Pacific, MO

Pacific, MO

Pacific MO Train Town Photo

The City of Pacific, Missouri was founded in 1852 under the name of Franklin. Although, the first cabin built in the area dates to 1804, and the Native Osage Tribe inhabited the area long before European settlers landed in the New World. Early settlers of the area included immigrants from Germany and Ireland, as well as many immigrants from the southern states throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century.

In 1859—to honor the Pacific Railroad that laid track through the town—Franklin was renamed as the City of Pacific, Missouri. The Pacific Railroad would close in 1872 and be reorganized into the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MoPac) which itself operated until 1982 when it was purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad. Pacific itself would serve as a stop for commuter trains until the 1970s, and still serves as a major thoroughfare for the Union Pacific line.

It was the Union Pacific Railroad that designated the City of Pacific, Missouri a “Train Town USA” in 2012. This designation is an honorary title that the company has awarded to over one hundred towns across the country that have a long and respected history with the railroad. However, they also gave Pacific the unique title of “The Biggest Little Railroad Town in the USA.”