Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-01
CITY TICKET OFFICE CHANGES
Travels Of the Railroad Ticket Man for Best
Locations in Omaha
CENTER OF ACTION MOVES STEADILY WEST
Farnam street Always the FBvorite
Place for Catching the Eye Of
the Prospective Rail-
way Tourist

The removal OF the local ofaces OF the
Milwaukee railroad to the Paxton block
marks the latest step in the westward
progression Of RAILROAD Row." two COM
panies now maintaining Offices at Sixteenth
and Farnam streets. Since the advent Of
1.-THE city office" in Omaha, Farnam street
has been the favorite with the railroads.
and in the thirty-seven years OF their OK
istence but two attempts have been made
to break AWAY from this street, while the
tendency to the westward has been certain.
The original railroad ticket office was
opened in Omaha several years before the
iron roadway touched the Missouri river,
and tickets, honored primarily over stage
lines, connected passengers TO the east
with railroads to Chicago. The first "all
steam" railroad ticket was sold in Omaha
by Harry P. Deuel. at his office at Twelfth
and Farnam streets. 1t called for trans.
portation from Omaha to ST. Joseph by
steamboat, then to Chicago by rail. The
first general ticket office, however, was at
Ninth end Farnam streets, in the Inter-
national hotel. This was in 1868. Previous
to that Porter and Deuel. and ]. A. Hor-
bach sold steamboat tickets.
According to the city directories OF the
time the first ticket Office opened in the
city was that of the Hannibal & st. Joseph
and the st. Joseph & Council Bluffs rail-
roads. The same year the Northwestern
opened offices here, as did the Rock Island.
The offices we're in the Internationa hotel.
Ninth and Farnam streets. Two years later
the B. & NJ. and the B. G. NJ. in Nebraska
opened Offices in the city and Jesse II.
Lacy became agent for the Northwestern
and Dali TrIa.a L. ~
for the B. & NJ. and Frank Persons for the
B. & M. in Nebraska and the Omaha &
Southwestern Theodore Ensign succeeded
Harry Deuel. as agent for the Kansas City,
st. Joseph & Council Bluffs. That year the
Omaha & Northwestern opened Offices in
charge of E. D.. Bells at Fifteenth and
Nicholas streets-the precursor OF the Elk
horn railroad.
Change wrought by Grand Central.
This was the extent Of the railroads
represented by local or uptown" ticket
offices. and their locations until 1876, when
the Grand Central hotel was completed.
Then nearly all of the offices were trans,
planted to that hotel except the b.. e. M.
in Nebraska, which remained at Thirteenth
and Farnam streets. In 1880 the offices
had all scattered, but the larger number
were at 1924 Farnam street, the present
location of the Union Pacific local office.
That year saw the rise OF the Wabash
corner" under Frank f. Moores, which, be-
came for many years the center of the
city, distances being reckoned from that
corner and locations described relative Ia
II. In 1854 there was a change in loca-
lions, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
moving east to 1914 Farnam street: the
Milwaukee, its first year in Omaha, OPEN
ing offices in the Paxton hotel block.
During all this time the Union Pacific
had maintained no city office, tickets beine
sold at the depot. This year it opened an
office at 1920 Douglas street, and the North.
western and Rock Island kept Offices at the
present office OF the Union Pacific.
Not until 1886 does the Burlington
Route appear in the directory. 1t ther
had moved back to the corner Of Four.
teenth and Farnam streets and the North.
western had moved to 1920 Farnam street
while the Milwaukee and Rock Island were
in the Paxton hotel. Two years later the
Burlington moved one block east and the
Milwaukee moved to Fifteenth and Far.
nam streets in the Barker block. The Rocl
Island vacated the Paxton hotel corner
which was occupied by the Northwestern
and its constituent lines, the Elkhorn ant
Omaha roads. 1t was this year that the
Union Pacific gave up its attempt to TAX,
railroad business to Douglas street ant
moved back to 1902 Farnam, where it re.
NAMED until its recent removal to 1921
Farnam street, one block west.
Westward the Railroad Star.
In 1890 the Rock Island Office made the
first long move west. It was located a
Thirteenth and Farnam and moved to Six.
teenth on the same street, in the CONNER.
cial bank building. The Missouri Pacific.
first city Office was opened in 1883 at Thir.
teenth and Farnam streets in the Mer.
chants bank building, where it remained
for several years and finally moved L
Fourteenth and Farnam, from where /
moved to it's present quarters in 1900. Las
year the Frisco system opened Offices II
Omaha on Fourteenth street near Douglas
and the Rock Island moved east, to Four
teenth and Farnam streets. AS a result
all the city tickle Offices Of the railroad
entering Omaha today, with one exception
are lined on Farnam street from Thir
teenth west, with the center Of gravit,
heading for Sixteenth and Farnam streets
Resolutions ON j. l.. Brandeia.