Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Kelli O'Brien from Union Pacific presents Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty with a commemorative Golden Spike during the 2017 Farmer's Day celebration.
Union Pacific will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the railroad reaching Ogallala, Chappell and Kimball, Nebraska, at a series of community celebrations Sept. 21-23. The events include commemorative Golden Spike presentations from the railroad to community mayors. All are part of Union Pacific's Great Race celebration, commemorating the transcontinental railroad's completion nearly 150 years ago. Traveling 7-by-7 foot exhibits detailing the communities' railroad connections, as well as a unique, kid-friendly photo-op backdrops, will also be placed in local facilities for month-long displays.
"Union Pacific is proud to serve the mission given to us by our founding father, President Abraham Lincoln – to connect and support this country and the communities that define it," said Kelli O'Brien, director-Public Affairs. "The commemorative golden spike presentations celebrate our shared past and vibrant future together."
O'Brien presented the commemorative Golden Spike to Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty at a special ceremony during the annual Farmers Day celebration. Held at 9:30 a.m. at 2nd and Chestnut streets on Sept. 23, the ceremony occurred prior to the start of the Farmers Day Parade.
The 7-by-7 foot Great Race Exhibit will be on display at the Kimball Event Center, 615 E 3rd St., through late October.
Union Pacific tracks reached Kimball on Aug. 29, 1867, and the railroad established a water stop for its steam locomotive here. Soon settlers who began to call the town home – though it was originally referred to as Antelope and then Antelopeville
because of the prevalence of antelope in the area. The first post office was established in 1877, but another post office to the east, also called Antelope, caused a bit of confusion. Citizens petitioned to change the town's name and in 1885, one year after the town was platted, the request was granted. The name was changed to Kimball, after Thomas Lord Kimball, a vice president of Union Pacific. Delivering the good Americans use daily, Union Pacific proudly continues to operate its east-west main line through Kimball today.
