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        Dawson county was formed on June 26, 1871, by a proclamation of acting governor William H. James. The county was established and its boundaries defined by an act of the legislature approved January 11, 1860. Its boundaries were redefined by an act approved June 6, 1871. The county was named for a Nebraska pioneer, presumably Jacob Dawson, of Iowa and Nebraska, the first postmaster of the old town of Lancaster, now Lincoln, Nebraska.

• Buffalo. The town of Buffalo is so named because of its location on Buffalo creek. The precinct has the same name. The name of the creek derives from the former presence of buffalo in the vicinity.
  
• Buzzards Roost. A station on a branch of the Union Pacific railroad in Kennebec precinct, also a ranch near by owned by the late John B Colton, a survivor of the Death Valley episode. The land about the station is rough and isolated, formerly the habitat of buzzards, hence the name.
  
• Cozad. This town derives its name from its founder, John J. Cozad, head of a company of pioneers from Ohio in 1873. It is in Cozad precinct.
  
• Darr. This place was named after George B. Darr, owner of the site, formerly a banker in Lexington, Nebraska, later a resident of Omaha.
  
• Doss. This is an inland place name in the northern part of Logan precinct. It was named after a local resident, a colored boy, who worked on a ranch in the vicinity and carried the mail from Overton.
  
• Eddyville. This village in Kennebec precinct, is on a branch of the Union Pacific railroad, formerly known as the Kearney and Black Hills railroad, and was named by the railway promoters after Eddyville, Iowa, which in turn was named for J. P. Eddy, an early post trader in the vicinity.
  
• Farnam. The first settlement in this vicinity was made in 1883 by a company from Pennsylvania. The town was located in the summer of 1887 and was named in honor of an official on the Burlington railroad, apparently Henry W. Farnam, the noted railroad builder.
  
• Gothenburg. This town was named by Mr. E. G. West after Gothenburg, Sweden. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Josselyn. This village was named after an official of the Union Pacific railroad, S. T. Josselyn, paymaster, Omaha, Nebraska.
  
• Lexington. The town was organized in 1878 as Plum Creek and was situated on the south side of the Platte river on the overland trail. In 1886 the city was incorporated and in 1889, at a meeting of the citizens, the name was changed from Plum Creek to Lexington in commemoration of the battle of Lexington of the War of the Revolution. The precinct has the same name. This town is the county seat of Dawson county.
  
• Overton. James N. Potter and his family made the first settlement here in June, 1873. The town was named in April, 1871, in honor of a government official who at that time had charge of the men guarding the workmen who were grading and laying the track for the Union Pacific railroad in the vicinity. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Simonds. This is a station on the Union Pacific railroad, near the southeastern corner of the county. It was so named by the officials of the railroad.
  
• Sumner. This town was named in 1888 for Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts who was the first senator to advocate the freedom of the slaves. The town-site was laid out in 1890.
  
• Willow Island. The first settler was Joseph Huffman who located here in 1873. The town was named after a large island, ten miles long and one mile wide, located directly south of the town-site. Before the advent of prairie fires the island was a wilderness of willows.
  

        Deuel county came into existence as a result of an election held in November, 1888, and was organized in January, 1889. Previously it was a part of Cheyenne county. It was named in honor of Harry Porter Deuel (1836-1914), a pioneer citizen of Omaha, Nebraska. He was in turn local official for a Missouri river transportation company, the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, and the Union Pacific railroad.

• Barton. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Big Springs precinct, apparently named for a local resident.
  
• Bigspring. So named because a large spring is situated on one side of the town, the water of which flows through it. The precinct is called Big Springs.
  
• Chappell. This town was organized in honor of John Chappell, president of the Union Pacific railroad. Mr. Chappell assisted in laying out the town-site. Chappell is the county seat of Deuel county. The precinct is also called Chappell.
  
• Day. A pioneer, inland post office near the northeastern corner of Deuel county in Big Springs precinct. It apparently was named after a local resident.
  
• Froid. A pioneer, inland place in the northern part of Swan precinct on the high table land. Froid is the French word for cold and because of the coldness of the climate in certain seasons it is probable the place was so named.
  
• Perdu. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Chappell precinct. It was named for an individual.
  
• Ralton. A station on the Union Pacific railroad.
  

        Dixon county was first settled in 1856 by a small colony of Irish who took up claims along the valley of South creek. It was named by the state legislature in honor of an early pioneer. It was organized and its boundaries defined January 26, 1856, and November 1, 1858. They were redefined January 13, 1860.

• Allen. The town of Allen was named in honor of Henry Allen, a pioneer who homesteaded in 1870 the land on which the town is located.
  
