Beef State

"Cornhusker State" license plate, 1969

"Cornhusker State" license plate, 1969
Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, 1969plate
"Beef State" license plate, 1956

"Beef State" license plate, 1956
Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, 1956plate

Introduction

Nebraska has had only two official state names:

  • The Tree Planter State, 1895 - 1945 and
  • The Cornhusker State, 1945 - present. (Many outsiders may think that this last title derived from the football team, rather than the other way around.)

Construction of the Nebraska State Historical Society building, 1952

Construction of the Nebraska State Historical Society building, 1952
Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, RG0014-8-1

However, beef had become so important to Nebraska’s economy by the 1950s that from 1956 through 1965, the Nebraska license plate carried the motto,

The Beef State

. That title was never an official state name by act of the legislature, but it carried an important place in the hearts of Nebraskans.

Beef boomed Nebraska’s economy. The tax revenue it generated helped support important, long sought-after building projects and created new institutions, such as:

  • The Nebraska State Historical Society’s museum in 1952.
  • The Nebraska ETV Network in 1954.
  • The governor’s residence in 1956.
  • And many more.

Nebraska Educational Television’s early studio, 1954

Nebraska Educational Television’s early studio, 1954
Courtesy NET Television
Nebraska Governor’s residence in Lincoln, west side, 1956

Nebraska Governor’s residence in Lincoln, west side, 1956
Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, RG2869-97

Beef helped Nebraska prosper after World War II.
From the 2008 NET program, Beef State

In Nebraska, the prosperity of the 1950s and ‘60s that the rest of the country also felt was directly a result of our beef economy.

Double cheeseburger from 1953

Double cheeseburger from 1953
Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, RG2183-1953-0702-1