Omaha Bee

Founded in 1871 by Edward Rosewater — a Bohemian-born immigrant who, as a Union Army telegraph operator, personally transmitted President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation over the wires — the Omaha Bee grew into what one historian called "the most successful and influential journal in Nebraska." As the state's first regional newspaper, the Bee shaped public discourse across the Midwest for decades, championing civic reform and public education while building one of the largest circulations west of Chicago.

This edition is part of The Living Archive Series, an ongoing archival preservation project dedicated to protecting America's historic press. Using advanced artificial intelligence restoration technology, this landmark publication has been carefully digitized and restored for permanent access by collectors, historians, researchers, and readers who value American journalism heritage.

The Omaha Bee is now published under Shumake Media Group, carrying its legacy forward into a new chapter.

A must-have for collectors of vintage American newspapers, Midwest historians, journalism scholars, and archivists of 19th-century American press history.

About the Author
Robert S. Shumake, publishing as Ajarn Shaman Shu, has lived two lives in one — the builder and the priest — and his books are where the two meet. He rose from a Ford factory floor to become founding president and CEO of Inheritance Capital Group, a Black Enterprise-ranked private equity firm, served as honorary consul for Botswana and Tanzania, and founded Inheritance Media Group, owner of more than 300 publications produced by an AI-run newsroom. In spirit, each tradition that initiated him gave him a name: Buddhist Ajarn in the Theravada and Vajrayana lines, Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola in Ifá, and Shri Surya Narayana Swamikal in the Tamil Siddha line. He is the founder of Soul Tribes International Ministries and of Buddha Digital Temple and its universities — Orisha University, Buddha University, and Shiva University. He authored Detroit’s Proposal E, the 2021 ballot initiative that decriminalized entheogenic plants in Detroit, and is the author of more than 140 published books and 86+ DOI-registered academic publications. His philosophy: the Double Bottom Line — make a profit, and make a difference. Robertshumake.biz