city, seat (1855) of Cass county, eastern Nebraska, U.S., near the confluence of the Platte and Missouri rivers, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Omaha. Oto and Omaha Indians were early inhabitants. French explorers visited the area in 1730, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped there in 1804. In 1852 a ferry across the Missouri was started, and the community was founded in 1854. The city developed as a steamboat and stagecoach stop and as a shipping point for lumber, grain, and livestock. With the arrival of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad in 1869 and construction of a bridge in 1880, river traffic declined. Plattsmouth was a farming and railroading community until 1940, when it began to evolve into a commuter and light-industrial suburb of Omaha. The contemporary economy is based on manufacturing (including retail supplies and industrial equipment), agriculture (mainly soybeans and corn 【maize】), health care, services, and tourism. The Kass Kounty King Korn Karnival, a harvest festival, is held each September. The city lies on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail; to the west at the bend in the river are Platte River and Eugene T. Mahoney state parks and Schramm Park and Louisville state recreation areas. Inc. 1855. Pop. (2000) 6,887; (2005 est.) 7,023.