The Midland Pacific Railway was a railroad operating in the

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

counties of Lancaster, Nemaha,

Otoe The Otoe (Chiwere: Jiwére) are a Native American people of the Midwestern United States. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa, Missouria, and Ho-Chunk tribes. Historically, t ...

, Seward, and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

br>

History

Prior to statehood, Nebraska City and Omaha vied for economic and political dominance in the Nebraska Territory. In the 1850s and early 1860s, Nebraska City had been the eastern terminus of the Platte Valley freight line. However, when the Union Pacific rail line built westward from Omaha, Nebraska City lost much of its business. In an effort to regain its advantage, the businessmen of Nebraska City organized the Midland Pacific Railway Company. By 1870, the company had raised $50,000 in Nebraska City to grade the first ten miles of track. The rail line was awarded a land grant by the State of Nebraska and a bond from Otoe County. The railroad was to generally follow the path of the Platte Valley line, however, in a bid to increase its influence, the Midland Pacific line would connect to the nearby newly-founded state capital, Lincoln. Excited by the prospect of a railway, Lancaster County voted for a bond granting $50,000 to Midland Pacific Railway. However, the bond was deemed insufficient and Midland Pacific asked Lancaster County for an additional $150,000. Midland Pacific organized numerous mass-meetings in Lincoln to keep the public interested and supportive of the railroad, at one point threatening to bypass Lincoln entirely if Lancaster County would not supply it with the $150,000. After much local fundraising, spurred on by articles in the

Nebraska State Journal The ''Lincoln Journal Star'' is an American daily newspaper that serves Lincoln, Nebraska, the state capital and home of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Nebraska. It is the most widely read newspaper in Lincoln and has t ...

urging citizens to do their part, the bond issue was passed and Midland Pacific built into the new capital city of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

on April 22, 1871. In 1875, it merged with the Brownville, Fort Kearney and Pacific Rail Road to form the

Nebraska Railway Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

References

Defunct Nebraska railroads Predecessors of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Railway companies established in 1868 Railway companies disestablished in 1875 {{Nebraska-road-stub

History

See also

References