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stagecoach and steamboat to railroad,
innovations in transportation were
opening up more and more of the
frontier. By 1867, the whole of
Nebraska was connected by railroad.
By 1869, the transcontinental railroad
was complete. Now, the entire country
was connected by rail, coast to coast.
The railroads made it easier for set-
tlers to populate more remote areas of
Nebraska, including the western lands
where cattle thrived. Railroads also
gave the settlers access to a nation-
wide market for their products.
Nebraska’s cattle industry boomed.
No battles were fought in
Nebraska during the Civil War, but
the territory indirectly contributed to
the war effort by supplying beef to the
Union Army. The war, in turn, boosted
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Lower Plains: Kansas, Nebraska
Cattle graze on the plains in northwestern Nebraska. During the 19th century, ranchers discovered
that prairie grass was excellent for feeding livestock.