LINCOLN- The Union Pacific Railroad town of North Platte had a separate town within the town itself. To this day, a few of those buildings are still around and are a part of the rich history of the town. Grading for the rails began in 1864 and the first rail was laid in Omaha in 1865.

Andrew J. Miller first appears as a merchant in O'Fallon's Bluffs, NE in 1858. He and William Peniston then established a trading post in North Platte in 1866. The prosperous stock-raising business in the town began with the duo. The rails were protected by the military. The first camp, Camp Sargent was built and contained a guard house, mess hall, hospital, soldiers quarters and a horse stable. This area now sits at the Sixth and Willow streets in North Platte.

The population plummeted in North Platte after Union Pacific reached Colorado. Then, Union Pacific decided to make North Platte a division point, thus bringing more people to the town. Now, historians have identified buildings from this time and don't want to see that time of history forgotten.

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