms neighborhood began in 1888 as immigrants sought to live nearer the roundhouse of the Burlington Northern Railroad where many were employed. By 1915, there were 6,500 people living in these two enclaves. Sallet reports that by 1924, this number had grown to over 9,000.
Particularly for those Volga German families immigrating from Protestant colonies, Lincoln was a stopping point before moving on to other parts of North America. Today, Lincoln remains as one of the cities in North America with the highest concentration of descendants of Volga Germans. The headquarters of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, founded in 1968, is located in Lincoln.
- Kinbacher, Kurt E. "Life in the Russian Bottoms: Community Building and Identity Transformation among Germans from Russia in Lincoln, Nebraska, 1876 to 1926." Journal of American Ethnic History 26:2 (Winter 2007): 27-57.
- Sallet, Richard. Russian-German Settlement in the United States (Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1974): 43-44.
- Fairview Cemetery (findagrave.com)
- Lincoln Memorial Park (findagrave.com)
- Wyuka Cemetery (findagrave.com)
- Wyuka Cemetery (gravestones.org)
- Lincoln, Nebraska (Wikipedia)
Colonies
Map of Lincoln showing Volga German Settlement Areas.
Source: Ezra Zeitler via Kurt Kinbacher.