33:
302:. As pioneers began to settle along the land areas newly opened up by the B & M lines, he envisioned that the railroad should become active in increasing the agricultural and mining production of the area it served. To this end, the railroad developed an experimental farm, irrigation service, and free transportation of the grain produced to market.
256:(B & M) where he served as assistant paymaster, brakeman, conductor, trainmaster and assistant superintendent. In 1882, he was appointed General Manager. During his career, the B & M Railroad in Nebraska expanded from 495 miles of track to 4,713 west of the Missouri River, including the completion of a line from Grand Island through the
232:, an executive at competing Union Pacific Railroad. Kimball made several failed attempts at recruiting Holdrege. Despite their professional rivalry, on April 23, 1878, Holdrege married Kimball’s daughter, Frances Rodgers Kimball, older sister of architect,
227:
On
February 12, 1872, Holdrege married Emily Cabot Atkinson at Boston, Massachusetts. Her death, on February 16, 1873, followed the birth of their son, Henry Atkinson Holdrege. While looking for help raising his young son, Holdrege met
267:. Anson Higby formed the Sheridan Fuel Company, and when midwestern capitalist Gould Dietz became the treasurer of the company, the name of the camp was changed to Dietz. Dietz and Holdrege collaborated with Omaha architect
487:
History
Nebraska: RG3473.AM: George Ward Holdrege, 1847-1926, Papers: 1878-1934, Omaha, Douglas County, Neb.: Railroad official Box 7, Folder 81, 1920 Retirement notices and Letters, Subseries 7: Business Correspondence
157:(March 26, 1847 - September 14, 1926) was an American railroad officer and cattle rancher with large land holdings in western Nebraska. An early advocate of modern agricultural practices, he experimented with
236:. In 1880, their first born, a son, died two months after birth. Subsequently, they became the parents of three daughters: Mrs. Mary Holdrege Holyoke, Mrs. Susan Holdrege Hollister, and Leeta Holdrege.
279:, who in 1884 was in charge of locating the most economical route for the railroad by investigating grade, distance, and other factors. Holdrege’s rail lines began in Nebraska, worked up through the
189:
Born in New York City on March 26, 1847, he was the second son of Henry
Holdrege Jr. and Mary Russell Grennell Holdrege. His father was employed by the New York Commission Mercantile Firm of
548:
500:
History
Nebraska: RG3473.AM: George Ward Holdrege, 1847-1926, Papers: 1878-1934, Omaha, Douglas County, Neb.: Railroad official Box 11, Folder 81, Series 9 – Scrapbooks
305:
On
December 31, 1920, after 51 continuous years of service, Holdrege retired from the B&M railroad. Widely known as a central figure in legislative debates at the
205:
193:. Through his mother’s family, Holdrege had a heritage that connected him with some of the most illustrious New England families: Grinnell, Russell and Howland.
317:, is also named for him. He suffered a heart attack at his home in Omaha, Nebraska and died on September 14, 1926. George Ward Holdrege is interred at
460:
Gillette, Edward "Locating the Iron Trail" Boston: Christopher
Publishing House, 1925. Reprint. Wyoming: Wyoming State Historical Society, 2015, p12
433:
Holdrege, G.W., in a speech delivered at the
Commercial Club banquet, Omaha, Nebraska, January 18, 1921, The Daily Nebraskan, January 19, 1921, p4
32:
558:
253:
209:
543:
337:
244:
While visiting
Clifford Watson, a friend in Boston, in 1869, Holdrege secured a job interview with railroad magnate
451:
Georgen, Cynde "In the Shadow of the
Bighorns", Sheridan, Wyoming: Sheridan County Historical Society, 2010, p47
553:
518:
Nebraska State
Journal, October 30, 1925; J.S. Welch, president of the Lincoln Kiwanis Club, October 15, 1925
442:
Nebraska State Journal, October 30, 1925; J.S. Welch, president of the Lincoln Kiwanis Club, October 15, 1925
201:
309:, George was awarded the “Distinguished Service Medal” by the Lincoln Kiwanis Club in 1925. The town of
190:
330:
299:
221:
213:
348:
314:
178:
306:
264:
37:
Portrait of George Ward Holdrege from "Omaha the Gate City, and Douglas County, Nebraska", 1917
333:; created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American West.
268:
249:
233:
263:
With the arrival of the B & M Railroad at Sheridan, coal mines were developed along the
568:
563:
257:
224:. After his father’s business failed in 1869, Holdrege returned home and never graduated.
8:
229:
197:
527:
Obituary: Evening World - Herald (Omaha, Nebraska), September 14, 1926, page 1, column 8
310:
295:
245:
217:
174:
288:
284:
276:
272:
166:
56:
16:
American railroad officer, cattle rancher and western Nebraska land owner (1847–1926)
275:
range. It was constructed after the railroad sent a scouting party led by surveyor
162:
75:
509:"Banquet Departing Burlington Manager", Omaha World-Herald, January 5, 1921, p10
248:, who offered him a position with his new railroad in Nebraska. George moved to
212:. In June of 1865, he graduated from Atkinson’s school and spent the summer in
318:
537:
170:
204:. At sixteen, Holdrege attended a private day school in Boston operated by
280:
341:
158:
370:“Eleven Named to Hall of Fame”, Omaha World-Herald, June 28, 1965, p2
196:
In 1850, the family left New York City to establish their home at
469:
Gillette, Edward, "Trail of the Iron Horse", Boston, 1910, p56
549:
Predecessors of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
388:
Emery, William, "The Howland Heirs", Boston, 1921, p142
379:
Emery, William, "The Howland Heirs", Boston, 1921, p252
535:
252:, and was employed as a railroad clerk for the
254:Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company
271:to create the Dome Lake Club, high in the
31:
336:He was a member of the Unitarian Church,
208:, one of the original faculty members of
496:
494:
424:Holyoke, Mrs. E.A., interview, May, 1941
294:George Holdrege invested extensively in
321:, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska.
