Show Omaha Turns Back the Clock to 70 Years Ago When North America Was First Spanned With Steel r f x W H e etwo rr N M fL r. r r n J i t lA f J r I t i I two t o e i.- i. 1 9 The Wedding of the Rails Rafts at Promontory Point t Utah May l 10 1869 completing the first transcontinental transcontinental transcontinental trans trans- continental railroad Central Pacific engine on the left Union Pacific on the right By ELMO SCOTT WATSON O m Western Newspaper Union I OR four days April 26 to 29 Omaha Neb is turning 1 1 FOR v back the clock 70 years and visitors arriving there during during during dur- dur ing that time will l probably rub their eyes eyes in in amazement amaze- amaze ment For they will find that this modern city has been transformed into what resembles a frontier village of three- three quarters of a century ago They will see the Union station station station sta sta- tion covered with logs to a height of 10 feet to give it the ap of an an time old-time stockade and as they cross the Plaza in front of the station station station sta sta- tion they will be greeted by shrill whoops war-whoops from a band of Brule Sioux Indians whose lodges are pitched there On the courthouse lawn they will find another Indian Indian Indian In In- dian village and as they walk down one of the principal sec tion streets in the business see sec tion they will see a solid block of 01 buildings covered cohered with false fronts similar to those which lined Omaha streets back in 1869 Prairie schooners and stage stagecoaches stagecoaches stagecoaches coaches instead of ot automobiles will wilt be parked along the curbs with here and there a picturesque frontiersman in his fringed buckskin buckskin buck buck- skin suit and fur cap lounging in his saddle as he passes the time of day with bewhiskered citizens Wearing tall beaver hats or ogles some pretty girl dressed in crinoline crinoline crinoline crino crino- line hoopskirt and quaint old old- fashioned bonnet In fact some Omaha's people will wUl be wearing the costumes of 1869 during those four days Golden Spike Days Dals Golden Spike Days they're called and they commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the event which really united these United States It was the drivIng driving driving ing of the final golden spike when the eastward-building eastward Central Pacific and the westward build ing lag Union Pacific met at Promontory Promontory Promontory Prom Prom- Point Utah on May 10 1869 to form the first transcontinental transcontinental transcontinental railroad Why then should this celebration be held in Omaha rather than out in Utah There are several good reasons One Is Ls that headquarters of the Union Pacific railroad arc are in Omaha and the history of the U. U P P. P has been bound up closely with the Nebraska metropolis and its twin the Council Bluffs Iowa from their beginnings Another is the fact that the world premiere of ofa a new motion picture called Union n Pacific based upon the building of the first transcontinental transcontinental transcontinental railroad will be held In Omaha during the celebration During the celebration there will be another West East-West meeting meetIng meetIng meet- meet Ing in Omaha which is somewhat reminiscent of the historic meetIng meeting meet meet- Ing at Promontory Point 70 years ago On Thursday morning April 27 a special train will arrive arrive ar ar- rive from the East bearing W W. A A. A Harriman chairman of the j board of directors of the Union l Pacific all other members ers of the board and a large number of ot eastern industrialists That afternoon aft the time old-time train used Inthe in inthe inthe the picture Union Pacific will pull into the Union station The engine on it will be the General McPherson one of the original U U. U P P. P wood-burning wood locomotives locomotives loco loco- motives of the exact type used at Promontory Point Behind this ancient iron horse will be two coaches of ot the same period one of which is a replica of the business car used by Gen Grenville Grenville Gren Gren- ville vine M. M Dodge who was the chief engineer of the during J Its I peri period t 4 Ii k NL Coupled with this train will be bethe bethe bethe the Union Pacific's giant new steam-electric steam locomotive and the necessary modern baggage and Pullman cars to accommodate the motion picture celebrities from Hollywood and others arriving arriving ar ar- are riving from the West coast Getting Getting Getting Get Get- ting ol off this train will be W. W M. M Jeffers president of the U. U P. P Cecil B. B DeMille DeMUle producer of Union Pacific Joel McCrea Barbara other members members members mem mem- bers ot of the cast and several western governors That night the Easterners and Westerners will meet at a huge banquet Inthe Inthe in inthe the Ben Ak coliseum and during the next two days they will see and take part in a series of historical parades pageants luncheons banquets and other woods a hewn tie lie polished and with a silver plate properly in in- scribed lion Hon F. F A. A Fryth ot of Nevada then stepped forward and presented presented presented pre pre- to Dr T T. T C. C vice president of the Union Pacific Pl a silver spike on behalf of the people people peo pea pie of Nevada with the sentiment sentiment sentiment senti senti- ment To the iron of the East and the gold of the West Nevada adds her link of silver to span the continent and wed the oceans Governor Safford of Arizona next presented a spike made of iron silver and gold saying Ribbed with iron clad in silver and crowned with gold Arizona presents her offering to the enterprise enterprise enterprise en en- that has banded the continent continent con conS and directed the pathway to commerce To these donors Governor Stanford on the part of the Central Central Cen Pacific responded accepting accept ing with pride and satisfaction these gold and silver tokens of appreciation and importance of the great heat work Maj Gen Grenville M M. M Dodge chief engineer of the Union Pal Pai Pa- Pa l 55 i 5 r l rl i j wU ti The Old and the New New New-A A modern Union Pacific streamliner and the time old-time locomotive built in 1862 which was used In the motion Union Pacific picture c. c festivities which have been arranged arranged arranged ar ar- ar- ar ranged as a part of the tion Such will be the highlights inthe In the celebration of the event upon which the eyes of the whole nation nation nation na na- na- na tion were focused when it took place 70 years ago For that event special e trains bearing notables from both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts were run to Promontory Point arriving on May 10 At a signal from Edgar Mills of the firm of Ogden Mills and Company of San Francisco who was master of ceremonies the two engines moved up to their assigned positions about 60 feet apart Drawn up along the northside north northside northside side of