Omaha-Union Station

Kids,

While Council Bluffs is the Official Eastern Terminus
of the Union Pacific Railroad,
Omaha is really the defacto Terminus
with the Missouuri River being the dividing line.

The debate has always centered around the river
and the responsibility for building and maintaining a bridge.

When the Transcontinental was joined at Promontory in
May of 1869 the bridge between Council Bluffs and Omaha
had yet to be constructed.

All traffic was ferried across by boat.

In any event,
Omaha is the World Headquarters for the Union Pacific Railroad.

This is the original HQ...

with the new Highrise being added later.

I'm told on the 12th floor is the Lincoln Dining Room
which contains the original "enabling acts" signed by
President Lincoln in 1862 to create the Union Pacific.

In addition,
The Union Pacific Museum and Archives
are located in in Omaha at the old Union Station.

This is one of the two entrances.

Note the Quote carved in stone above the door.

"No other improvment...
can equal in utility the Railroad."
Abraham Lincoln-March 9, 1832

Here is the inside...

The two men are part of a collection of
bronze statues that depict the Golden Age
of the Station in the 30's and 40's.

Now to the Archives...

Hard to believe,
but the Union Pacific Archives
are kinda stuffed into the corner.

While the station is quite the spectacle,
architecturally speaking, it is short on
functional office space.

The Good News is...
Plans call for the Archives to be moved
across the river to the old Carnige Library
in Council Bluffs sometime in the near future.

The Bad News...
The Library still isn't big enough
to properly house the full collection.

Now to the research...

The task,
find links between the Union Pacific and
The Lincoln Highway.

I made contact with the director.

He was unaware of any,
but then, he'd never looked.

It took about 2 seconds, then Bingo...

The October 1922 issue of
The Union Pacific Magazine,
contained this 4 page article by Austin Bement,
Vice President of the Lincoln Highway Association,
titled: Touring the Path of the Pioneer.

Note the Missouri River Bridge photo and
The Lincoln Highway State Line Marker on the left

While this was the only Lincoln Highway piece,
there were several other important Lincoln articles.

This is the Fegruary 1922 issue on Lincoln's
meeting with Genreral Dodge in Council Bluffs.

While the Austin Bement article was a treasure,
the real prize would have been reference to the
train car loads of railroad ties and flares
used for Bonfires in Omaha and other UP towns
for the Dedication of the Highway-October 31, 1913.

Oh, well maybe next time.

You might recall,
Council Bluffs had the First Bonfire in the Nation, but
Omaha had the largest using the several carload of UP Ties.

A fact mentioned in various news accounts of the day.

One last look for Lincoln Items,
revealed reference to the Lincoln Funeral Car
once owned by the Union Pacific Railroad

and the Lincoln Silver Tea service
which serves as the nucleus of the UP Museum.

Boy, you never know what you might find...

After my exciting visit to the Musuem & Archives
it was off to Union Pacific Headquarters
for preliminary discussions concerning a
ride for the "Spirit of the Lincoln Way"
from San Francisco to New York.

My closing comments,
"I'm not sure how all the pieces fit,
but I'll let you know when I do."

And so, the puzzle is set...

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