History

   In 1898, the Fort Dodge & Omaha Railroad was formed by the Illinois Central Railroad to build a line from Tara Iowa, just west of Fort Dodge, to Council Bluffs Iowa, just across the Missouri River from Omaha Nebraska.  The hope was to tap into the transcontinental traffic that was flowing through Omaha.  Interestingly the golden spike was the first to be driven in on this line instead of the last.  It took only 208 days between the driving of the golden spike and the line being completed on December 18th, 1899.  The IC would get to Omaha itself in 1903 via the Omaha Bridge & Terminal Railway.

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