At nearly 1,500 acres, Wilderness Park is the largest park in Lincoln. It's a beautiful preserve, filled with miles of trails and heavy forest. The area has a great deal of history: it's housed a corn mill, was a Boy Scouts camp, and also served as an Adirondack-style lodge. However, Wilderness Park was also the site of a horrific train wreck that claimed 11 lives. The incident was especially awful, because investigations would later reveal it was intentional sabotage, making it the site of the worst mass murders in Nebraska history.
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was founded in 1852 and would operate for over 100 years. It would eventually boast over 10,000 miles of track and was a popular choice for passenger travel.
In 1894, a Rock Island locomotive pulling two passenger cars was preparing to head over a trestle in what is now Wilderness Park. The tracks began to spread, sending the entire train into the creek below.
Coals burst from the train's engine and the heat ignited the entire area, shooting flames high into the sky.
Several crew members who escaped from the wreckage were able to save passengers from the second car. The first car was beyond help.
The survivors had to trek two miles to the closest building to call for help. Limited resources meant that no help could reach the site in time, and the fire simply had to burn out.
Investigations after the fire showed that spikes had been pulled out from the trestle, leading to the spreading of the tracks. A crowbar was found in the grass nearby.
Within a few days, George Washington Davis, an African-American man who was caught near the scene of the crash, was arrested and charged with murder.
After serving 10 years in prison for the crime, Davis was paroled by the governor and released due to lack of evidence. Sadly, he was more than likely convicted due to his race and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Today, the crime remains unsolved and it remains one of the worst murders in Nebraska history. Visitors to the park are left with only a historical marker to remind them of the horrors that occurred here.
For more information about the park where this tragedy occurred, check out AllTrails.
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