Between 1844 and 1866, thousands of emigrants, gold seekers, and Mormons moved west through the Platte Valley. The first settlers along Wood River, from 1858 to 1860, operated road ranches to serve travelers, including Patrick, Richard, and Anthony Moore, James Jackson, and Joseph E. Johnson. In this immediate vicinity were Jackson’s store, opened about 1864, and Moore’s Ranch, while Johnson’s Ranch, also known as Wood River Center, stood at the present site of Shelton, Nebraska. The original town of Wood River, named for the tree-lined river directly north, was platted around a station established here by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1866. Jackson moved his store to the settlement, and by 1869 a log Catholic Church and settlers’ school had been built. In 1874 and 1875, the Union Pacific platted the present town of Wood River about three miles east, and the station, post office, and Jackson’s store were placed on skids and moved to the new location. In 1990, only St. Mary’s Cemetery and the District 5 school marked the original townsite.