1899 Map of Lexington

About this map

The Platte River corridor serves as the central artery for this late 19th-century landscape, dictating the placement of railroads and settlements in central Nebraska. The Union Pacific R. R. (Main Line) runs parallel to the river's northern bank, connecting the growing hubs of Lexington, Cozad, and Overton. To the south, the terrain becomes more broken near Plum Creek, where the Burlington and Missouri River R. R. (Cheyenne Line) services the town of Elwood and the village of Smithfield. Civil engineering of the era is evidenced by the Lexington Bridge and Overton Bridge, providing rare crossing points over the wide riverbed. North of the valley, the land rises into the Hillside and Kennebec regions, where numerous drainage systems like Spring Creek and Wood River cut through the Buffalo and Tillman districts.