The history of the early railroads in Blair will be the topic of a free public program on Thursday, August 9, at 7 p.m. at the Blair City Council Chambers at 218 South 16th Street. The program is part of the "Blair: Reminisce!" series sponsored by the Blair Historic Preservation Alliance.
The hour-long program will include a comprehensive history researched by Railroad Historian, Lou Schmitz and illustrated with over 75 vintage images from his collection.
Mr. Schmitz is an Omaha native that has spent over 40 years working in the railroad industry — 39½ of those years at the Union Pacific Railroad based in Omaha. Schmitz is the foremost authority on the history of railroad in this area — specializing in the history of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad that first spanned the Missouri river to Blair in 1868. Schmitz has photographed railroad structures in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa for the past 60 years and has amassed an extensive archive of related materials. Schmitz is the author of "The Blair Crossing,” an article published in the 1997 North Western Lines Magazine.
Possible Photos:
(Click photo to Enlarge)
Cutline:
Railroad Historian Lou Schmitz
For more information, contact:
Nathan Kramer, BHPA program coordinator
nathan@nathankramer.com
office: 402-426-6216
home: 402-426-2828