Why the name Legacy Station?

Wood River came into existence and has grown and flourished around several ‘stations.’ The community of Wood River was first established around Jackson’s store, which served as a way station along the Old California/ Oregon trail and Old Military Road from Fort Omaha to Fort Kearney at the end of the Civil War.

A decade later, forward thinking community leaders agreed to pick up the entire town and move it three miles east where the Union Pacific Railroad plated a new station, knowing that towns that survived and thrived would have a railroad station at the heart of the town where travelers, goods, and news would pass through. With the arrival of the transcontinental highway, the community again evolved with modern service stations drawing motorists into the community and when plans were discussed to bypass Wood River when the highway was realigned in the 1930s, community leaders fought to keep the highway along the business district which allowed the community to continue to grow while other communities established around the same time have vanished from the landscape.

During the floods of 2019, the community came together to rise above the devastation with the fire station serving as a command post and community gathering space.

A legacy, or gift, is passed from one generation to the next The legacy of a life includes the accomplishments of the individual (or in this case community) and the impact let on people and places. We all have a choice of what type of legacy we want to leave in the world.

Drawing on a biblical reference, Proverbs 13:22 proclaims, ‘A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.’
Legacy Station could be the inheritance this generation leaves for the next to help propel the community into the next century.