 During a tumultuous pioneer period characterized by its <unk> in proximity to the Western United States , transportation in Omaha demanded the construction of massive warehouses where frontier settlers could stock up and communities west of Omaha got food and supplies to build themselves with . <unk> and stagecoaches jammed the riverside city with a variety of newcomers , prospectors and <unk> characters . Early Omaha also landed the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters , leading to its important place in national railroad lore . 
