Bellevue, located along the Missouri River just south of modern-day Omaha, is widely recognized as the oldest continuously inhabited town and settlement in the state of Nebraska. Originating as a fur trading post established in the early 1820s by independent traders like Peter A. Sarpy and mission stations set up to serve local Native American tribes, the community quickly became a vital rendezvous point for trappers, explorers, and westward-bound pioneers. As the territory opened for official settlement, Bellevue served as an early county seat and a bustling frontier outpost, playing a monumental role in the early political and economic development of the Nebraska territory.