USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
"Starting from more westerly points on the Missouri River, there is less of land travel than by any other route. There is a better connecting line of good water, wood, stone, coal, soil and grass, than can be found on any other route. This route lies in the zone of the earth's surface where the greatest variety of
247
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
useful articles can be produced; where men are capable of the greatest endur- ance, and where the greatest population and wealth are most likely to accumulate."
Thus Nebraska early went on record as favoring a Pacific Railroad, and while other states, industrial and commercial organizations, political conventions, etc., passed resolutions from time to time favoring a great trans-continental rail- way, the systematic and persistent work of Nebraska's territorial governors, from Cuming to Saunders, was one of the greatest influences in securing the actual building of the road.
THE UNION PACIFIC
As early as 1819, some eight years before steam power had been successfully applied to propelling cars upon the little Mauch Chunk Railway, Robert Mills, of Virginia, began urging the necessity of a cross-country railway. His views were first presented to the general public and later to Congress, to which body he suggested, if found to be practicable, "steam propelled carriages for quickened service across the continent, to run from the head waters of inland navigation over a direct route to the Pacific."
Mr. Mills was several years "in advance of the procession," and little atten- tion was paid to his theories and suggestions. Some years later Asa Whitney, of New York; Butler S. King and General Robinson, of Pennsylvania ; Hosmer, Chase and Wade, of Ohio; Pierce, of Indiana ; Thomas H. Benton, of Missouri, and a number of other foresighted men, all urged the construction of a railroad to run from some point on the Missouri River to the Pacific coast. It was not until 1853, however, that the project assumed anything like definite form. In that year Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio, introduced in the United States Senate a bill providing for surveys of four routes to the Pacific coast, to wit: 1. A line from the Upper Mississippi River via the Yellowstone Valley to Puget Sound; 2. A line along or near the 36th parallel, through Walker's Pass of the Rocky Mountains, to strike the coast somewhere near Los Angeles or San Diego, Cali- fornia : 3. A line through the Rocky Mountains near the head waters of the Rio del Norte and Hueferno rivers, via Great Salt Lake Basin, and 4. A line along the 32nd parallel, via El Paso and the Valley of the Colorado River, to strike the coast somewhere in Lower California.
Jefferson Davis, then secretary of war, by what authority is uncertain, sent five other engineering corps into the field to examine and report on the feasibility of constructing a railroad on each of five different routes-one between the 47th and 49th parallels, called the "Northern Route;" one between the 4Ist and 43d parallels, known as the "Central Route," also called the Overland or Mormon Route ; a third along the 39th parallel, called the "Buffalo Trail;" the fourth along the 35th parallel, and the fifth, called the "Southern Route," followed the 32nd parallel. Under date of January 27, 1855, Mr. Davis made a complete report of what had been done in the way of reconnoitering or surveying the routes above mentioned.
In that same month Stephen A. Douglas, then United States senator from Illinois, introduced a bill in Congress, proposing three routes to the coast: "One via El Paso and the Colorado River, to be called the 'Southern Pacific;' another from the Iowa border, to be called the 'Central Pacific;' and the third farther
248
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
north, to be known as the 'Northern Pacific.'" It is a fact worthy of note that three great trunk lines were afterward built upon practically the lines designated in the Douglas Bill of 1855, and that they bear the names therein suggested.
On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln approved the bill creating the Union Pacific Railroad Company, which corporation was authorized and empowered "to lay out, locate, construct, furnish, maintain and enjoy a continuous railroad and telegraph, with the appurtenances, from a point on the 100th meridian of longi- tude west from Greenwich, between the south margin of the Valley of the Repub- lican River and the north margin of the Valley of the Platte River, in the Terri- tory of Nebraska, to the western boundary of Nevada Territory," etc.
The bill granted to the railroad company a right of way 400 feet in width through the public lands, and also every alternate or odd numbered section of land to the amount of five alternate sections per mile on each side of the road within the limit of ten miles, not sold or otherwise disposed of, mineral lands excepted. It was further provided that bonds to the amount of $16,000 per mile should be issued by the Government to aid in the construction of the road, that amount to be trebled through the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains, said bonds to become a first mortgage lien upon the property.
