The growth and progress of Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska, has been commensurate with the growth and progress of the State, in other words. has been most rapid and wonderful. But when we look over Nebraska, with its 123 000 people in 1870, with hardly any railroads, and nearly ten times that number today, with nearly six thousand miles of railroad, we are not surprised to see her capital grow from nothing in 1860 to be in 1892 one of the most sightly cities of the West and a great railroad center. She is proud in being the capital of what is destined to be the richest agricultural and stock raising State in the Union, and fast is Nebraska racing to take that position.
     Lincoln is situated upon a series of elevations that give it a commanding view of some of the most fertile, and, at certain seasons of the year, most picturesque lands in the State. In point of fertility, convenience and beauty the situation is not equaled in Nebraska. It can properly be said to be located in a basin, the center of which is elevated nearly to the height of its encompassing circle of hills that form the horizon, from twelve to twenty miles distant. The capitol crowns the highest elevation around which the hills and valley of the surrounding country, with their gentle swells and depressions, are grouped in an artistic and charming way. It is fifty miles from the Missouri River and thirty south from the Platte.