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21-558: In May 1867 Train was at the Herndon House in Omaha when a windstorm hit the building. Train requested an African American steward in the hotel to stand with his back to the window he was sitting by, fearing the wind would blow it in and expecting the steward to block the glass with his own body. The hotel steward objected, and Train became angry and declared he would build a better hotel within 60 days. The Cozzens House Hotel, which

42-558: A borrowed bolt of muslin for a curtain. Julia Dean Hayne, a leading actress of the time, played the title role. Responding to President Abraham Lincoln 's call for soldiers to fight in the Civil War , on May 18, 1861 the newly appointed Nebraska Territory governor, Alvin Saunders , issued a proclamation calling for the immediate raising and equipping of a regiment. The men were mustered into Companies A and B, and were sworn in on

63-585: A contingent including Standing Hawk, No Knife, Young Crane, Little Hill and others stayed at the Herndon for several days, bound for Washington, D.C. to see President James Buchanan . A. J. McCune, one of the early operators of the hotel, also ran the Douglas House , another early Omaha hotel. In 1860 the dining room of the Hendron House hosted for the first dramatic performance in Omaha, with

84-472: A year. They kept it for just a year, when they became involved in a lawsuit with the Omaha National Bank that eventually led to their departure. A local man named Philo Rumsey ran it until 1871, and then closed it. The building then sat empty for ten years afterwards, when J. D. Iler and James G. Chapman bought it in 1881. They rehabilitated the building, adding a brick basement and redesigning

105-649: The International Hotel and then the Union Pacific Headquarters , was an early hotel located at 9th and Farnam Streets in present-day Downtown Omaha , Nebraska . Built in 1858 by Omaha pioneer Dr. George L. Miller along with several associates, it was financed by the sale of city-donated land and a $ 16,000 loan. It was used as the headquarters building of the Union Pacific Railroad for more than 50 years; it

126-757: The Nebraska Territory , a tenure he served during most of the American Civil War . Saunders was born in Fleming County, Kentucky . He attended the common schools and pursued an academic course; he moved with his father to Illinois in 1829 and then to Mount Pleasant, Iowa (then a part of Wisconsin Territory ) in 1836. He was the postmaster of Mount Pleasant for seven years. Saunders studied law but never entered into practice; instead, he engaged in mercantile pursuits and banking. He

147-760: The Union Pacific Railroad Company. He served as the last Governor of Nebraska Territory from 1861 to 1867. He was a delegate to the 1868 Republican National Convention . Saunders was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served a single term from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1883; chairman of the Committee on Territories (Forty-seventh Congress). He died in Omaha on November 1, 1899; interment in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Saunders' father, Gunnel,

168-658: The "Canfield House." From 1895 to 1902 the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary was located in the former hotel. It was replaced when the Seminary built a facility in the Kountze Place suburb of North Omaha in 1902. The building was demolished later that year. 41°15′23″N 95°55′40″W  /  41.2563°N 95.9279°W  / 41.2563; -95.9279 Herndon House The Herndon House , later known as

189-477: The builder replied $ 1000 a day. Train said, "Show me you are worth it. I will be back to Omaha in 60 days and expect to sleep in the building." The Cozzens House Hotel was finished upon his return. After the Herndon House closed in 1870, the Union Pacific Railroad leased the building for use as its first general headquarters, and in 1875 the railroad bought the building outright for $ 42,000. In 1878

210-546: The building was completely renovated for $ 54,000. The offices on the first floor included UP officials in charge of land, express, and coal departments, as well as the Division Superintendent and train dispatcher offices. The auditor, cashier, general superintendent, general freight, ticket agents and paymaster's offices were located on the second floor, and the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company occupied

231-496: The building." The building was finished upon his return. The building was a three-story frame structure in the shape of a T, the front part being 132 feet (40 m) long by 32 feet (9.8 m) wide, and the rear extension is 100 feet (30 m) long and 50 feet (15 m) wide. Train, whose financing operation called Credit Foncier owned the building, leased it to the Cozzens Hotel of West Point, New York , for $ 10,000

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252-531: The first construction related to the development of the First transcontinental railroad , which began in Omaha. By 1868 the building was billed as the International Hotel. In May 1867 eccentric railroad promoter George Francis Train was staying at the Herndon House when a windstorm hit the building. Train requested an African American steward in the hotel to stand with his back to the window he

273-405: The guests were political figures, soldiers, railroad men, Indian chiefs, river-boat men, and ranchers. They included William T. Sherman , Major General Grenville M. Dodge , James E. Boyd , David Butler , Alvin Saunders , General John Milton Thayer , Brigham Young , Thomas C. Durant , P. T. Barnum , J. Sterling Morton and P. W. Hitchcock . In 1858 Logan Fontenelle , Joseph LaFlesche , and

294-418: The interior. New windows, new chimneys and a new tin roof covered the entire building. A porch was added at the main entrance. At this point the hotel was lit by gas, supplied with hot and cold water, freight and passenger elevators, and regarded as first-class. The building contained 125 rooms after the $ 15,000 reconstruction. A Nebraska hotelier named George Canfield then ran it from 1888 until 1894, renaming it

315-660: The lawn south of Herndon House. In 1862 General James Craig stationed the headquarters of the Military District of Nebraska at the hotel. This placement is credited with eventually leading to the placement of the Omaha Quartermaster Depot , Fort Omaha , and the Department of the Platte in the city. On December 2, 1863 the hotel hosted a massive celebration, including a banquet and ball, for

336-495: The third story. After vacating the building in 1911, the railroad used it as a storehouse until 1922, when it was demolished. 41°15′29″N 95°55′41″W  /  41.258°N 95.928°W  / 41.258; -95.928 Alvin Saunders Alvin Saunders (July 12, 1817 – November 1, 1899) was a U.S. Senator from Nebraska, as well as the final and longest-serving governor of

357-629: Was a delegate to the Iowa State constitutional convention in 1846 and was a member of the Iowa State Senate from December 4, 1854, to May 14, 1861. Saunders served the first two years of his legislative tenure as a Whig for District 5 , then changed his party affiliation to Republican , holding the District 7 seat until 1860, when he assumed the District 9 seat. Saunders was one of the commissioners appointed by Congress to organize

378-416: Was called the " Aladdin 's Castle of George Francis Train", was his response. That same day Train bought the lot across the street from the Herndon House and secured a builder for the facility. Asking the builder how much it would cost to make a three-story, 120 room establishment, the builder replied $ 1,000 a day. Train said, "Show me you are worth it. I will be back to Omaha in 60 days and expect to sleep in

399-595: Was demolished in 1922. The hotel was originally named for Lieutenant William Lewis Herndon of the U.S. Navy whose exploration of the Amazon River in the early 1850s captivated the United States. Billed as the best hotel in town, it was one of the finest between Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco , California . The building had more than 100 rooms and featured a fine menu for visitors, including clams and oysters, as well as local game. Numbered among

420-512: Was said to be of " old stock " in Culpeper County, Virginia . His mother was Mary Mauzy of the same county. They moved to Kentucky and later to Illinois, where Alvin attended school and did farm work until 1836, when the young man removed to Mount Pleasant, Iowa , which was then part of Wisconsin. At his death he left a wife and two children, Charles B., and a daughter, Mary (later Mrs. Russell Harrison of Washington, D.C.) Saunders

441-413: Was sitting by, fearing the wind would blow it in and expecting the steward to block the glass with his own body. The hotel steward objected, and Train became angry and declared he would build a better hotel within 60 days. That same day Train bought the lot across the street from the Herndon House and secured a builder. Train asked how much it would cost to construct a three-story, 120 room establishment, and

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