- Railroads in Omaha
Railroads in
Omaha, Nebraska have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state ofNebraska , theWestern United States and the entireUnited States . The convergence of many railroad forces upon the city was by happenstance and synergy, as none of the Omaha leaders had a comprehensive strategy for bringing railroads to the city. [Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) "The Gate City: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. p 64.]History
Omaha was not supposed to be the center of the
First Transcontinental Railroad ; its neighbor across theMissouri River ,Council Bluffs, Iowa was. In July 1862 PresidentAbraham Lincoln signed thePacific Railroad Act into law, which chartered a new organization called theUnion Pacific Railroad . It was authorized to build a single line west from an "initial point" at the 100-degree meridian (near present-dayLexington, Nebraska ). [Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) p 23.] While the legislation seemed to favor Omaha, in 1863 Lincoln issued anexecutive order designating the terminal at Council Bluffs.Thomas C. Durant , the first head of the Union Pacific, arbitrarily decided the railroad should start at Omaha. [Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) p 25.]First Transcontinental Railroad
In 1863 ground was broken near
Miller's Landing on the Missouri River for the First Transcontinental Railroad. Along with local financierEdward Creighton , [Mullens, P.A. (1901) "Biographical Sketches of Edward Creighton and John A. Creighton." Creighton University. p 24.]George Francis Train was the promoter who was chiefly responsible for the city's landing the railroad. He was made rich by its location convenient to the land which he owned near Deer Park. Landing the railroad made the value of his property for development skyrocket. [Bristow, D.L. (2002) "A dirty, wicked town: Tales of 19th century Omaha." Caxton Press. p 66.] TheUnion Pacific Railroad has been headquartered in Omaha since its inception in 1867, starting with its fifty-year occupancy of theHerndon House in downtown. In 1872 Union Pacific opened the first bridge across the Missouri to Omaha. [Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) "The Gate City: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. p 65.] The historic Overland Route continues to run through the city.Omaha Stockyards
The
Union Stockyards Railroad Company , a subsidiary of theUnion Stockyards Company , was aspur line established to serve theOmaha Stockyards , which opened in the 1880s. It was transformed into theSouth Omaha Railroad in the 1920s. Because of the Stockyards, by the 1880s Omaha was served by every major railroad in the country. Other railroads in the city included theOmaha Road ,Omaha, Lincoln and Beatrice Railway ,Omaha Southern Railroad ,Kansas, Nebraska and Omaha Railway ,Omaha and Republican Valley Railway ,Omaha and Southwestern Rail Road andOmaha, Abilene and Wichita Railway .Making use of the constellation of railroads, the
US Army built theOmaha Quartermaster Depot in Omaha in 1881. It supplied many military institutions in Nebraska and throughout theWestern United States .In the mid-20th century, Omaha had the second largest stockyards and packing industry in the world. It processed thousands of animals per week. The packing plants received animals from 22 states, with most of the stock transported by railroad.
Omaha Belt Line
The Omaha Belt Line was a 15-mile long railroad that circumnavigated the city starting in 1885. Carrying passengers and cargo, the rail was operated by the
Missouri Pacific Railroad . The railroad also had branches into Lincoln, Wahoo and Nebraska City. [Klein, M. (1986) "The Life and Legend of Jay Gould." Johns Hopkins University Press. p 343.] The line was discontinued in the early 1960s. [Kratville, W. (2002) "Railroads of Omaha and Council Bluffs". Arcadia Publishing. p 75.]Defunct railroads from Omaha
There were several railroads that went from Omaha throughout the state of Nebraska and beyond. The Kansas, Nebraska and Omaha Railway ran from Omaha to southwestern
Kansas , specifically to provide access from the cattle regions of present-dayOklahoma andTexas . [(1888) [http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/OLLibrary/Omaha_book/omaha039.htm "Omaha Railroads"] , "Omaha Illustrated: A history of the pioneer period and the Omaha of today." Omaha: D.C. Dunbar & Co. p. 111. RetrievedSeptember 17 2008 .]General service
In 1867
Ezra Millard ,Andrew J. Hanscom , andAugustus Kountze formed theOmaha Horse Railway , the firsthorsecar in the city. TheOmaha Cable Tramway Company was the city's only cable car. It started in 1884 and ended in 1895 after consolidating with the Horse Railway as theOmaha Street Railway Company . In 1896 the new company disbanded as competitors moved in. [ [http://www.omahahistory.org/Education_Timeline6.htm "Omaha Timeline."] Douglas County Historical Society. Retrieved 9/23/07.] Anelectric car was built between Omaha and Benson specifically to promote that suburb's development during these years.By 1901
Gurdon Wattles consolidated several of the older companies to organize theOmaha and Council Bluffs Streetcar Company . After receiving a 30-year franchise from the City of Omaha, the company established amass transit system that covered the entire city, includingcommuter train s andinterurban s. [Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) "The Gate City: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. p 107.] Streetcar lines operated in Omaha until 1955.Train stations
By the opening of the
Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898 the city boasted two importanttrain station s. The Union Station was served by theChicago and North Western Railroad ,Wabash Railroad ,Missouri Pacific Railroad ,Chicago Great Western Railway ,Rock Island Railroad ,Milwaukee Road and theUnion Pacific Railroad .It also served as the Union Pacific headquarters, which needed to expand in the 20th century. Architect
Gilbert Stanley Underwood remarked on his 1931 design of Union Station, "We have tried to express the distinctive character of the railroad: strength, power, masculinity." Union Station was the first Art Deco station in the country. [Potter, J. G. (1996) "Great American Railroad Stations." John Wiley and Sons. p. 377.]The
Burlington Station was served by theChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad , and later theAmtrak . Other stations in the city included the Webster Street Station, Gibson Station, Ralston Station,Florence Depot and the North 34 Street Station.Defunct stations
20th century
In 1939 "Union Pacific", a major
Hollywood film, was premiered in Omaha to celebrate the city's railroad heritage. The McKeen railroad motor car was a specialized self-propelled passenger car manufactured in Omaha.The railroads continued to be important to freight, business and passenger travel into the 20th century. In 1947 the city's two stations had 114 passenger trains per day that connected all across the West and Midwest.
Railroads carried many of the tens of thousands of animals for processing at the packing plants, located near the stockyards and railroads. The city's stockyards and packing industry were the second largest in the world, close to those of Chicago.
Railroads in the 21st century
Today, the
Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District celebrates this connection, as do the listing of theBurlington Train Station and the Union Station on theNational Register of Historic Places . Two large train engines have been placed as monuments and industrial art inKenefick Park inSouth Omaha . They face Interstate 80, one of the successor transportation modes.Several major railroads formerly served Omaha, including Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific (CRIP), Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CBQ); Chicago Great Western (CGW); Illinois Central (IC); Chicago & Northwestern (CNW); Wabash (WAB); Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific (The Milwaukee Road) (CMStP&P); Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha; Missouri Pacific (MP); and the Union Pacific.
Omaha is the location of Union Pacific Railroad's corporate headquarters. Located downtown,
Union Pacific Center is the largest building by square feet in the state of Nebraska, and the 4th tallest in Omaha. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service through Omaha, operating itsCalifornia Zephyr daily in each direction between Chicago andEmeryville, California , across the bay fromSan Francisco .ee also
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Transportation in Omaha References
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