Another provision of the act of July 1, 1862, required the board of directors of the Union Pacific Railroad Company to meet in Chicago on the first Tuesday of September, 1862, for the purpose of organization. Pursuant to this requirement, the board met at the time and place designated and organized by the election of William B. Ogden as the first president. This organization was somewhat tenta- tive in its nature and about the only act of the board under it was to accept the terms of the creative act on June 27, 1863. At the next meeting of the board, which was held in New York City on October 29, 1863, a formal organization was perfected and Gen. John A. Dix succeeded Mr. Ogden as president of the company. At the same time Dr. Thomas C. Durant was elected vice president and he became the moving spirit of the company, giving it the advantage of all his constructive genius and his fortune.
Section 14 of the act of July 1, 1862, authorized the railroad company "to construct a single line of railroad and telegraph from a point on the western boundary of the State of Iowa, to be fixed by the President of the United States," and on November 1, 1863, President Lincoln fixed the terminal point at the City of Omaha, Nebraska. Peter A. Dey, the engineer employed by the company to survey the route, reported in favor of bridging the Missouri River at Child's Mills or Bellevue, using the Papillion Valley to the Elkhorn River, thus avoiding the objectionable grade through the hills on any line west from Omaha, but President Lincoln had designated "the eastern bank of the Missouri River, opposite Omaha, as the terminus." The conditions imposed by the act creating the company had been accepted by the board of directors on June 27, 1863, and on December 2, 1863, ground was broken in the "North Omaha Bottoms" with! appropriate ceremonies. Andrew J. Hanscom presided and among those present were: Gov. Alvin Saunders, Mayors Kennedy and Palmer of Omaha and Coun- cil Bluffs, Edward Creighton, George B. Lake, John I. Redick, George Francis Train, Experience Estabrook, A. J. Poppleton, Augustus Kountze and a number of other prominent citizens of Omaha and Council Bluffs. The long talked of Pacific Railroad was actually begun.
249
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
Although Mr. Dey's natural choice for a place of crossing was at Bellevue or Childs' Mills, the order of the President fixing the eastern terminus at Omaha must be observed. This led to two surveys being made-one directly west from Omaha to the Elkhorn River and the other via Mud Creek and Papil- lion, known as the "Ox-Bow Route." Between these two Mr. Dey favored the former and several thousand dollars were expended in grading that route. On March 7, 1864, President Lincoln issued his second and more definite executive order, fixing the terminus of the Union Pacific Railway "On the western boun- dary of Iowa, east of and opposite the east line of section 10, township 13 north, of range 13 east of the sixth principal meridian in the Territory of Nebraska, within the limits of the Township in Iowa opposite the Town of Omaha, Neb."
In the early work of construction the inflated prices caused by the Civil war affected the credit of the contractors and slow progress was made. Under the discouraging conditions, Mr. Dey retired as chief engineer early in 1865 and was succeeded by D. H. Ainsworth, while J. E. House completed the survey over the Platte Valley route to the point where that river was to be bridged.
On October 4, 1864, M. H. Hoxie was awarded a contract to build the road for a distance of 100 miles west of Omaha. Soon after this contract was awarded Jesse L. Williams and Silas Seymour were sent to Omaha by New York interests to look over the surveys and report upon the most practicable Missouri River crossing. About the same time the Government sent Col. J. H. Simpson on a similar mission. The reports of these three men all agreed that the road could be built at less cost if the bridge over the river was located about seven miles south of Omaha, and Williams and Seymour recommended a change to that point. After the assassination of President Lincoln in April, 1865, a peti- tion was presented to President Andrew Johnson asking him to modify the order so that the lower location might be used as the terminus. He gave his approval for the change, but the people of Omaha were aroused and in the end their protests were heeded. The crossing point was located at Omaha and Council Bluffs and the road was constructed on the Ox-Bow Route. Years afterward a new line was built from Omaha directly west to the Elkhorn. It was opened for business on May 15, 1908, and is known as the "Lane Cut-off."
