Omaha Exploration

The building that has been the decades-long home to the Omaha Mining Company was built by Civil War veteran Thomas G. Howell. 

Howell arrived in Omaha from his native Pennsylvania with his family at which point he hired contractors Meals & McVea to build a two-story brick building that would become the home to his family, in addition to his Howell’s Grocery store starting in 1889.

The father was joined in the family business by his sons Myron and Albert (Burt) who kept it running for another 22 years after their father passed away in 1912. At that point, they renamed it Howell Brothers, a store that was known for its unusual assortment of goods that ranged from grocery items such as meat to hardware. Burt continued to operate the store as a way to pass the time following the death of Myron in 1934. Of the three Howells, Burt is most often associated with the store due to his longevity, having started working there at 15 years old until his death 55 years later. Burt was known for his kindness and generosity and oftentimes let those in need stay in one of the upstairs apartments for free.

While it began its long life as a bar around 1946 when John O’Neill opened his O’Neill’s Bar, it was brief. By 1949, James Carville opened the Clover Leaf Bar at 1715 Leavenworth Street. The Carville family was well known in the industry. His brother John opened Carville’s Bar further west on Leavenworth Street. Carville’s became Bud Olson’s after son-in-law Marvin Olson took it over. Another brother, Joseph, opened The Elbow Room on Farnam in Blackstone before it relocated to Center Street.

It remained as the Clover Leaf after William F. (Gunner) Brown took it over in 1958 and operated it for decades before passing away in 1983. As far back as the 1960s, the bar established itself as a gay-friendly establishment. It went so far as to offer a safe space behind a locked door in the basement that allowed for a quick getaway in the event that it was raided by the police.

Mark Holzapfel, manager of Marvin Gardens, which may have been the city’s first vegetarian restaurant, took the bar over in 1983 and he renamed it The Run, a name that was likely inspired by Omaha’s gay district that was referred to as the Milk Run. Later it became more commonly referred to as Omaha Mining Company (OMC).

OMC became an extremely popular hangout in the 1980s due to its accepting environment and the fact that it offered after-hours dancing until 4 AM. While the law prohibited alcohol sales after 1 AM, dancing was typically allowed until 2 AM. That is unless the establishment was granted special permission to allow dancing until 4. At first, OMC was the only bar to be granted special permission, though the city unsuccessfully attempted to revoke it numerous times.

As the practice of gay bashing increased, OMC was selected as the site of a rally designed to raise awareness with the ultimate goal of passing a hate crime bill that included gay people in 1991. The bar and the area around it long suffered from violent crime including not only gay bashing but stabbings, robberies, and shootings. The lack of a police presence and media coverage made it an easy target. While Mark moved away in 1992 and passed away in 2004 while awaiting a liver transplant, OMC lives on.

With a sign that reads “Omaha’s oldest gay bar,” it was described in an Omaha World-Herald review as a “fun, inclusive, working-class dive bar.” It is a fitting description for a place that has outlasted raids, violence, and decades of indifference. Due to the popularity of dancing at OMC, a storage area was converted into an even larger mirrored dance floor in 2011. OMC encompasses three stories, including the basement space that is now a party room called The Mineshaft. Burt Howell would hardly recognize the place.

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• https://www.omahamagazine.com/uncategorized/local-speak-easies-harken-to-olden-days/
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• Obituaries