The city tried to become a major railroad center .
The city was surpassed by Kansas City and Omaha , due to the former 's greater industrial capability and connections to Texas and the latter 's connection to Chicago , rather than St. Louis .
The city tried to become a major railroad center , but was surpassed by Kansas City and Omaha , due to the former 's greater industrial capability and connections to Texas and the latter 's connection to Chicago , rather than St. Louis .