 In October 1871, the townsite of Jackson was laid out by officials of the Union Pacific Railroad.Jackson was chosen in 1879 as the southern terminus of the Omaha, Niobrara, and Black Hills Railroad, a Union Pacific subsidiary, purportedly because Jay Gould was angry at Columbus for promoting a rival railroad in the region.In 1880, the settlement's name was changed to Duncan,
owing to the existence of another Jackson in Dakota County.