Near Newark in Kearney County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 19, 2012
1. The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Marker
The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad entered Nebraska at Plattsmouth in 1870 and built west to join the Union Pacific at Kearney Junction (now Kearney city) on September 3, 1872. The railroad bridge into Kearney was used for 104 years. It linked southern Nebraska traffic with the transcontinental Union Pacific. In 1872-73, thousands of trailed-in Texas Longhorns were shipped from Lowell, 5 1/2 miles east of here. Sugar beets and prairie hay were once primary freight items. During World War II as many as 200 carloads of gravel were shipped daily from the Platte Valley to Hastings Naval Ammunition Depot. When I-80 was constructed in 1962, hundreds of carloads of cement, steel, and Weeping Water limestone were carried here for highway construction.
This 24-mile Kenesaw-Kearney segment of Burlington track carried its last train on November 3, 1976. Except for 1.8 miles of right-of-way, including the Platte bridges, designated as a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission hike-bike trail, the land was sold. This marker is erected on the grade between Lowell and Newark. In an early forestation experiment, Chief Engineer Thomas Doane
this page online
Erected by Buffalo County Historical Society, Kearney County Historical Society, and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 239.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1848.
Location. 40° 38.57′ N, 98° 57.102′ W. Marker is near Newark, Nebraska, in Kearney County. Marker is on Harold Warp Memorial Drive (32nd Road) (State Highway 10) near State Highway 50A, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Minden NE 68959, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fort Kearny (approx. 2.9 miles away); Dobytown (approx. 4.9 miles away); The Great Platte River Road (approx. 7 miles away); In Honor of D. E. "Mac" McGregor (approx. 7.1 miles away); Gibbon (approx. 7.2 miles away); Site of Bauer Drug (approx. 7.7 miles away); Kearney (approx. 7.7 miles away); Old Oregon Trail (approx. 7.7 miles away).
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 19, 2012
2. The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Marker
Also see . . .
1. Map of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad (1882). (Submitted on September 1, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in Andreas'' History of Nebraska (1882). (Submitted on September 1, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 647 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
