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From rail to runway: McCook’s shifting role in transportation
Most folks agree that the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) put McCook, Nebraska, on the map in 1882. Most would also agree that McCook’s central location—a natural division point between Denver and Lincoln—made it an ideal midpoint for passenger traffic, while the short jog from Lincoln to the cattle markets in Omaha boosted freight business. Steam locomotives could not make the full Lincoln–Denver run without major servicing stops, creating an immediate need for a roundhouse, turntable, and maintenance facilities. The resulting activity, commerce, and population growth ultimately led to the Red Willow County seat being moved from Indianola to McCook in 1896.
The short story? Location matters. Transportation matters.
When Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act in 1956, population, topography and the political power were not in our favor. The traffic went elsewhere. Following the completion of the Interstate system, both Hays, Kan. and North Platte saw marked population gains, with Hays growing from about 15,400 in 1960 to over 21,000 by 2000, and North Platte climbing from roughly 17,0200 in 1960 to more than 24,000 —growth fueled by improved highway access, expanded regional services and their roles as transportation hubs.
McCook, like many communities bypassed by the highway network, declined from about 8,600 residents in 1960 to about 7,350 today. Once again, transportation and location made a difference, though that time, not in our favor.
Before the arrival of the railroads, bodies of water were the world’s primary arteries for transportation and trade. Many of the great cities still sit in natural harbors, but the rails challenged the dominance of the waterways. The invention of the automobile — and the rise of trucking — reshuffled the deck again. It all shows us that changes in modes of transportation can be disruptive. It can alter our sense of what is central and convenient.
Now, as we install new fueling equipment and shop for a new FBO vendor, Pilot Larry Grant’s visit to McCook recalls a cross-country air record made possible by a stop in what some would dismiss as “flyover country.” His recent visit is a reminder that location still matters. Today, as online shopping drives demand for next-day delivery and business jets increasingly avoid major airline hubs in favor of smaller, less congested fields, McCook is again well situated. Might the transportation pendulum someday swing back in our favor?
I recall a time, not so long ago, when McCook’s airport assets and central location were at the heart of a “clustering” economic development strategy built around aviation. That effort included hosting a helicopter program that, sadly, delivered a cluster of a different sort. What was promised as a manufacturing facility turned out to be a research and development project that burned investors and quieted aviation boosters for a time. Still, even as transportation pushes toward space, there are moments like Grant’s visit, when we are reminded that McCook’s strength as a halfway point between two cities, or two coasts, remains exactly where it has always been — on the map.