Who was the first confirmed European to enter Nebraska? Discover the real story behind the first European arrivals in Nebraska after the Coronado era. This Nebraska History Revisited episode explores the French explorer Étienne de Bourgmont who reached the mouth of the Platte River in 1714 near modern Plattsmouth in Cass County.

Follow the early expeditions that brought the first documented European presence to Nebraska soil, including the Spanish Villasur party near Columbus in Platte County in 1720 and the French Mallet brothers who crossed the Platte River valley through Cass, Sarpy, and Lancaster counties in 1739.

Learn how these journeys mapped the Platte River corridor and gave Nebraska its earliest recorded name. Perfect for Nebraska history fans and anyone curious about the state’s earliest European chapter.

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