Midland Pacific Railway Company Bond Certificate (Lancaster County, Nebraska)

Description

Midland Pacific Railway Company Bond Certificate
This piece is an Ebay exclusive. We are only offering this piece here!
The price of this piece has been reduced again!!!
Original Price:
.99
First Reduction:
.97
Current Price:
.97
(you now save 25%!!)
Construction of the Midland Pacific Railroad, now a part of the Burlington system, was an attempt by Nebraska City to exploit the rich resources of the state's interior. During the late 1850s and the early 1860s, Nebraska City, eastern terminus of the great Platte Valley freighting business of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, had overshadowed Omaha.  After the Union Pacific built west, Nebraska City saw her advantage slipping away.
In 1866 businessmen in Nebraska City organized the Midland Pacific Railway Company, later known as the Nebraska Railway Company. Citizens of that city raised ,000, which was spent on grading the first ten miles in the spring of 1870. After that Otoe County voted a bond issue, and the state made a land grant. The normal route of the line would follow the old Platte Valley freighting line from Nebraska City to Fort Kearny, running not far from the new state capital at Lincoln. Accordingly the company asked Lancaster County to vote bonds to aid in construction to Lincoln. In response the county voted ,000. It was found that this was not enough, and the company asked for an additional 0,000.
One mass meeting after another kept railroad fever at a white heat in Lincoln. In the midst of the campaign, when it appeared doubtful that Lincoln citizens would vote more bonds, Joel N. Converse, speaking for the Midland Pacific, stated that some of his associates favored running the line from the west boundary of Otoe County directly to the Republican Valley, where they would not meet such strong competition from the Burlington and Missouri.
The Nebraska State Journal aroused interest in subsidizing the railroad in article after article, urging readers to do their part to secure the railroad for Lincoln. The bond issue passed, and the Midland Pacific built into Lincoln on April 22, 1871. In the meantime the B & M had built from Plattsmouth via Ashland to Lincoln, arriving there on July 26, 1870. Three weeks earlier citizens had used the Fourth of July to celebrate the arrival of the first train. In early 1875 a branch line from the Midland Pacific called the Nebraska Trunk Line was completed to Brownville.
The line was, however, sold under foreclosure, and the company re-organized under the title of the Nebraska Railway, and was operated as such until it passed into the hands of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad Company, in 1876, who extended the line west from Seward to York, and from Nebraska City to Nemaha City, its southeastern terminus.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is the certificate in this listing, the exact piece I will receive?
Yes.
Is this document authentic or a reproduction?
All pieces we offer are originals - we do not sell reproductions. If you ever find one of our pieces not to be authentic, it may be returned at any time.
Can this certificate be cashed in?
All of our certificates are sold only as collectible pieces, as they are either canceled or obsolete. Certificates carry no value on any of today's financial indexes and no transfer of ownership is implied.
Do you combine shipping?
We offer flat rate shipping - whether you order 1 certificate or 100 - you pay only the published flat rate.
To take advantage of our flat rate shipping offer,
you must add all of the pieces you would like to your eBay cart
and perform a single checkout. If you use "Buy It Now" for each individual certificate, you will be charged a shipping charge each time - this is an unfortunate limitation of the eBay system.
Is all of your inventory on eBay?
Absolutely not! We have 1,000s of certificates on our website.