St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in downtown Omaha turns 150 in 2018. Over the years the church has seen a lot, including the lowering of Dodge Street in the early 20th century, renovations in the late 1990s and the long-awaited addition of a steeple in 2007.

Interesting but it took only one year – 1868 – to build this “Gothic-style cathedral“. One year was a normal time frame to build something like this back then. As a matter of fact, it appears somewhat slow, for Seattle did much better in 1889. I’m being sarcastic, but these are the official narratives we have.

Below is an example of over 20 feet of dirt which came from nowhere. It buried this cathedral at some unknown point in time. Our official history can not account for its appearance. The officials are not even trying to explain where the dirt came from (as far as I know). If we were to believe that the cathedral was indeed built in 1868, than somebody has some explaining to do. If the cathedral was not built in 1868, we have a totally different issue added to the mud flood one we already have.

1. Omaha’s St. Mary Magdalene Church before the grading project began. This photo shows the west side of the church about 1908.

2. A view of St. Mary Magdalene before 1920 street construction.

3. St. Mary Magdalene is seen during grading. The Dodge Street project cost nearly $13 million in today’s dollars, and at the time was described by the World-Herald as a “great engineering feat.”

4. Crews work on the lowering of Dodge Street in front of St. Mary Magdalene Church.

5. A steam shovel removes dirt and loads it onto a hopper car during the grading of Omaha’s Dodge Street near 19th Street.

6. Steam engines and dump cars ran on special tracks to remove dirt dug out by steam-powered shovels along Dodge Street in 1920.

7. St. Mary Magdalene Church at 19th and Dodge Streets in Omaha during the lowering of Dodge Street. Once the earthmoving was complete, the church’s front door stood about 20 feet above Dodge.

8. Omaha’s St. Mary Magdalene Church at 19th and Dodge Streets during the street grading project. The workmen are building a new foundation.

9. St. Mary Magdalene, about a year after the Dodge Street project.

10. This photo shows the new lower level of Omaha’s St. Mary Magdalene Church after the Dodge Street grading.

11. St. Mary Magdalene Church at 19th and Dodge Streets in Omaha after the street grading project.

Source: Photos: Downtown Omaha’s St. Mary Magdalene Church through the years

KD: Entering a cathedral through the 3rd story window has to be somehow explained. Where is that explanation?

Next time you walk by a building with half-sunk windows like above, remember this cathedral. There could be three buried stories beneath your feet.

Yes, Conspiracy-R-us did a video on this church (2 actually), but you added many more photos. It was this church that got me convinced the of the mud flood. I ended up posting some stuff on his comments from my own research about Omaha and the church, but he didn’t comment back. This forum would probably be a better place. Plus I am able to edit and look at it more closely.

In his video he says the excuse was because there were too many steep hills. They were compromising the expansion of the town.

Some things I noticed:

Have you seen this postcard of the church? It shows it in it’s full height. No hill anywhere near it. This was drawn what looks to be around 1940’s, give or take a decade. (So it was after the excavation?). But if you look at the postcard below it, it is still buried, but the large building behind the structure with the triangle roof (to the right of the church in the postcard) is gone. So is the structure that was across the street where the lamp post is, in what is now the park, and shown on your excavating photos.

This is before the church was excavated….I guess….., but is missing the tall building to the right. And I don’t see a hill either.

The city was supposedly founded in 1854. Wikipedia says “Its growth happened so quickly that the town was nicknamed the “Magic City”. The latter part of the 19th century also saw the formation of several fraternal organizations, including the formation of Knights of Aksarben.” and “Surrounded by small towns and cities that competed for business from the hinterland’s farmers, the city suffered a major setback in the Panic of 1857. Despite this, Omaha quickly emerged as the largest city in Nebraska. After losing the Nebraska State Capitol to Lincoln in 1867, many business leaders rallied and created the Jobbers Canyon in downtown Omaha to outfit farmers in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and further west. Their entrepreneurial success allowed them to build mansions in Kountze Place and the Old Gold Coast neighborhoods.” (if you search photos of Omaha you will see the architecture of those homes….) Look at this old, old photo (doesn’t have a date though).

The excuse they gave were the “steep” hills, but look at the building looming in the background. (and remember the town wasn’t even founded until 1854)…but I don’t see the steep hills they “HAD” to remove per se. They were obviously building on them just fine. And nothing like what is shown in the picture with all the mud.

And here is an image of Omaha in 1867. Again, not seeing those treacherous steep hills (which was the excuse to re-grade the street). Certainly not downtown (like shown in the picture). This looks like an older image, and what the town looked like even before 1854.

And look at this photo. Taken in Omaha. There is no info or date, but I am assuming they are blaming the cyclones that go through there, but I have no idea. But it is a trolley.

The Wiki history of Omaha is pretty pathetic and skips over portions of time, plus not giving any realistic details. Nor does it talk of any disasters. Look at the next picture.

The Trans-Mississippi Exposition was held in North Omaha from June 1 to November 1, 1898. The exposition drew more than 2 million visitors. It required the construction of attractions spanning 100 city blocks, including a shipworthy lagoon, bridges and magnificent (though temporary) buildings constructed of plaster and horsehair.