Traveling Through Nebraska: Chicago Kc And St Louis Railway Trails as Roadside Attractions
The Chicago Kc and St Louis Railway Trails, more commonly known as the Chicago, Kansas City and St Louis Railway, also known as the C K & St L, or as it was known at the time of abandonment, the St Louis and Omaha, was a railroad company that operated primarily in the Midwestern United States. However, remnants of the railway, now trails, create excellent roadside attractions in Nebraska, luring travelers into deep-seated nostalgia while they meander through the Cornhusker State.
One of the railway's remnant trails in Nebraska can be found in Omaha, along the Fontenelle Forest trail system. Located just north of the Missouri River, near the Iowa-Nebraska border, Fontenelle Forest encompasses a massive 26 miles of hiking trails. A section of this trail reuses what was originally a part of the Chicago Kc and St Louis Railway. Other abandoned sections of the railway near the Omaha suburb of Valley can be repurposed as designated multiuse trails as shown by ongoing discussions amongst community planners.
Evidence of other trains and connected industries along these routes has been preserved in museums and recreated as roadside attractions near larger metropolitan areas like Lincoln and Omaha. Great Plains Antique Tractor & Train Show in Great Plains, North of Omaha and Lincoln's city-owned or privately owned 'Great Plains Museum of Art, History' near the state capitol possess an accumulated warehouse of such a historical past relevant to our current situation; these exhibits allow travelers interested in Nebraska railway remnants to sample the once-thriving environment that is as historically rich in stories as its open terrain is large.
Unfortunately, few items belonging to this trail's history remain intact, specifically only the remnants of the remains serving long-forgotten purposes that could be preserved at roadside attractions sites scattered within and beyond these areas can have value in attempting to communicate the expansive operations the original railway once covered with past travelers.
Railway historian Mary Harris, an Omaha volunteer, manages personal blogs reflecting specific aspects as Nebraska and her continued to organize exhibits for small groups on select weekends near sections of 'C K and St L' remains giving insight as one such roadside expert; locals like Mark Crawford present numerous events relevant to the Chicago, Kc, St Louis Railway via antique model railways and slides, sometimes on donated models and authentic era collectibles from the massive historical database owned by Mary.
Traveling further south along I-29 route is another excellent option of seeking insight into the historical railways of Nebraska. Visit the Durham Western Heritage Museum near intersection highway of I-29 and 80 near Omaha including 'Living History Days' and 'Durham Heritage Museum'. These museums function as roadside attractions that effectively facilitate deep awareness of railway histories once present there like that which the Chicago Kc and St Louis Railway operated on, once interlocking interests together smoothly and the remnants that stand witness that serve still today.
One of the railway's remnant trails in Nebraska can be found in Omaha, along the Fontenelle Forest trail system. Located just north of the Missouri River, near the Iowa-Nebraska border, Fontenelle Forest encompasses a massive 26 miles of hiking trails. A section of this trail reuses what was originally a part of the Chicago Kc and St Louis Railway. Other abandoned sections of the railway near the Omaha suburb of Valley can be repurposed as designated multiuse trails as shown by ongoing discussions amongst community planners.
Evidence of other trains and connected industries along these routes has been preserved in museums and recreated as roadside attractions near larger metropolitan areas like Lincoln and Omaha. Great Plains Antique Tractor & Train Show in Great Plains, North of Omaha and Lincoln's city-owned or privately owned 'Great Plains Museum of Art, History' near the state capitol possess an accumulated warehouse of such a historical past relevant to our current situation; these exhibits allow travelers interested in Nebraska railway remnants to sample the once-thriving environment that is as historically rich in stories as its open terrain is large.
Unfortunately, few items belonging to this trail's history remain intact, specifically only the remnants of the remains serving long-forgotten purposes that could be preserved at roadside attractions sites scattered within and beyond these areas can have value in attempting to communicate the expansive operations the original railway once covered with past travelers.
Railway historian Mary Harris, an Omaha volunteer, manages personal blogs reflecting specific aspects as Nebraska and her continued to organize exhibits for small groups on select weekends near sections of 'C K and St L' remains giving insight as one such roadside expert; locals like Mark Crawford present numerous events relevant to the Chicago, Kc, St Louis Railway via antique model railways and slides, sometimes on donated models and authentic era collectibles from the massive historical database owned by Mary.
Traveling further south along I-29 route is another excellent option of seeking insight into the historical railways of Nebraska. Visit the Durham Western Heritage Museum near intersection highway of I-29 and 80 near Omaha including 'Living History Days' and 'Durham Heritage Museum'. These museums function as roadside attractions that effectively facilitate deep awareness of railway histories once present there like that which the Chicago Kc and St Louis Railway operated on, once interlocking interests together smoothly and the remnants that stand witness that serve still today.
