Papillion's History as a Main Railroad Hub

Papillion's History as a Main Railroad Hub. . , From the First Tracks to the Last Passenger Train , The first tracks of the coast-to-coast Union Pacific Railroad line were laid in Omaha in 1864. The original plans bypassed Papillion, but the final route ran right through the city. The construction of this final route helped to solidify Papillion's existence and keep growth on track during a time when many small communities were going extinct. , The first railroad station was built at Saling's Grove, located east of present-day Papillion, in 1866. David E. Beadle, the brother of John L. Beadle (considered the "Father of Papillion"), led the local group that is credited with getting this first railroad station built. This action by D. E. Beadle helped bring to fruition the vision of his brother, who foresaw Papillion as a thriving, vibrant railroad town nearly a decade earlier. Although D. E. Beadle was not the "founder" of Papillion, like his brother, he was a critical part of Papillion's history in his own right. In addition to leading the efforts for getting the first railroad station built near Papillion, he became the first official homeowner of the town in 1869. He was also a local doctor and the community's first postmaster. , In 1869, shortly before Papillion was officially incorporated, the local landowners contributed $1,200 to move the Union Pacific Railroad depot to the heart of their community to the site of present-day Sump Memorial Library. , In 1882, the Missouri-Pacific Railroad made the decision to lay tracks coming up from the south near Papillion. The new Missouri-Pacific junction was made just east of the Union Pacific depot. This new rail line created a connection between the Missouri-Pacific and the Union Pacific rail line and truly solidified Papillion's reputation as being a railroad town. Papillion now provided east-to-west and north-to-south connections to the rest of the country. , At the height of rail transportation in Papillion, around the early 1880s, it was not uncommon to have 14 trains pass through Papillion in one day. Papillion ceased to be a main railroad hub in 1887 when the Missouri-Pacific line to Nebraska City, Union, and Plattsmouth was completed, ending its main routes through Papillion. Despite this, work began at the end of 1899 to build a new train depot. In July 1900, the new depot was opened. , Although the Missouri-Pacific Railroad had previously reduced its number of railcars that passed through town, it was not until 1915 when the company decided to no longer run a single passenger railcar through Papillion. Union Pacific continued to run train routes through Papillion until they were slowly phased out in early 1940s. The last passenger train ran through town on March 1, 1942, leaving only one local freight train still arriving regularly to serve the commercial needs of the community. Union Pacific eventually closed the station in 1966. The building was leased to Chicago Lumber Co. in 1967 for use as a warehouse to store lumber materials until it was torn down in March 1994. , Railroad Line Tracks in the Sidewalk , If you look down on the nearby sidewalk, you'll see tracks from the original Union Pacific Railroad line. These tracks were incorporated into the sidewalk to show an original path of the railroad line that passed through Papillion. Although the railroad tracks have been removed, the impact the railroad line had on the history of Papillion will forever remain.