1899 Map of Lexington

About this map

Lexington and the broad valley of the Platte River anchor this late 19th-century survey of south-central Nebraska. The map illustrates a landscape defined by two competing transportation corridors: the Union Pacific R. R. Main Line following the northern bank of the Platte, and the Burlington and Missouri River R. R. (Cheyenne Line) cutting through the loess hills to the south. These iron rails dictated the placement of emerging rail towns like Cozad, Overton, and Elwood.