Omaha daily bee., 1883-12-01
4 GREAT EPOCH !
The Breaking Of Ground for The First
Railway Across the Continent
twenty Years Ago.
The Inauguration Of the Union
Pacific on the Banks of the
Missouri in 1868,
A Memorable Day at Omaha
George Francis Train Makes
The Speech of His Life,
Andrew J, Poppleton Delivers
an Eloquent and Patri-
otto Address.
The Building Of the Road, the
Early Struggles ofthe Projec-
tors and Final Triumph,
The Most Gigantic Enterprise of
Modern Times Completed
in Six Years.
An Excursion to the End Of the
Track, and the Speech of
Senator Wade.
The Celebration Of the Completion
of the Road at Promontory
The Most Gigantic Enterprise of
Modern Times Completed
in Six Years.
Al Excursion to the End Of the
Track, and the Speech of
Senator Wade.
The Celebration Of the Completion
of the Road at PromOntory
Point and Omaha.
a Vast Amount OF Interesting Data
Bearing on the Construction Of
the Great Highway.

TUT JWO huiiu IOu ycaiS ditot bHc hiob
shipload of Englishmen landed upon
North American soil at Jamestown, in
Virginia, the greater half of the CONT
nent west of the Mississippi remained as
much an unknown land as was central
Africa before the explorations OF Living
stone and Stanley.
Seventy years ag an expedition to ex-
plore this unknown region was fitted out
under President Jefferson. The explor.
ers, Captains Lewis and Clarke, crossed
the Mississippi somewhere near st. Louis
and assembled the Missouri river with
boats cordeled by hand.
On August 1904, they reached a
point about nineteen miles above Omaha,
near the present site of Fort Calhoun,
where they held q council with the
Indians, and named the spot Council
Bluffs.
Explorations of the country between
the Missouri river and tho Pacific slope
were made by various army officers, and
in 1912 Lieut.. John O. Fremont led the
Erst expedition to explore the country
from the Missouri river to the Rocky
mountains on the line OF the Kansas and
Great Platte rivers. In 1916 he
1ed another expedition across tho II scky
mountains and the Sierra Nevadas to t 10
Pacific coast. The preliminary expedi-
tions, which were followed by tho migra-
tion Of the Mormons into Utah during
the years that succeeded the annexation
of California, led to tho establishment oI
the overland stage route and pony OK.
press. In 1861 congress chartered the
Pacific telegraph, of which Edward
Creighton of Omaha, was the chief pro.
jector and builder, and who, upon ita
completion, July 4th, 1862, located its
terminus in Omaha. The Pacific tele-
graph was the fJrerunner of the Pacific
railway. While the Pacific telegraph
was under construction, the Pacific rail-
road bill was pen1ing in congress, and
only four days bsfore the electric spark
flashed across the continent in one con.
tinuous circuit, the Pacific railroad act
was signed by President Lincoln.
The twentieth anniversary of the
breaking of ground at Omaha for the
first railway across the continent occurs
On the 81 of December, 1883.
That day marks an important epoch
not only in the history OF Omaha, but
also in the history of the United States
and the entire North Am srican continent,
The BEE celebrate. this anniversary
by presenting an extended account of tho
exercises that took place on that day
twenty years ago, in Omaha. W.
also publish a brief history of the gi-
gantic undertaking, which has 80 mate
rally developed the western country and
caused a revolution in the Of
the world.
II FIRST SEA- RAILROADS.
The first steam railroad in the worlt
was tho Darlington Is Stockton, in Eng
land, Substance of 81 miles, completed / il
1926, and the first successful locomotiy,
was the Rocket.
The first railroad in the United State
was the Baltimore d Ohio, work O.
which was begun on the 4th of july
1928. To Peter Cooper was due tn
construction Of the first American loco
motive. which was built for the Bait
more a. Ohio, to show that steam Nigh
be adapted to curved roads. A trip mad
20 Ellicott's Mills, drawing an open ca
filled with the directors and Others, wa
the first land journey. by steam i
America.
Between the years 1923 aud 1888, il
addition to tho Baltimore SO, eral othe
roads were started, among the numbe
being the Baltimore a. Susquehanna, tn
Camden az Anboy, the New Castle
Frenchtown, the Hudson & Mohawk, In
charleston ~ Augusta, the Boston
Providence. and the Boston g. Lowell
These were the pioneer railroads of tn
Cnited States. There was bat littl
foresight OF a great future connectin,
ssyStem; these roads were generally pro
.Jsoted TO supply an Immediate necessit'
to MI up a gap in AN otherwise easily
available line Of transit. And even no,
n ma be AID that in oanaral on. n.a.on