Akron was founded by the Lincoln Land Company, a division of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, which chose the site for a new town because it was the highest point between Chicago and Denver and gave it a name derived from the Greek word for summit. Platted in 1882 and incorporated in 1887, Akron grew into a railroad, farming, and ranching hub and thrived through dry and rainy cycles and tornadoes, expanding beyond its railroad beginnings. The town originated as a water stop along the railroad and by 1887 had become a major division station with a roundhouse, tool sheds, depot, and crew headquarters. The railroad helped move cattle and crops to market, while passenger service linked Akron to Denver and Chicago through fast trains that included the Denver Special and the Zephyr, which could reach speeds of 112.5 m.p.h. In 1907, the U.S. Department of Agriculture established an experimental station a few miles east of town, and since 1952 a range cattle station has studied grassland conservation. In the 1990s, Akron's airport, with a 7,000-foot-long, 100-foot-wide runway, a 24-hour weather station, and a signal beacon used by pilots on cross-country courses, made the town a crossroads for the nation's interstate air carriers.