Railroads transformed southwest Iowa when the Burlington Railroad crossed from Mount Pleasant to Red Oak in 1867 as a land grant railroad and promoted land sales that drew many eastern settlers and Swedish immigrants. Towns arose along the line, and residents of Manti, seeing that the area's future depended on the railroad, moved their homes and businesses to a small settlement along the tracks first called Fair Oaks, which was incorporated as Shenandoah in 1871. The Wabash Railroad from St. Louis reached the area in 1878, many Irish railroad workers settled around Imogene, and the addition of the Humeston line from the east in 1882 made Shenandoah a railroad center. This network enabled economical transportation of nursery and agricultural products across the nation. Although rail lines still cross Shenandoah, one former rail line became the Wabash Trace Nature Trail, a 62-mile multi-use route from Council Bluffs to Blanchard featuring the Loess Hills and including the original Wabash Depot in Sportsman Park, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.