Railroads
Before the Railroads:
There are few statistics available for Nodaway County before the end of the Civil War. What we do know is in 1850 only 21 percent of the land in Nodaway County was classed as improved, meaning having projects such as wind breaks and irrigation systems. According to the 1860 census the entire population of the county only numbered 5,252.
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The Railroads Arrive:
The first railroad in Nodaway County was the Kansas City, St. Joseph, and Council Bluffs Railroad. This railroad had been built north following the Civil War, connecting Kansas City to Omaha and the Transcontinental Railroad. Tracks were laid to Maryville by mid-1869, and trains were running to Iowa by the winter of 1870.
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The second railroad to arrive in Nodaway County was the Wabash Railroad. It was built across the county in 1879 and was funded by a county-wide tax. The third and final railroad, called the “Maple Leaf Route” was built in 1889-1890.
Impacts of the Railroads:
The 1860 census shows only 5,252 citizens living in Nodaway county. The 1870 census, the first full year of rail operations, showed 14,751 citizens. The 1880 census showed 29,544citizens. The new railroad connection to Omaha and Kansas City opened new markets in the western and eastern United States.
Before the railroad selling grain and purchasing supplies meant a two-day wagon trip to Weston. Now the railroad brought the market to the farmer’s doorstep. This led to an increase in farm production. By 1880 there were 46,000 acres of corn planted. Cattle population in 1900 was 67,070. Also in 1900, 556,122 acres, or 98 percent of the county, were classed as improved, the value of the land totaling just over $30 million.