Ground Breaking, Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha, Nebraska
From: gpierce9@comcast.net
FYI. An article that I found in the Newark Daily Advertiser, Newark, NJ. The article refers to a ground breaking in Omaha. Do you have a Nov. or Dec. 1863 photo showing this?? I would like to see it.
What strikes me is how the article is so blaise about the railroad. This was a major thing. Like computers today.
Thanks
Glen Pierce
Whiting NJ
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 9:13 PM
6 Comments:
Unfortunately, to the best of our knowledge, no photographs were made of the ground breaking for either the UPRR in Omaha or the CPRR in Sacramento. The earliest UPRR photographs that we are aware of are the Carbutt series of stereoviews of the voyage to the 100th meridian.
"Ground was broken on the Union Pacific Railway at Omaha, Nebraska Territory, yesterday. Letters were read from several distinguished gentlemen, including the President (through his private secretary,) who were unable to be present. It is presumed the road will be speedily completed."
Newark Daily Advertiser, Newark, NJ
I just watched an old (1948) movie on TCM entitled "Whispering Smith", played by Alan Ladd, his first color film and Western. He played a railroad detective for the "Nebraska & Pacific" Railroad. Was there such a railroad and was it part of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroad system?
Google finds only a single reference.
See, Biographical Album of Lancaster County Nebraska:
"ZACHARIAH WELLS ... residence is upon the homestead originally taken by him upon sections 11 and 12, and consists of 280 acres, less what was given to the Nebraska & Pacific Railroad, which has recently laid its bands of steel through that section of the country."
From: KyleWyatt@aol.com
I believe it to be purely fictious – at least as presented in the movie. It's always possible that some little line (more likely some paper railroad that never laid rail) had the name. But I'm not aware of any.
—Kyle
From: "Don Snoddy" ddsnoddy@cox.net
Whispering Smith worked for Union Pacific. Why the movie chose to use Nebraska & Pacific RR I have no idea, but Ah! Hollywood. Whispering Smith worked out of Cheyenne. No doubt the rugged mountains of California were the setting for his work. As Kyle suggested the Nebraska and Pacific RR was a paper railroad organized in the 1860's, never built an inch of road, but was just set up to gain the attention of the truly organized roads that were serious about construction.
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