The first rail was laid on July 10, 1865, and on September 22, 1865, ten miles of the road were completed and in use, with material on hand for 100 miles more. The first train of which any record has been preserved was run fifteen miles out from Omaha to Salings' Grove in November, 1865. Among the pas- sengers were Gen. W. T. Sherman, Thomas C. Durant and A. J. Poppleton, riding on flat cars with nail kegs for seats. On January 26, 1866, the first Gov- ernment inspection was made by Col. J. H. Simpson, Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and Maj. William White. There were then about thirty miles of road completed and in operation.
CREDIT MOBILIER
Early in the year 1865 the Credit Mobilier was chartered in the State of Penn- sylvania as a construction insurance company and took over the unfinished con- tract of H. M. Hoxie on the 15th of March. That summer and fall the Credit Mobilier completed the Union Pacific to the 100th meridian, 247 miles from
250
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
Omaha. Unfortunately the Credit Mobilier became entangled in political intrigue, which destroyed its usefulness as a railroad builder, its purposes-much misun- derstood and mistrusted from the first-were discredited and it was forced to suspend.
On May 15, 1866, Gen. Grenville M. Dodge entered the service of the Union Pacific Railroad Company as chief engineer, and upon the capitulation of the Credit Mobilier, Oakes Ames, on August 16, 1867, undertook the work of carry- ing out its unfinished obligations. Under the direction of General Dodge the work was pushed forward with record breaking rapidity for the remaining 1,086 miles to Promontory Point, Utah, where the tracks were joined to those of the Central Pacific.
THE CENTRAL PACIFIC
Although this road has no direct bearing upon the history of Omaha and Douglas County, the importance of its indirect influence in giving to the Union Pacific an outlet to the western coast can hardly be estimated. Ground was broken for the Central Pacific at Sacramento, Cal., February 22, 1863, nearly eleven months before the Union Pacific was commenced at Omaha. Among the men who were active in the building of the Central Pacific were Collis P'. Huntington, Edward B. Crocker, Cornelius Cole, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, I.eland Stanford and Theodore D. Judah, the last named being the chief engineer.
It will be remembered that the bill of July 1, 1862, chartering the Union Pacific Railroad Company, authorized that corporation to build its line to the western boundary of Nevada. By the act of July 3, 1866, this was changed, the Central Pacific being given authority to build eastward until a junction was formed with the Union Pacific. On the other hand, the Union Pacific was given the privilege of extending its road beyond the western boundary of Nevada, unless a junction of the two roads should be sooner effected. With the passage of this act the race was on in earnest, both companies doing their utmost to reach the construction limit of their charters. In the winter of 1868-69 their grades met in Western Utah and passed, paralleling, until the Union Pacific had graded more than two hundred miles beyond the advanced work of the Central. Con- gress was called upon to settle the terminal difficulties, but before that hody could act the officials of the two companies adjusted their difference by agreeing upou Promontory Point as the place of union. There, on May 10, 1869, was driven the last spike that welded together the East and the West by a great trans-conti- mental highway. The following description of the ceremonies on that occasion is taken from Gen. Grenville M. Dodge's "How We Built the Union Pacific Railway :"
"Hon. Leland Stanford, governor of California and president of the Central Pacific, accompanied by Messrs. Huntington, Hopkins, Crocker, and trainloads of California's distinguished citizens, arrived from the West. During the fore- noon Vice President T. C. Durant and Directors John R. Duff and Sidney Dillon and Consulting Engineer Silas A. Seymour, of the Union Pacific, with other prominent men, including a delegation of Mormons from Salt Lake City, came in on a train from the East. The National Government was represented by a detach-
GEN. GRENVILLE M. DODGE Chief engineer in the construction of the Union Pacific Road
251
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
ment of regulars from Fort Douglas, Utah, accompanied by a band, and 600 others, including Chinese, Mexicans, Indians, half-breeds, negroes and laborers, suggesting an air of cosmopolitanism, all gathered around the open space where the tracks were to be joined. The Chinese laid the rails from the west end and the Irish laborers laid them from the east end until they met and joined.
