He quickly became involved in several business ventures in Omaha, including wagon freighting, merchandising, real estate, banking, railroading and ranching.

[1] In the winter of 1860-61, Creighton surveyed the route of the proposed Transcontinental Telegraph line between Omaha and Sacramento, to be built with the financial support of Western Union.

He fought unsuccessfully for Omaha's selection as the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad (an honor given to Council Bluffs, Iowa).

A high ranking railroad official touring early Omaha had been beaten and robbed and the city was considered to be too wild and corrupt for such a venture.

John Creighton worked in the quartermaster corp and was responsible for stringing telegraph lines between the War office and the mobile fronts.

Edward Creighton had been told to stay out of southeast Nebraska and northwest Missouri due to threats made against him by Confederate sympathizers who controlled these areas.

John Creighton opened the first packing plant on land he owned in South Omaha which became the nucleus for the city's huge food processing industry.

They encouraged Irish and German immigrants to settle along the route by building Catholic and Lutheran churches along the right of way and seeing to it that local Indian tribes were placated.

[8] For his church building and other services, John Creighton was made a Papal Count, and given a titled estate on Vatican held lands outside Naples.