The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s Images of Rail series is Nebraska’s Cowboy Rail Line from local author Keith Terry. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images that uncover the history of the rail that existed for nearly 125 years.
Nebraska’s Cowboy Line covered more than 400 miles as it made its way across the northern portion of the state. The construction of the rail line, which started in 1869, was the impetus for the establishment of many towns, and even the relocation of some, along the route. The line was employed to transport miners to the Black Hills during the gold rush of the late 1800s, it carried thousands of Irish and German immigrants to the largely unsettled area, and it allowed politicians to meet their constituents. It also was used to deliver necessities, amusements, technology, and new innovations to the state’s citizenry.
Terry is a faculty member in the Department of Communication at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. His first book, Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail: A User’s Guide, documents the sights, sounds, and history of the former Cowboy Line in its reincarnated form as a recreational hiking and biking trail.
Highlights of Nebraska’s Cowboy Rail Line:
• Images were acquired from family albums, private collections and local historical societies.
• The book highlights the use of the train by Nebraska soldiers, politicians, railroad employees, lover, thieves and orphans.
• The majority of the photographs for the book were taken between 1880 and 1950.
• Many of the images document train accidents that occurred in or near towns along the former Chicago & Northwestern or Cowboy Rail Line.
Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or
www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.