"Telegraphic wires were so connected that each blow of the descending sledge could be reported instantly to all parts of the United States. Corresponding blows were struck on the bell of the city hall in San Francisco, and with the last blow of the sledge a cannon was fired at Fort Point. General Safford pre- sented a spike of gold, silver and iron as the offering of the Territory of Arizona. Governor Tuttle, of Nevada, presented a spike of silver from his state. The connecting tie was of California laurel, and California presented the last spike of gold in behalf of that state. A silver sledge had also been presented for the occa- sion. A prayer was offered. Governor Stanford, of California, made a few appropriate remarks on behalf of the Central Pacific and the chief engineer (General Dodge) responded for the Union Pacific. Then the telegraphic inquiry from the Omaha office, from which the circuit was to be started, was answered :
" 'To everybody : Keep quiet. When the last spike is driven at Promontory Point we will say "Done." Don't break the circuit, but watch for the signals of the blows of the hammer. The spike will soon be driven. The signal will be three dots for the commencement of the blows.'
"The magnet tapped one-two-three-then paused -- 'Done.' The spike was given its first blow by President Stanford and Vice President Durant followed. Neither hit the spike the first time, but hit the rail, and was greeted by the lusty cheers of the onlookers, accompanied by the screams of the locomotives and the music of the military band. Many other spikes were driven on the last rail by some of the distinguished persons present, but it was seldom that they first hit the spike. The original spike, after being tapped by the officials, was driven home by the chief engineers of the two roads. Then the two trains were run together, the two locomotives touching at the point of junction, and the engineers of the two locomotives each broke a bottle of champagne on the other's engine. Then it was declared that the connection was made and the Atlantic and Pacific were joined together, never to be parted.
"At the eastern terminus in Omaha the firing of a hundred guns on Capitol Hill, more bells and steam whistles, and a grand procession of fire companies, civic societies, citizens and visiting delegations echoed the sentiments of the Californians. In Chicago a procession of four miles in length, a lavish display of decoration in the city and on the vessels in the river, and an address by Vice President Colfax in the evening were the evidences of the city's feeling. In New York, by order of the mayor, a salute of a hundred guns announced the culmi- nation of the undertaking. In Trinity Church the Te Deum was chanted, prayers were offered, and when the services were over the chimes rang out 'Old Hundred,' the 'Ascension Carol' and national airs. The ringing of bells on Inde- pendence Hall and the fire stations in Philadelphia produced an unusual concourse of citizens to celebrate the national event. In other large cities of the country the expressions of public gratification were hardly less hearty and demonstrative.
"After the ceremony a sumptuous lunch was served in President Stanford's cars and appropriate speeches were made by Governor Stanford and others, and
252
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
a general jollification was enjoyed. At night each train took its way to its own home, leaving at the junction point only the engineers and the workmen to com- plete the work ready for the through trains that followed a day or two later."
Regarding the celebration at Omaha, preparations had been made in advance. Before the noon hour arrived the streets were thronged with people waiting for the signal that the great trans-continental railroad was finished. At last the first of the one hundred guns boomed forth its message and the cheer that went up from all parts of the city heralded the tidings that Omaha was connected by railway with the Pacific coast. At 1:30 the procession mentioned by General Dodge started on its way to Capitol Hill, under the command of E. A. Allen as grand marshal. Upon arriving at the capitol ex-Governor Alvin Saunders took the chair and introduced Gen. Clinton B. Fisk, who delivered an address upon "The Day We Celebrate." He was followed by Gen. Charles F. Manderson, who responded to the sentiment: "Westward the Star of Empire Has Found its Way." Each of these addresses was followed by a musical selection, either vocal or instrumental, and the exercises closed with an address by Judge Eleazer Wakeley on "The Pacific Railroad," in which he reviewed the history of that great undertaking. It was a red letter day in Omaha's calendar.
BRIDGING THE MISSOURI
Previous to the building of the Union Pacific bridge, all freight and passen- gers were carried across the river on the ferry boats of the Union Pacific Transfer Company, which was organized and began operations in 1866. By the act of July 4, 1864, the railroad company was authorized to build a bridge across the Mis- souri River, somewhere between Florence and Bellevue, but the work of grading and tracklaying was then under way and nothing toward the construction of a bridge was done until two years after the passage of the act.
