Leah C. Hoins

Papillion (Images of America) Leah C. Hoins

Papillion's name is derived from French fur traders who ventured

near the valley of the Papio Creek as early as 1739. The

butterfly-filled meadow was so beautiful that one of the men is

said to have exclaimed in his native tongue, "Papillon!" (meaning

"butterfly"). The land would later come to be known as Papillion.

Native Americans roamed freely across the local prairie until 1857,

when John L. Beadle obtained a land grant and platted a town.

Successful negotiations with the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific

Railroads ensured the growth and prosperity needed for the Papillion

Town Company to incorporate in 1870. Businesses soon lined the

center of the village as German immigrants cultivated the land. New

schools and churches enhanced the establishment of the booming

community, which became the seat of Sarpy County. The pioneers

persevered through fire, pestilence, and flood to establish Papillion, a

town destined to survive.