Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company

Last updated
Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company
Industry Public transportation
Founded1886
Defunct1955
FateMerged
Successor Omaha Traction Company
Headquarters Omaha and Council Bluffs
Key people
George F. Wright, Gurdon Wattles

The Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company, known as O&CB, was incorporated in 1886 in order to connect Omaha, Nebraska with Council Bluffs, Iowa over the Missouri River. With a sanctioned monopoly over streetcar service in the two cities, [1] the O&CB was among the earliest major electric street railway systems in the nation, and was one of the last streetcar operators in the U.S., making its last run in 1955. [2]

Contents

Background

The predecessor of the O&CB was the Omaha Horse Railway Company, which was incorporated by an act of the Nebraska Legislature in 1867. Electric streetcar service in Omaha is said to be[ by whom? ] the outgrowth of the 1887 Omaha Motor Railway, which was formed when the Omaha Horse Railway and the Omaha Cable Tramway Company were consolidated under the leadership of Samuel D. Mercer. [3]

George F. Wright, builder of the 1868 Council Bluffs Street Railway company, organized the Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company in 1886, along with Frank Murphy and Guy C. Barton of Omaha and John T. Stewart, Thomas J. Evans and George F. Wright of Council Bluffs. [4] Majority stockholders included Marshall Field of Chicago and U.S. Senator Joseph Millard of Nebraska, and officials from the American Smelting Company. [1]

The last horse car route in the city ceased operation in June 1895. [3]

Douglas Street Bridge

The O&CB's proposal for a combined wagon and railway bridge over the Missouri River was accepted by United States Congress and the Secretary of War in 1887. [5] This led to the construction of the Douglas Street Bridge, which was later known as the Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge. [6] The bridge was opened to traffic on October 30, 1888.

Operations

After the construction of the bridge, O&CB laid out streetcar lines throughout Omaha and its suburbs, including South Omaha, Benson, Dundee, and Florence. [7] In 1888 Wright was elected Secretary of the company, and the O&CB built the first electric street railway line ever constructed in Iowa or Nebraska. [8] In 1898 the Omaha Street Railway, later acquired by the O&CB, ordered new cars, repaired and refurbished older cars, and allocated $100,000 for improvements to the streetcar system in anticipation of providing to and from Omaha's Trans-Mississippi Exposition. This increased the capacity of the company's power plant at 20th and Nicholas Streets. [9]

By 1902 all of the electric-powered railways in Omaha were consolidated in the O&CB. The company was sold to a New York City-based syndicate for $4,000,000 that year, with the syndicate taking control of all stock. [1]

Share of the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company, issued 28. November 1913 Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway 1913.jpg
Share of the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company, issued 28. November 1913

The Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company bought the Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company in 1902, taking a hundred-year lease on the city's rails. It also consumed other local transportation franchises, including the Omaha Street Railway Company and the Council Bluffs Street Railway Company. [10]

When local banker Gurdon Wattles bought the company along with several competing lines and merged them into one unit called the Omaha Traction Company the O&CB ceased operating as an independent line. However, Wattles continued using the brand. In 1943 the company began training women as streetcar operators after many of its male drivers were called into military service during World War II. The women learned quickly and were paid the same wages as their male counterparts. [11]

In the late 1940s the O&CB was the target of a general boycott called by the DePorres Club, a central group in Omaha's civil rights movement. The youth-led organization targeted the railroad for its segregation practices and poor service to the Near North Side neighborhood four years before the Montgomery bus boycott. [12]

The still-standing Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company Car Barn at the intersection of South 10th Street and Pierce Street was the last active barn in the city. The O&CB line ceased operating on March 4, 1955. [13] [14]

The still-standing Car Barn at South 10th Street and Pierce Street was used by the United States Postal Service. There are plans to renovate this building in the near future

There is a still-standing Sub-Station in Council Bluffs, Iowa. A streetcar is preserved, on freight car trucks, on the Northeast corner of South 11th Street and Leavenworth Street in Omaha. A streetcar, off its trucks, is preserved inside the Durham Western Heritage Museum at 801 South 10th Street in Omaha. Also a streetcar body remains as part of a cabin off Allied Road on the south side of Bellevue, NE.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omaha, Nebraska</span> Largest city in Nebraska, United States

