Omaha and Republican Valley Railway
Encyclopedia
The Omaha and Republican Valley Railway was a branch line of the Union Pacific that crossed Nebraska
. Traversing several counties, including Buffalo County
, the Railway was the impetus for several settlements, and upon its demise, several ghost town
s. The Railway ran from Boelus
to South Ravenna, to Poole and on to Pleasanton, Nebraska
.
Trains started traveling along the Omaha and Republican Valley Railroad in 1890, with Pleasanton as the terminus. The Pleasanton townsite was surveyed and platted in 1890, and grew quickly. Situated on the South Loop River, Pleasanton was plagued by floods. The flood of 1947 washed away the railroad tracks, and the line was officially abandoned in 1948.
One ghost town was called Sartoria, which was built with the expectation of being the terminus of the railroad. The tracks never got that far. It was seven miles beyond Pleasanton. Another ghost town along the tracks was Watertown, where the steam locomotive
s would load up with water. Watertown had a post office, established in 1890, and a schoolhouse, formed in 1886. By the 1930s Watertown began to decline.
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Traversing several counties, including Buffalo County
Buffalo County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,259 people, 15,930 households, and 10,227 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 16,830 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, the Railway was the impetus for several settlements, and upon its demise, several ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
s. The Railway ran from Boelus
Boelus, Nebraska
Howard City, locally referred to as Boelus, is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 221 at the 2000 census...
to South Ravenna, to Poole and on to Pleasanton, Nebraska
Pleasanton, Nebraska
Pleasanton is a village in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 360 at the 2000 census. Pleasanton was once the terminus of the Omaha and Republican Valley Railway, a Union Pacific line that ended in the 1940s.-Geography:...
.
About
In 1880, the Omaha and Republican Valley Railway Company was consolidated with the Omaha, Niobrara and Black Hills Railroad Company, and in 1886 was consolidated again with the Blue Valley Railroad.Trains started traveling along the Omaha and Republican Valley Railroad in 1890, with Pleasanton as the terminus. The Pleasanton townsite was surveyed and platted in 1890, and grew quickly. Situated on the South Loop River, Pleasanton was plagued by floods. The flood of 1947 washed away the railroad tracks, and the line was officially abandoned in 1948.
One ghost town was called Sartoria, which was built with the expectation of being the terminus of the railroad. The tracks never got that far. It was seven miles beyond Pleasanton. Another ghost town along the tracks was Watertown, where the steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s would load up with water. Watertown had a post office, established in 1890, and a schoolhouse, formed in 1886. By the 1930s Watertown began to decline.