Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-17
Omaha, Florence and crock Bottom

1OaCSeO0s ALA<AANl
Omaha, Florence and eRock BottOm.'
OMAHA, Sept. 15.-To the Editor of
The Bee: When 1 first put foot on Me-
braska soil on the 18th day of October,
1854, Omaha had no actual existence as
a town outside of small map. Council
Bluffs was then called Ksnesv1lle and
Florence was winter Quarters" so
named by Brigham Young, who selected 1t
as the spot for his people who, migrating
from Nauvoo. ILL.,. on their way to Salt
Lake in 1s47, spent the winter there as
| the point of departure across the plains.
/ After Nebraska came into existence It
| was endowed with a name, and what is
| now a suburb of this city became a power
| full rival of Omaha for supremacy, first
for the capitol. and then as a terminus
| for what is now the Rock Island rail-
road. -
Rock Bottom" are two words which
have played important parts in the his
tory of two towns. and in the interests of
Omaha In particular. One part was when
| Florence became a larger town than
| Omaha Inf the later fifties with railroads
and railroad bridges In issue. Durant
was then toying with the early begin
nings of which is now the Rock Island
| and conjuring with the name OF
| "Shoot-Him on the-Spot'' John A. Dix to
| build from Davenport to the Missouri
river. General DIX was president of the
Mississippi and Missouri project. and ]
rode in one of Colonel Hooker's Western
Stage companys stages in October. 1854
alongside of several miles of iron rails
that had been laid west of Davenport
The Union Pacific was yet something
even more shadowy than an evenescen
dream But there was a railroad question
which soon became very much alive. L
directly concerned the terminus of Du
rants railroad. whose line Peter A. DeI
and Grenville N. Dodge surveyed. James
M. Parker arrived in Florence about tn,
time of the first visit OF Durant, Dey anC
Dodge to Omaha. perhaps shortly before
At a luncheon at the Omaha club two o.
three years ago General Dodge openl,
said that Durant had pledged the west
ern line and terrpinal through Pigeoi
Greek Valley to, Florence. instead o
through the Mosquito valley to Council
Bluffs and Omaha 1t was then tina
James C. Mitchell of Florence and tn
hghting men. OF the present suburb o
Omaha shouted the slogan Of "Rock Bot
, tom" and for the terminus of the railroai
that was expected to arrive at F1orenc
every fe& minutes. The actual fact wa
/
Florence which showed that the rive
could be bridged there at far less cos
than 1t could be at Omaha, and II is no
, now to be denied that with the pledge o
DuSant above mentioned. Florence held
petty full hand In the initial game o
railroad poker at that day.
: What would have become Of Omaha 4
1.-THE Durant-Parker compact had been car
= ried out, although IT had won the capita
location OF the territory 1t would hav
been wiped out. II would have move
: bodily to Florence as Florence move
bodily to Omaha at a later day. Dey an
Dodge reported strongly in favor OF tn
: Mosquito line south OF Council BlunI
D instead Of for that OF Pigeon Valley mort
3 of II; Durant backed down and out; tn
u panic Of 1857 ended the Dix-Duran
4 scheme; the Union Pacific arrived. Duran
: still on deck at it's head The North
: western was the FIRST road TO the rive
and the rest Is history. But this
h Rock Bottom" cry was not founded o
I a myth Omaha had rock bottom, but
4 cost dearly to go down to IL with tn
: piers OF our great bridge James
Mitchell was right. The slogans G
( Rock Bottom" built Florence into
y promising place, and IL was always
2 beautiful site for great city.
! But rock bottom At Florence anall
: played an important part TO the advantas
OF Omaha. This was when the waite
!. company was driven from the Burt stres
!. station because II was threatened by
r change in the channel OF the Missouri
!; and by the danger OF pollution froI
: sewage to seek rock bottom at Flol
/, ence, the only place within great distanC
: at which this kind of protection TO n
b supply could be found. OF the 10000, %
n gallons Of water that is pumped int
L omaha's capacious stomach every day
Z the round year only 100000 OF 1000, 0C
comes from the Burt street station. Til
necessary change Al a great outlay
\ money meant six miles OF mains and roc
!. bottom defenses against the encroacl
ments from the river, which account
v large degree for the award on the value ,