Omaha is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about 10 mi (15 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 40th-most populous city, Omaha had a population of 486,051 as of the 2020 census. It is the anchor of the eight-county Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, which extends into Iowa and is the 58th-largest metro area in the United States, with a population of 967,604. Furthermore, the greater Omaha–Council Bluffs–Fremont combined statistical area had 1,004,771 residents in 2020. Omaha is ranked as a global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, which in 2020 gave it "sufficiency" status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council Bluffs, Iowa</span> American midwest city

Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 62,799 as of the 2020 census, making it the state's tenth most populous city, and the most populous city in Southwest Iowa. The Omaha metropolitan region of which Council Bluffs is a part, is the 58th largest in the United States, with an estimated population of 967,604 (2020). It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, across from Omaha, Nebraska. Until about 1853 Council Bluffs was known as Kanesville. Kanesville was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails because there was a steam-powered boat which ferried the settlers' wagons and cattle across the Missouri River. In 1869, the first transcontinental railroad to California was connected to the existing U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streetcars in Washington, D.C.</span> Streetcars that existed in Washington until 1962

Streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region from 1862 until 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge</span> Bridge in Omaha, Nebraska

The Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge was a Whipple through truss bridge that was the first road bridge to cross the Missouri River connecting Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was replaced in 1966 by the Interstate 480 girder bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha</span>

The Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha was a 90-year-old company first founded in South Omaha, Nebraska in 1878 by John A. Smiley. After being moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa and dissolved within a year, the company was reorganized and moved to South Omaha in 1883. Six local businessmen responded to a request by Wyoming cattle baron Alexander Swan showing interest in a livestock market closer than the Union Stock Yards in Chicago, Illinois. The Company's Union Stockyards in South Omaha were once a fierce rival of Chicago's Union Stock Yards. The Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha was bought out in 1973.

Walnut Hill is a historic neighborhood located in north Omaha, Nebraska. It is bounded by North 40th Street on the east, Cuming Street on the south, Northwest Radial Highway and Saddle Creek Road on the west and Hamilton Street on the north.

The Lone Tree Ferry, later known as the Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company, was the crossing of the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, US, that was established in 1850 by William D. Brown. Brown was the first pioneer to see the potential for a city on the site, and the landing became a popular gathering site for the first settlers of the Nebraska Territory. Named after a solitary tree on the Nebraska bank of the river, the Lone Tree Ferry became central to the founding and development of the City of Omaha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Omaha</span> Central business district in Omaha, Nebraska

Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline of Chicago Street on the north, also including the CHI Health Center Omaha. Downtown sits on the Missouri River, with commanding views from the tallest skyscrapers.

The Cable Tramway Company of Omaha, Nebraska started in 1884 and ended in 1895. It was the only cable car line ever built in Omaha, and had only four lines of tracks in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Omaha</span>

Transportation in Omaha, Nebraska, includes most major modes, such as pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus, train and airplane. While early transportation consisted of ferries, stagecoaches, steamboats, street railroads, and railroads, the city's transportation systems have evolved to include the Interstate Highway System, parklike boulevards and a variety of bicycle and pedestrian trails. The historic head of several important emigrant trails and the First transcontinental railroad, its center as a national transportation hub earned Omaha the nickname "Gate City of the West" as early as the 1860s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railroads in Omaha</span>

Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska, have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United States. The convergence of many railroad forces upon the city was by happenstance and synergy, as none of the Omaha leaders had a comprehensive strategy for bringing railroads to the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurdon Wattles</span>

Gurdon Wallace Wattles was an early businessman, banker, and civic leader in Omaha, Nebraska, who became responsible for bankrolling much of early Hollywood. Wattles was said to possess "all the right credentials to direct Omaha's fortunes for the twentieth century in the post-pioneer era: humble beginnings, outstanding ability, a fine intellect, impeccable manners, driving ambition, and a ruthless streak."

William A. Paxton was an American pioneer businessman and politician in Omaha, Nebraska. His life as a rancher and cattleman early in his life, as well as early work with the Union Pacific Railroad was highly regarded among his contemporaries; his success as a businessman later in his life led him to great wealth. His leadership is seen as an essential factor in Omaha becoming a prominent stockyards and meatpacking center. He is frequently referred to as "the real founder of South Omaha."

