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Wahoo Newspaper Historical Articles
First Railroad in Memphis Back in 1887
The little town of Memphis is located in about
the center of Section 17, Township 13, Range 9, East of the
Sixth Principal Meridian, according to the government survey.
It is located about eight miles south and nine miles east of
Wahoo, the county seat, and is in Clear Creek Precinct.
Many of the early settlers of this little town had come f
rom Tennessee and the town derives its name from the city in
that state, which, in turn, derived its name from the city in
ancient Egypt. The Greek word Memphis is from the Coptic.
Menfe, a corruption of the Egyptian Menne-fer, meaning "good
abode", or pleasant dwelling. Men-ne-fer is the name of a
pyramid in the vicinity of the ancient city and the name
extended the whole city.
The town was established by the Burlington Railroad Comp a
n y through the Lincoln Land Company by gift from John C.
Owens. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company
completed its line from Omaha to Memphis via Ashland, February
25, 1887 and when the first train whistled into town,
pandemonium reigned among the cosmopolitan crowd which had
gathered to celebrate the event.
The Bank of Memphis was organized in 1902, with a capital
stock of $5,000; usually earrying a surplus of from $6,000 to
$10,000. For twenty years following 1910, the bank had a
yearly average of $50,000 to $75,000 deposits.
The Memphis post office was established May 15, 1888 with
John W. Carr as postmaster.
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