the track were four companies com com- companies of the Twenty-first Twenty infantry infantry infantry try with their re regimental band baud to furnish music for the occasion The scene which followed is described described described de de- scribed by L. L 0 O. O Leonard for many years historian of the Union Pacific as follows The preliminaries completed i Edgar Mills stepped forward and asked for attention while the Rev Hev J J. J Todd of ot Pittsfield Mass offered prayer Next was the presenting of the spikes for the ceremony Doctor Harkness of the Sacramento Sacramento Sacramento Sacra Sacra- mento Press in a brief speech presented Governor Stanford with witha a spike forged with gold from the mines of California an and also presented from her laurel i responded for that company In a most happy manner Mr Coe of the Pacific Express company company com com- pany then presented the officials with a silver spike-maul spike with which to drive the golden spike into the tie AU All preliminaries now being completed Samuel B. B Reed who had had charge of the Union p Pa Pacific rise construction work stepped forward as did also J J. J H. H Strow Strow- bridge who held a similar position position position tion for the Central Pacific They carried the laurel tie and placed it in its bed beneath the track Governor Stanford grasping the silver spike-maul spike firmly In his hands then took his position on the south aide side of the rail and Vice President Durant upon the north side At a signal Governor Gover Cover nor Stanford struck the first blow and then Doctor Durant the second sec ond and blow and the golden spike was driven home At the same instant the electric signal announced announced an an- to the world orld the completion completion comple comple- tion of ot the great enterprise The crowd cheered and the band played the Star Spangled Ban Dan ner The The ceremonies and visiting being being be be- ing concluded the trains backed backet of oil off the scene and the crowd gradually grad faded away By Dy evening the scene was deserted and thai tha night the coyote roamed over th the locality disturbing no on one Y rit his lonesome howl bowl y-k y w i a I W. W v. v M. M Jeffers president of the Union Pacific c. c wearing the type of f beaver hat which will be In vogue vague in Omaha during Golden Spike Days Closely associated with the history his his- tory ory of the first transcontinental railroad is the name of Abraham Lincoln It came about in this way In 1858 1853 Lincoln visited Council Bluffs on legal business for a cli- cli ent nt General then Colonel Grenville MI Dodge had just returned returned re- re turned from making a survey for fora a railroad west of ot the Missouri river iver General Dodge says He lie heard leard of my return from the survey survey survey sur sur- vey and on the porch of the Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- House he sat with me for two wo hours or more and drew out all aU the facts I had obtained in my survey urvey and naturally my opinion as to the route for a railroad west vest I thought no more of giving givIng Ing ng this at the time than that possibly possibly pos pos- i sibly I might have given away I secrets that belonged to my employers employers employers em em- in this work In 1863 while in command of the district of if Corinth I received a dispatch from rom General Grant to proceed to o Washington and report to the President President Lincoln informed me that hat I was sent for for a consultation consul consul- tation in regard to the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific r tail all all- road He remembered the conversation conversation conversation con con- with me on the porch of the Pacific House and under the taw law lawhe he was to determine the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific railroad Those who remember remember remember re re- re- re member that time know what pressure was brought to bear on the he President to name this point far ar north and far south of ot Council Counell Bluffs After a long conversation with me obtaining my views fully and the reasons for them the President finally determined to tomake tomake tomake make it on the western border of Iowa A Pacific Union On July 1 I 1862 President Lincola Lincoln Lincoln Lin Lin- coln cola signed the act to build the Pacific railroad It was not a perfunctory procedure He had advocated the passage of the act and the building of the road not only as a military necessity but aut as a means of holding the Pac Pacific fic coast to the Union There Theres Is s no doubt but that the idea behind behind behind be be- hind this enterprise was for a Pacific Union which name reversed re re- versed gives us the title of the railroad Not only did Lincoln establish the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific railroad opposite Section 10 in the Territory of Nebraska but he also fixed the other boundaries on the western end of the line which was being built eastward from the Pacific By Dy Bythe Bythe the original railroad act at the President President President Pres Pres- ident was to fix the point where the Sacramento valley ended and the foothills of the Sierra Madre began The chief engineer had designated designated designated 31 miles from Sacramento as the beginning of the mountains The Supreme court decided the foot hills commenced commenced com com- at 30 miles from that city Several attempts were made to bring this to the attention attention atten tion of President Lincoln but the Presidents President's occupation with heavier heavier heave ier ler duties connected with the war prevented the action The time came however when it could not be longer delayed It U was Important to the railroad company that the foot hill should begin as al near as possible to Sac Sac- Senator Sargent claims the credit of moving the mountain mountain mountain moun moun- tain from to Arcade creek a distance of 24 miles lIe He relates the affair as follows Lincoln was engaged with aa a a- map when the senator substituted another and demonstrated by it and the statement of some geologist geologist genie genie- gist that the black soil soli of the valley valley val vat ley and the red soil of the hills unite at Arcade The President relied on the statements given by him and decided accordingly Here you see said the senator my pertinacity and Abrahams Abraham's faith removed mountains Apropos of Lincoln's connection with the Union Pacific is the fact that several years ago Historian Leonard found in the records of the department of the interior in Washington many papers which he signed one of them on a U U. p P. P document only four months before before before be be- fore his assassination It is interesting interesting interesting in in- to note that only upon U. U P P. P papers did he sign his full ri siame name me Abraham Lincoln On almost all aU others he wrote it A Lincoln |