The Omaha Horse Railway was a private transportation company in early Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1867 by Omaha pioneers Ezra Millard, Andrew J. Hanscom and Augustus Kountze to provide horsecar service in the city. On February 19 of that year the Nebraska Territory Legislature awarded the company a 50-year franchise and exclusive rights to run tracks on Omaha's streets in its closing session. The company was noted for an 1888 United States District Court trial in which they sued another company for infringing on the exclusive rights to Omaha's streets granted to them by the Nebraska Territory Legislature.

The Omaha Traction Company was a privately owned public transportation business in Omaha, Nebraska. Created in the early 1900s by wealthy Omaha banker Gurdon Wattles, the company was involved in a series of contentious disputes with organized labor.

The Midwest Electric Railway is a non-profit trolley operation located on the grounds of the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It is home to 10 pieces of trolley history that are regularly operated on a 2.5 mile loop surrounding the organization's campgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge</span> Bridge in Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska

The Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge, also known as the IC Bridge or the East Omaha Bridge, is a rail through truss double swing bridge across the Missouri River connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa, with Omaha, Nebraska. It is owned by the Canadian National Railway and is closed to all traffic. At 521 feet long, the second version of the bridge was the longest swing bridge in the world from when it was completed in 1903 through 1915. In 1975 it was regarded as the third longest swing bridge.

Walter Theodore Krausch, known as W.T. Krausch (1868–1929), was an American architect, engineer, and inventor who worked for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) from the late 1880s to the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyoke Street Railway</span>

The Holyoke Street Railway (HSR) was an interurban streetcar and bus system operating in Holyoke, Massachusetts as well as surrounding communities with connections in Amherst, Belchertown, Chicopee, Easthampton, Granby, Northampton, Pelham, South Hadley, Sunderland, Westfield, and West Springfield. Throughout its history the railway system shaped the cultural institutions of Mount Tom, being operator of the mountain's famous summit houses, one of which hosted President McKinley, the Mount Tom Railroad, and the trolley park at the opposite end of this funicular line, Mountain Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10th and Pierce Car Barn</span> United States historic place

The 10th and Pierce Car Barn is a historic car barn located at 1125 S. 11th Street in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The building was used to house streetcars for the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company (O&CB).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Seilegman Syndicate Deal", The New York Times. August 14, 1902. Retrieved 4/11/08.
  2. Mead & Hunt, In. (2006) Reconnaissance Survey of Portions of South Central Omaha: Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey [usurped] . City of Omaha and Nebraska State Historical Society. p 5.
  3. 1 2 Larsen, L.H., Cottrell, B.J. and Dalstrom, H.A. (2007) Upstream Metropolis: An Urban Biography of Omaha and Council Bluffs. University of Nebraska Press. p 151.
  4. "Omaha's First Century: Installment VI," Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 4/10/08.
  5. United States Army Corps of Engineers. (1888) Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers to the Secretary of War for the Year . GPO. p 309. Retrieved 4/11/08.
  6. "Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge" Archived 2008-04-15 at the Wayback Machine , Omaha Public Library. Retrieved 4/10/08.
  7. "Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company and Omaha & Council Bluffs Railway & Bridge Company, Appts., v. Interstate Commerce Commission and United States." Retrieved 4/11/08.
  8. "Wright, George F.: Biographic of Council Bluffs, Iowa." Retrieved 4/11/08.
  9. (2007) "Omaha history at a glance", Douglas County Historical Society. Retrieved 4/11/08.
  10. Goodsell, C.M. (1879) The Manual of Statistics: Stock Exchange Hand-book. p 677.
  11. Omaha History: At a Glance. Douglas County Historical Society. Retrieved 4/10/08.
  12. "" Archived 2008-05-28 at the Wayback Machine Winter: The magazine of Creighton University. 12;2. Winter 1995-96. p 5.
  13. Omaha City Planning Department. (1980) A Comprehensive Program for Historic Preservation in Omaha. Omaha: Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission.. City of Omaha. p. 39.
  14. Orr, R. (1996) O&CB: Streetcars of Omaha and Council Bluffs. p 154.