536:
366:
364:
283:of present-day South Dakota, and into
491:
478:B&M Railroad, Annual Report, 1888
210:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
298:ranchland including the HO ranch in
559:Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska
415:Omaha Republican, February 11, 1878
361:
13:
329:In 1965, he was inducted into the
14:
580:
287:with further extensions reaching
521:
512:
503:
481:
472:
463:
454:
445:
406:Harvard Advocate, July 11, 1868
191:Grinnell, Minturn & Company
134:
115:
436:
427:
418:
409:
400:
391:
382:
373:
216:preparing for his entrance to
1:
354:
220:where he was a member of the
184:
95:Railroad officer, land owner
7:
397:Boston Herald, June 5, 1857
10:
585:
544:People from New York City
338:Omaha Chamber of Commerce
324:
239:
144:
99:
91:
83:
64:
42:
30:
23:
347:The town of Holdrege in
331:Hall of Great Westerners
206:William Parsons Atkinson
124:Frances Rodgers Kimball
351:is named in his honor.
349:Phelps County, Nebraska
181:is named in his honor.
179:Phelps County, Nebraska
307:Nebraska State Capitol
554:American West museums
269:Thomas Rogers Kimball
260:to Sheridan, Wyoming
250:Plattsmouth, Nebraska
234:Thomas Rogers Kimball
105:Emily Cabot Atkinson
222:University Boat Club
155:George Ward Holdrege
87:Matriculated Harvard
25:George Ward Holdrege
230:Thomas Lord Kimball
198:Irvington-on-Hudson
296:Nebraska panhandle
246:John Murray Forbes
202:Westchester County
68:September 14, 1926
289:Billings, Montana
285:Wyoming Territory
273:Big Horn Mountain
167:soil conservation
152:
151:
57:New York City, NY
576:
528:
525:
519:
516:
510:
507:
501:
498:
489:
485:
479:
476:
470:
467:
461:
458:
452:
449:
443:
440:
434:
431:
425:
422:
416:
413:
407:
404:
398:
395:
389:
386:
380:
377:
371:
368:
138:
136:
119:
117:
71:
52:
50:
35:
21:
20:
584:
583:
579:
578:
577:
575:
574:
573:
534:
533:
532:
531:
526:
522:
517:
513:
508:
504:
499:
492:
486:
482:
477:
473:
468:
464:
459:
455:
450:
446:
441:
437:
432:
428:
423:
419:
414:
410:
405:
401:
396:
392:
387:
383:
378:
374:
369:
362:
357:
327:
277:Edward Gillette
242:
187:
173:.. The town of
163:dryland farming
140:
137: 1878)
132:
128:
125:
121:
118: 1872)
113:
109:
106:
84:Alma mater
79:
76:Omaha, Nebraska
73:
69:
60:
54:
48:
46:
38:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
582:
572:
571:
566:
561:
556:
551:
546:
530:
529:
520:
511:
502:
490:
480:
471:
462:
453:
444:
435:
426:
417:
408:
399:
390:
381:
372:
359:
358:
356:
353:
326:
323:
319:Wyuka Cemetery
300:Perkins County
241:
238:
186:
183:
150:
149:
146:
142:
141:
130:
126:
123:
122:
111:
107:
104:
103:
101:
97:
96:
93:
89:
88:
85:
81:
80:
74:
72:(aged 79)
66:
62:
61:
55:
53:March 26, 1847
44:
40:
39:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
581:
570:
567:
565:
562:
560:
557:
555:
552:
550:
547:
545:
542:
541:
539:
524:
515:
506:
497:
495:
484:
475:
466:
457:
448:
439:
430:
421:
412:
403:
394:
385:
376:
367:
365:
360:
352:
350:
345:
343:
339:
334:
332:
322:
320:
316:
315:Phelps County
312:
308:
303:
301:
297:
292:
290:
286:
282:
278:
274:
270:
266:
261:
259:
255:
251:
247:
237:
235:
231:
225:
223:
219:
215:
211:
207:
203:
199:
194:
192:
182:
180:
176:
172:
171:crop rotation
168:
164:
160:
156:
147:
143:
102:
98:
94:
92:Occupation(s)
90:
86:
82:
77:
67:
63:
58:
45:
41:
34:
29:
22:
19:
523:
514:
505:
483:
474:
465:
456:
447:
438:
429:
420:
411:
402:
393:
384:
375:
346:
335:
328:
304:
293:
265:Tongue River
262:
243:
226:
195:
188:
154:
153:
70:(1926-09-14)
18:
569:1926 deaths
564:1847 births
281:Black Hills
538:Categories
355:References
342:Omaha Club
340:, and the
185:Early life
159:irrigation
49:1847-03-26
488:1921-1926
258:Sandhills
214:Cambridge
165:methods,
311:Holdrege
175:Holdrege
145:Children
218:Harvard
139:
131:
127:
120:
112:
108:
325:Legacy
240:Career
169:, and
100:Spouse
78:, U.S.
59:, U.S.
313:, in
200:, in
133:(
129:
114:(
110:
65:Died
43:Born
177:in
540::
493:^
363:^
344:.
291:.
161:,
135:m.
116:m.
148:4
51:)
47:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
