Grand Island and Hall County

Grand Island and Hall County, settled by German immigrants in 1857, benefited from the diversification that the railroad and western immigrants brought to central Nebraska. Their stories, captured in these images, are the stories of the heart and soul of America. Located in the Platte River valley, Grand Island and Hall County have long served as a gateway to the West. Thousands of western immigrants traveling the California-Overland and Mormon Trails purchased their supplies from the many road ranches scattered across Hall County. The Union Pacific Railroad arrived in Grand Island on July 8, 1866, and brought with it growth and prosperity. Grand Island swiftly evolved from a prairie town to a railroad city. From the sugar beet factory to the world’s second-largest horse and mule market, business and industry flourished, and the people of Hall County reaped the benefits.