Sydney Salmon
Research Paper
August 7, 2015
The Durham Museum’s exhibits reveal the rich story of Omaha. It possesses
paperwork and other files from the beginnings of the museum, and is a wealth of
information. I spent this summer semester reading and sorting files from the early days of
the museum in 1975 through the 2000’s. I was not aware there could be so much to learn
about an organization through filing old papers. I discovered the great struggle to save the
building, the start of the museum, the important people behind the museum, and other
important figures throughout the life of the museum. In order to appreciate the
significance of the Durham one must ask, “How did we get here?” Unearthing the answer
to this question will allow past traditions to continue, as well as learning from mistakes
and making the necessary changes or corrections. In order to properly operate a museum,
it’s history should be well known. Old files or archives hold the key to future progress
and development.
Ronald Hunter wrote a fascinating book called, “The First Ten Years” He
beautifully crafted a book describing the people, events, ultimate formation, and progress
of the museum. Union Pacific closed Union Station in 1971, and in 1973 Union Pacific
gifted Union Station to the city of Omaha. Mayor Eugene Leahy accepted the gift but
soon after Ed Zorinksy became the new mayor. Mayor Zorinksy is portrayed as the man
who nearly defeated the dream of a Western Heritage museum. Mayor Zorinksy even
stated, “Basically, I’d like to give the building to someone else and call it quits” (Hunter
19). The mayor created a deadline for the museum; they must raise 1.2 million dollars by
the end of the year. Ronald Hunter, as president, chose to open the museum in November
instead of following the mayor’s orders. In a gutsy move, he announced to the Omaha
Chamber of Commerce and the Western Heritage board members, “Western Heritage
Society is about to take a decisive step in its history. This step has not been discussed or
even cleared with the Board of Directors of the Society, or with its Executive Committee,
or with our Executive Director” (Hunter 33). Ronald Hunter continued this speech by
declaring the date of the opening of the museum; he planned to open in little over a
month. All were clearly shocked. After an intense month of work and preparing, the
museum opened to the public and welcomed about 3,000 guests. The Omaha World
