For most of the 19th century Nebraska was an enigma. Gradually, through reports transmitted by military expeditions, fur trappers, and European adventurers the 'unorganized territory' began to take shape in the minds of Eastern observers. However, it was not until the 1860s that Nebraska took on an increased significance as the Homestead Act, the transcontinental railroad, and conflicts with Native Americans placed the Great Plains at the center of the nation's post Civil War attention. This course will examine Nebraska's early history through the eyes of its influential visitors: Stephen Harriman Long, Karl Bodmer, John C. Fremont, Buffalo Bill Cody, Henry Morton Stanley, and Rudyard Kipling. Nebraska's first impressions weren't always positive; but through a mixture of paintings, travelogues, and newspaper accounts hopefully we can better understand Nebraska's fascinating origin story.