A photo of the Florence Mill around the time of Bonnie & Clyde. Heritage Tourism May Define Future of Florence When local artist Linda Meigs returned home from a trip to Europe in 1989, she came to a sobering conclusion. “Art and history are celebrated in Europe,” she said. “In America, we tear down our history and go to Europe.” Meigs decided to do more than think. She purchased the Florence Mill, built under the supervision of Brigham Young as the Winter Quarters gristmill in 1846. The structure, listed as the Weber Mill on the National Register of Historic Places, was facing an uncertain future. Today, Meigs and the mill are at the crux of an effort to revitalize the Florence area by celebrating its past. She currently serves as chair of Florence Futures Inc., a dedicated group of local leaders with a vision to enhance their community by tapping into its wealth of historic resources. “We’ve generated a lot of good ideas over the years, but things really seemed to begin clicking when we invited representatives from the Mormon Trail Center to join our planning efforts,” Meigs said. The center, located at 3215 State Street, is a monument to the trials and tribulations of the early pioneers. When the Mormons arrived on the Iowa side of the Missouri River in 1846, the U.S. government made arrangements with the Indian nations to allow the Mormons to camp on the western side of the Missouri River for two years. This area became known as Winter Quarters. The Mormon Trail Center and Winter Quarters Temple, which opened in April 2001, draws between 60,000 to 100,000 visitors to Omaha each year, including an international contingent. In its early days, Florence played an important role as an ice supplier. Pictured above, transporting 25 pounds of ice to her home was no problem for this woman. The next milestone in the Florence group’s momentum was attracting the interest of city officials. “We invited Councilman Jim Suttle to our Florence Futures meetings, and he liked what he was hearing,” Meigs said. “He adopted us, so to speak, and we would not be where we are today without his support.” The group decided the development of a master plan to guide its revitalization efforts was essential. After kicking off a fund-raising campaign in November 2005, $210,000 was raised in 12 months, including a grant from the Iowa West Foundation.  In December 2006, Florence Futures Inc. awarded the master plan contract to BCDM and Olsson Associates. A community input session, held Feb. 12, provided Florence residents with an opportunity to meet the creative team, learn about the master plan process and share their ideas. The group hopes to have its master plan completed by June, which will be unveiled to Florence residents at a public meeting. Although its specific elements are still under development, one thing is certain – the plan will incorporate the idea of Florence as a major heritage tourism destination. Florence, Meigs is quick to point out, has more historic sites and historical markers per square mile than any other part of the state. “Florence was the land of the Omaha and Otoe/Missouria Tribes while serving as the crossroads for a number of historic trails, including the Lewis & Clark Trail, the Alternate Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail and the California Gold Rush Trail,” she noted. “It even served as the capitol of the Nebraska Territory for one glorious week.” Among the developments the group would like to see considered are the creation of a Winter Quarters historic park that reflects the area’s wilderness origins, an interactive heritage tourism visitor center and a revamped streetscape along 30th Street that captures the essence of Florence’s history. “We think Florence could be the historic front door to Omaha as well as the state,” Meigs said. For more information about Florence Futures, visit http://www.historicflorence.org. [Main page]