Railroads in Omaha
Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska, have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United 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.[1]
History
Omaha was not supposed to be the center of the
First Transcontinental Railroad
In 1863 ground was broken near Miller's Landing on the Missouri River for the First Transcontinental Railroad. Along with local financier Edward Creighton,[4] 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.[5] The Union Pacific Railroad has been headquartered in Omaha since its inception in 1867, starting with its fifty-year occupancy of the Herndon House in downtown. In 1872 Union Pacific opened the first bridge across the Missouri to Omaha.[6] The historic Overland Route continues to run through the city.
Omaha Stockyards
The
Making use of the constellation of railroads, the US Army built the
By 1955, Omaha had surpassed Chicago as the largest stockyards and packing center 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 (24 km) 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.[7] The line was discontinued in the early 1960s.[8]
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-day Oklahoma and Texas.[9]
General service
In 1867 Ezra Millard, Andrew J. Hanscom, and Augustus Kountze formed the Omaha Horse Railway, the first horsecar in the city. The Omaha 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 the Omaha Street Railway Company. In 1896 the new company disbanded as competitors moved in.[10] An electric car was built between Omaha and Benson specifically to promote that suburb's development during these years.
By 1901
Train stations
By the opening of the
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.[12]
The
Defunct stations
There have been many railroad stations downtown and smaller depots throughout Omaha since the inception of the Union Pacific in the city.
Name | Location | Opened | Closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Burlington Station
|
925 South 10th Street | 1898 | 1974 | 2015 home of KETV 7 |
Briggs Station | 5300 Sargent St (demolished) | [13] | ||
DeBolt Station | 7000 North 60th Street | [14] | ||
Druid Hill Depot | North 32nd and John Creighton Boulevard | 1888 | Unknown | Former station on the Belt Line Railway.[15] |
Florence Depot | 9000 North 30th Street | 1887 | 1966 | Open and operated as a historical museum. |
Gibson Station | [16] | |||
Lake Street Station | North 40th and Lake Streets | 1887 | Still standing | [17] |
Missouri Pacific Freight Depot | North 14th and Webster Street | [18] | ||
Nicholas Street Depot | North 43rd and Nicholas Street | 1887 | [19] | |
Nicholas Street Freight Depot | North 15th and Nicholas Street | 1887 | [20] | |
Oak Chatham Depot | 4351 North 22nd Street | 1887 | [21] | |
Ralston Station | ||||
Union Station
|
801 South 10th Street | 1938 | 1971 | Current home of the Durham Western Heritage Museum .
|
Union Stockyards Depot | South 28th and L Streets | The station for the South Omaha Terminal Railway. | ||
Walnut Hill Depot | Military Avenue and Hamilton Street | 1887 | ||
Webster Street Station
|
Webster and Saddle Creek Road | 1887 | ||
West Lawn Station | Aksarben Drive and Mercy Road | Former station on Chicago and North Western Railroad.[22]
| ||
Walnut Hill Station | 34th and Nicholas Street. | |||
South 28th and B Streets |
Bridges
Railroad bridges
There have been many railroad bridges, trestles and other structures to carry railroads over structures in Omaha.
Name | Location | Opened | Closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge | Across the Missouri River | |||
East Omaha Bridge
|
Across the Missouri River | 1893 / 1903 | 1980 | Built by the Illinois Central Railroad.[23] |
O Street Viaduct
|
O Street | 1885 / 2001 | ||
Cuming Street Trestle | 4448 Cuming St | 1887 | Built for the Belt Line Railway, owned by the Missouri Pacific, demolished.[24] | |
North 30th Street Trestle | 4900 N. 30th | Owned by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, demolished.[25] | ||
OPPD Trestle | 41°19’39.1″N 95°56’25.6″W | Built to serve the Omaha Public Power District Coal Plant on J.J. Pershing Drive, demolished.[26] | ||
Omaha Road Trestle | 41°19’37.2″N 95°56’58.4″W | Built by the Omaha Road to straddle Sharon Drive.[27]
| ||
North 16th Street Trestle | 4140 N. 16th Street | 1887 | Built for the Belt Line Railway, owned by the Missouri Pacific, demolished.[28] | |
Union Pacific Carter Lake Bridge | 4405 Carter Lake Shore Dr. West | Demolished.[29] | ||
Missouri Pacific Carter Lake Bridge | 35 Carter Lake Shore Drive | Demolished.[30] | ||
Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge | Across the Missouri River | 1893 / 1903 | [31] | |
Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge | Across the Missouri River | 1893 / 1903 | [32] |
Because of agreements and lawsuits between the City of Omaha and railroad companies with trackage in Omaha, the companies were responsible for building and maintaining several overpasses for wagons, cars, pedestrians, and streetcars to travel over tracks. These included the Locust Street viaduct and the Nicholas Street viaduct.[33]
20th century
In 1939
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 largest in the world by the mid-1950s, surpassing Chicago.
Railroads in the 21st century
Today, the
Several major railroads formerly served Omaha, including
Omaha was not spared from the steep decline in passenger service in the second half of the 20th century.
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.
See also
References
- ^ Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 64.
- ^ Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) p 23.
- ^ Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) p 25.
- ^ Mullens, P.A. (1901) Biographical Sketches of Edward Creighton and John A. Creighton. Creighton University. p 24.
- ^ Bristow, D.L. (2002) A dirty, wicked town: Tales of 19th century Omaha. Caxton Press. p 66.
- ^ Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 65.
- ^ Klein, M. (1986) The Life and Legend of Jay Gould. Johns Hopkins University Press. p 343.
- ^ Kratville, W. (2002) Railroads of Omaha and Council Bluffs. Arcadia Publishing. p 75.
- ^ (1888) "Omaha Railroads", Omaha Illustrated: A history of the pioneer period and the Omaha of today. Omaha: D.C. Dunbar & Co. p. 111. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
- ^ "Omaha Timeline." Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Douglas County Historical Society. Retrieved 9/23/07.
- ^ Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 107.
- ^ Potter, J. G. (1996) Great American Railroad Stations. John Wiley and Sons. p. 377.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Northwestern Miller. (1916) Miller's Almanac and Year Book. p. 190.
- ^ "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ (1978) Nebraska History. Volume 59. p. 178.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of the Belt Line Railway in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of Railroads in North Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "A History of the Nicholas Street Viaduct" by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.