STORY #19: Chicago’s Mayor Tours Country Club in 1927

Before the first families had even settled in, Omaha’s new Country Club District was already attracting national attention.

On Sept. 8, 1927, Chicago Mayor William Hale “Big Bill” Thompson visited Omaha and was taken on an automobile tour through the newly developed neighborhood. One of his stops was the Blue Star Home at 2012 N. 52nd St. — a showcase of modern living filled with the latest gas appliances.

Standing at the entrance of the home, Thompson reportedly paused and reflected on how much the area had changed.

“I remember when this was all cornfields,” he exclaimed. “I used to come through this country frequently when I brought cattle into Omaha.”

For a man who had known the region during its livestock days, the transformation was remarkable.

“These rolling hills out here are great,” Thompson observed, noting that the mature trees and natural landscape made it “an unusually attractive residence addition.”

The visiting mayor viewed the development as a clear sign of Omaha’s progress — proof that the city was rapidly growing beyond its frontier roots into a modern metropolitan community.

Pictured with Mayor Thompson (on the far right) are members of the Omaha reception committee, including, from left, Robert C. Druesedow, Charles H. Clancy and P. T. McGrath — cattlemen who had known “Big Bill” during earlier days on the range. Standing in the doorway behind the group is Congressman Willis G. Sears, whose confidence in the neighborhood was evident: he had already invested in a lot in the Country Club District.

Source: Omaha World-Herald, Sept. 11, 1927, pg 47