The north bank of the Platte River, from the 1830's through the 1860's, served as a major overland route to the West, used by fur traders, soldiers, gold seekers, and other emigrants. Major Stephen H. Long's expedition passed through this area in June 1820, and just south of the river stood the last villages of the Pawnee Nation before they were placed on a reservation. Fremont, settled in 1856, was named in honor of General John G. Fremont. The trail is usually referred to as the Mormon Trail because they were the first to use it in great numbers. It was also known as the Omaha-Fort Kearny Military Road, and the stage line between Omaha and Salt Lake City also ran here. In 1861 it became the line of the first transcontinental telegraph, and a few years later it became the route of the Union Pacific Railroad, the first trans-continental route. The railroad reached Fremont in 1866, and within a few years the Platte Valley of Nebraska ceased to be a frontier and became a prosperous farming region. With the development of the automobile, this route became U.S. Highway 30, or the Lincoln Highway, the first trans-continental road. It was completed to San Francisco in 1913, though the portion west of Fremont was not paved until 1920. Begun as a major road to the West, it developed into and remains an important route to the East as well.