James Edward Boyd (September 9, 1834 – April 30, 1906) was an Irish-born American businessman and politician in early Omaha, Nebraska.

[3] The Boyd ranch served as a stopping point for travelers moving out west along the Oregon and Mormon Trails.

Travelers who had tired or worn out horses or oxen could trade for well-rested animals capable of pulling the large wagons across the Nebraska Prairie.

Among the first freight brought out from Missouri was lumber for a new ranch house, built between 1864 and 1868, at the Trails and Rails Museum today.

While his two previous business enterprises made the Boyd Ranch well known across the state and the country, James secured a contract with the Union Pacific to build 300 miles of track.

[5] When the building burned in 1891, Boyd quickly rebuilt a new 2,000-seat theater and opera house at 17th and Harney Streets.

[5] The new five-story structure, Boyd's Theater and Opera House, opened to the public on September 3, 1891.