Soon after General Dodge became the chief engineer of the Union Pacific, he was directed to make an examination of the Missouri River from Florence to the mouth of the Platte, to determine the best location, from an engineering standpoint, for a railroad bridge. He made the examination and on December 3, 1866, reported that "from an engineering point of view, and taking into con- sideration the cost of the bridge and approaches, grades and distances, the cross- ing at Childs' Mills is the best." The company then instructed him to continue the examination and to take into consideration the commercial importance of the location, bearing in mind that the terminus and shops of the Union Pacific were already established at Omaha. On January 15, 1867, he reported in favor of the site where the bridge is now located.
In the spring of 1868 a contract was made with the Boomer Bridge Company, of Chicago, to erect the bridge for $1,089,500. Work was commenced, but it was suspended on July 26, 1869, and for nearly nine months nothing further was done. Then on April 10, 1870, a new contract was made with the Ameri- can Bridge Company, of Chicago, which undertook to complete the work at a figure that brought the total cost up to $1,750,000. An act of Congress, approved by President Grant on February 24, 1871, authorized the Union Pacific Railroad Company to issue bonds to the amount of $2,500,000 to cover the cost of the bridge and the approaches thereto. The bridge constructed by the American
253
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
Bridge Company was of the pattern known as "Post's Patent." It was a single track structure, 2,750 feet in length, divided into eleven spans of 250 feet eachı, and stood sixty feet above high water mark. No provisions were made for teams or foot passengers, as contemplated in the charter, a fact that caused some criti- cism on the part of the citizens of Omaha and Council Bluffs. The west approach was over a trestle 60 feet high and 729 feet long and the east approach was graded back from the river for a distance of two miles. The first train passed over the bridge on March 14, 1872.
On the night of August 4, 1877, the two eastern spans were wrecked by a cyclone. The only witness of the catastrophe was John Pierson, the watchman, who occupied a little house on the eastern span, and who was carried down with the wreck, barely escaping with his life. The Queen of Dectaur, a flat-bottomed ferry boat, was brought down from Decatur and used as a transfer boat until the bridge could be repaired. In 1886 the bridge was rebuilt, widened to fifty- six feet, the approaches filled and provisions made for vehicles and pedestrians. In an interview on March 20, 1916, General Manager Ware, of the Union Pacific, announced that a contract had been let to the American Bridge Company to erect a new bridge. When the present bridge was built in 1886 it was thought to be sufficient for years to come. Traffic has increased until 320 trains now cross the river on this bridge every twenty-four hours. The new bridge will contain nearly double the quantity of steel in the present one and will be of sufficient capacity to accommodate the constantly increasing number of trains.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS ABOUT THE UNION PACIFIC
Since the completion of the Union Pacific in May, 1869, the main line has been double tracked from Omaha to Pine Bluffs, Wyo., just west of the Nebraska line, a distance of 473 miles, and branches in Nebraska have been extended from the main line to Beatrice, Haig, Norfolk, Lincoln, Loup City, Ord, Stapleton, Pleasanton Spalding and several other towns, materially increasing the mileage of the system in the state.
The first general offices of the company in Omaha were in the old Herndon House, which was sold to the company and remodeled to make it available for the purpose. The present magnificent office building, on the northeast corner of Fifteenth and Dodge streets, was opened on January 1, 1912. It is twelve stories high, containing 304,727 square feet of floor space, and cost $1,500,000. In this building there are 1,149 people employed by the Union Pacific and 148 employed by other tenants, making a total of 1,297, and the elevatois carry an average of 7,000 passengers daily.
The first locomotive purchased by the Union Pacific Company was named the "General Sherman," with Thomas Jordan as the engineer. The second engine, the "General McPherson," came up the Missouri River in July, 1865, on the steamer Colorado and was placed in commission on August 3, 1865, with Luther O. Farrington as engineer. The first station in Omaha stood under the hill near the foot of Capitol Avenue and T. C. Morgan was the first agent.
This road is the only trans-continental railroad operating two daily trains carrying mail and express matter exclusively. These trains start from Omaha and constitute the Government's fast mail route to the Pacific coast. In 1915
254
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
the revenue derived from carrying the mails was $3.766.274, and the express revenue amounted to $1,997,973.
Twenty-four Union Pacific passenger trains enter or depart from the Union Station at Omaha every day-twelve in cach direction. Five leave for California, two to the Pacific Northwest, two to Denver, and the other three are local Nebraska trains running to Grand Island and North Platte.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.