The first suggestion in print that the building be used as a museum appeared in the Public Pulse of the World Herald on April 5, 1971, in a letter from John Edward Peterson.

The change was driven by recent partnerships with Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives which have provided the museum with a larger range of exhibits and programming not limited to western heritage.

"[7] According to Larry Wilson, a historian and numismatic researcher for the Independent Coin Grading Service, "The exhibit is an environmental museum where the visitors walk through a replication of the original Byron Reed Library.

Bekins Moving & Storage restored 1922 Mack flatbed truck and wall displays tell the story of one of Omaha's great companies.

O Scale Model Train has layout with a depot and diorama that represents Union Pacific's double track main line from Omaha to Ogden during the 1950s.