May 2024 • Nebraskaland 39
Cottonwood, 100 miles west of Kearney, where the overland
stage line will connect with the railroad until next spring, or
until the railroad reaches Alkali or Julesburg."
At the time, the Union Pacifi c Railroad was rapidly
laying tracks westward toward an eventual junction with
the eastbound Central Pacifi c tracks — the nation's fi rst
transcontinental railroad. The railroad followed the Platte
Valley, the same route long used by westbound emigrants of
the Oregon, California and Mormon trails.
In 1863, the 7th Iowa Cavalry, commanded by Gen. George
O'Brien, built a fort popularly known as Fort Cottonwood and
later offi cially named Fort McPherson. It stood not far from
the Platte River about 10 miles southeast of present-day
North Platte.
No bridges spanned the Platte River in those days. It was
possible, though risky, to ford the shallow channels in some
places, but the river was a major barrier to north-south travel.
That's where O'Brien's pontoon bridge came in. The Army
used many pontoon bridges during the Civil War — and to
keep them from being swept away, they used steamboat
anchors to hold them in place.
The Nebraska anchors, in other words, tell a story not of
steamboat travel on the Platte, but of the transcontinental
railroad and of stagecoaches, freight wagons and other
traffi c along the Great Platte River Road. And because nearby
Fort McPherson was involved in military campaigns during
the Indian Wars, the anchors also speak to the conquest of
the Plains and the dispossession of Native tribes.
That's not the story you expect when you see a boat anchor,
but that's one of the things that makes history so interesting.
Artifacts often tell multiple stories, and sometimes those
stories are far from obvious at fi rst glance.
N
An 1864 drawing of Fort Cottonwood, later known as Fort McPherson, which stood near present-day North Platte.
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG951-0-1-A
A Union Army pontoon boat used to support a temporary
bridge in Virginia during the Civil War.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
