Thornton Waite 120 pages softcover
Many stories about the Union Pacific Railroad have centered around its
construction as part of the nation’s first transcontinental rail line.
One of the more famous stories concern the Plum Creek Raid, in which
three UP employees were killed and a UP freight train was derailed by
the Northern Cheyenne on August 7, 1867, near Plum Creek (now
Lexington), Neb. It is the best-known instance in which Native Americans
successfully wrecked the “iron horse” during their struggle against the
encroachment of the railroad on their tribal lands. The incident
includes the unusual tale of UP employee William Thompson and his scalp.
Noted railroad historian Thornton Waite looks at the many conflicting
versions of events related to the incident, and how it has been been
portrayed in the media over the past 150-plus years.
