History

In 1800 the ground upon Homer which now stands was the home of hundreds of Omaha Indians.  The Indian village consisted of 300 earth lodges with a population of about 1800.  Captain William Clark stated in his journal that the village was the largest found on the expedition and the village was named "Tonwantonga" which means "Big Village".  In 1800 small pox broke out and the Omaha tribe burned their village and moved south.  On August 18, 1804 some of Lewis and Clark's men explored the ruins of the village and crossed Omaha Creek where Homer is now situated.

On October 1, 1871, Martin S. Mansfield crossed the Omaha Creek on a low bridge and built the first house erected in the town of Homer.  This first house was occupied by John and Joseph Smith, who had a stock of general merchandise.  The following spring Martin built several other houses and Combs Mill in the new town.  When Smithville was suggested as the name for the town in honor of it's founders, Mr. Mansfield replied "Gentlemen, I want a name with one mouthful; the town will be called Homer".  On February 1, 1875, the county commissioners incorporated the town under the name of Homer.

Fires

In the early 1900's, Homer was plagued many times by fire.  On August, 1903, a disastrous fire burned Rasdal's saloon and McKinley's Barber Shop.  The Ennis saloon was also on fire but was put out. Arson was strongly suspected.

On March 29, 1907, the Town Hall of Homer was in flames at 5:30 p.m.  It was completely destroyed.  Authorities believed that a match under a bar of iron on the floor started the blaze.  A year later on April 30, 1908, Herman's Business corner burned at 5:15 a.m.  The village hand-engine was pulled to the scene but was too late to save the Herman building which was on the corner of John and First Street.

One of the greatest disasters in the early history of Homer was a fire which burned an entire business block of wooden frame buildings on the north side of main street.  The fire struck after midnight on January, 1912.  The only fire fighting equipment was a bucket brigade which was no match for the flames.  The following year, January 6, 1913, the Farmer's Exchange Building and the hardware and furniture store also burned.  Most of these buildings were replaced by brick buildings and are still in use today.

Floods

Due to its low location near the Omaha Creek, Homer has often been plagued with floods.  Early settlers say that the area from the present gas station down past the City Park was swampy and muddy during spring thaws and any prolonged rains stopped the main street from being used.  Floods occurred in June of 1875, June of 1900, September of 1903 and March of 1909.

The two worst floods to hit Homer were in 1920 and 1940.  On Monday night, May 31, 1920, a storm struck accompanied by the heaviest rainfall ever witnessed in the area, lasting for nearly four hours.  At least 25 residences and church buildings were moved from their foundations.  Another 75 residences were affected by the high water, with 2 inches to 7 feet of water in them.  The loss in Homer was estimated between $200,000 and $300,000.

The most disastrous flood in Homer history swept into town early Tuesday morning, June 4, 1940.  Ten to twelve feet of water poured into the valley, trapping many residents.  Shortly after the water hit Homer, a series of explosions followed.  These explosions killed two townspeople and severely burned two others.  Every business place was wrecked or severely damaged.  Several residents were moved and others surrounded by walls of mud.  The National Red Cross assisted in the rehabilitation.

The last flood to occur in Homer was on February 20, 1971.  The area received a hard rain and because the ground was frozen, flooding occurred in the lowlands.

Two Gun Hart

Al Capone's oldest brother, James Vincenzo Capone, left his home in Brooklyn at at the age of 16 in 1908.  Always a strong-minded and independent boy, he wanted to escape the crowded city and go west where the prospects were better.

After joining the circus, he traveled all over the Midwest and for the first time, was exposed to American Indians and became fascinated with their culture.  Vincenzo also became pretty good with a gun and when World War I broke out, he enlisted and was sent over to France with the American Expeditionary Force.  He was the only one of that generation of Capone sons to fight in World War I.  His family back in Brooklyn had no idea about his military service at that time and he had lost contact with them.

After the war he hopped a train to Nebraska and stayed in the small town of Homer.  In 1919, he rescued a young woman named Kathleen Winch and her family in a flash flood.  Shortly afterwards, Capone, who then called himself Richard Hart, and Kathleen were married.

As his family grew, he tried to make an ordinary living in Homer, but the adventuresome Hart needed more excitement.  Hart saw an opportunity to get a more interesting job where his expert marksmanship would be useful and became a Prohibition enforcement officer.  As his fame as a lawman increased, he was hired by the U.S. Indian Service to try to keep alcohol off of the Indian reservations.

His terrific ability with guns, plus the pair of pearl-handled pistols he wore, earned him the name "Two Gun Hart".  Later on, he became the town marshal in Homer.  Younger brothers, Al and Ralph were making headlines of a different sort in another part of the Midwest.

Eventually, in the early 1940's, he quietly contacted his brothers in Chicago and met with Ralph and John Capone in Sioux City.  Then he went to Chicago to see his mother, Theresa.  When he went home, he told Kathleen and his sons that he was in fact Al Capone's brother.

In 1946, Two-Gun allowed his son Harry Hart, who still resides in Homer, to go with him to a Capone family cabin in Wisconsin where he had a chance to meet his famous uncle, Al Capone.

In 1952, Two-Gun Hart suffered a fatal heart attack in Homer, Nebraska. Kathleen and Harry were at his side.  His oldest son, Richard Hart Jr., had been killed in World War II, while his other two boys had settled in Wisconsin.

It seems unbelievable that the two brothers, Richard Hart and Al Capone, could have lived such remarkably different lives on opposite sides of the law.

Source: http://www.crimelibrary.com/capone/caponehart.htm