• Concord. Marvin Hughitt, president of the Chicago, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha railroad, named this town after Concord (bridge) battlefield in Massachusetts.
  
• Dixon. This place was named after the county in which it is situated.
  
• Emerson. The original town-site of Emerson was platted in 1883 and was named for the author, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
  
• Ionia. An inland village on the Missouri river in the northeastern part of Dixon county in Ionia precinct. The name derives from Ionia, Greece. Ionia, Ionia county, Michigan, may have suggested the name for the Nebraska village and precinct.
  
• Limegrove. The town was so named because of its location on Lime creek. The first settlement here was made in 1867 by John Maskell and H. Farsnoy.
  
• Martinsburg. The first settlement in this locality was made by Jonathan Martin in 1872. In 1874 the town was laid out and named Martinsburg in honor of the oldest settler, Jonathan Martin.
  
• Maskell. Maskell was named by the Saint Paul Town-Site Company in honor of Mr. A. H. Maskell, owner of a section of land in the surrounding country. Mr. Maskell has been sheriff of Dixon county for twenty-four years.
  
• Newcastle. This town was named by Gustavus Smith who built the first house in the vicinity and called it his "new castle." The building was later used for the post office.
  
• Ponca. Ponca was named for the Ponca tribe of Indians who owned and roamed over its hills. The town was surveyed and platted in 1856. It is the county seat of Dixon county. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Wakefield. The settlement of Wakefield was begun in August, 1881. The town was named in honor of L. W. Wakefield who was engineer of the surveying party that built the line of the Saint Paul and Sioux City railroad through from Emerson to Norfolk.
  
• Waterbury. This place is so named because there is a large spring near the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad station which supplies the water for the railway watering tanks.
  

        Dodge county was named in honor of Augustus Caesar Dodge, (1812-1833), United States senator from Iowa and an active supporter of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. It was organized and its boundaries defined by an act of the first territorial legislature and approved on March 6, 1855, redefined November 2, 1858, December 22, 1859, and reorganized January 13, 1860.

• Ames. This town was named after an official of the Union Pacific railroad, presumably Oakes Ames. Ames, Iowa, was named for Oakes Ames.
  
• Crowell. A man by the name of Crowell started the first elevator in this vicinity and the town was named for him. It was laid out in Pebble township on December 22, 1883.
  
• Dodge. This town was named in honor of an early settler, George A. Dodge. It was platted by the Pioneer Town-Site Company in 1886.
  
• Everett. An inland locality in Everett precinct. The name is probably for a local settler.
  
• Fremont. The town of Fremont was platted in 1856 and named in honor of John C. Fremont (1813-1890), an explorer and guide known as the "Pathfinder." It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved November 2, 1858. Fremont is the county seat of Dodge county.
  
• Hooper. Located in Hooper township. The town was named for Hon. Samuel Hooper of Boston, Massachusetts, who was a prominent member of Congress during the Civil War.
  
• Ihno. This post office was formerly located in Maple township. It was named for Ihno Harms on whose farm the office was located. The office has been discontinued.
  
• Leavitt. Named for the Leavitt sugar factory; the firm formerly had a branch factory here.
  
• Mapleville. An inland village in Cotterell precinct. The name is arboreal in origin.
  
• Nickerson. The town of Nickerson was founded by Reynolds K. Nickerson and named in his honor. Mr. Nickerson was a contractor and had charge of a section for a railroad At one of his camps he erected some supply stores, blacksmith shops, etc. He directed the surveying and laying out of the town in Nickerson township on January 13, 1871.
  
• North Bend. North Bend was so named because it is located on the bend of the Platte river which is farthest north.
  
• Pleasant Valley. An inland locality in Pleasant Valley precinct. The name is locally descriptive.
  
• Rawhide. This place took its name from a near-by creek. The creek received its name because a white man was flayed upon its banks by a party of Pawnee Indians. The following circumstantial account of this incident is given: "One of a party of overland travelers had boasted that he would kill the first Indian seen, so after some friendly Indians appeared he killed one. The Indians then captured the party, demanded the culprit, and on receiving him, skinned him alive on that stream, which took the name of "Rawhide" from this incident." - Watson, History of Nebraska, vol. 3, p. 455.
  
• Ridgeley. An inland locality in Ridgeley precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
  
• Scribner. This town was named in honor of Charles Scribner, founder of a large publishing house in New York City. Mr. Scribner was a son-in-law of John I. Blair of New Jersey.
  
• Snyder. This town was named for Conrad Schneider on whose farm it was platted August 5, 1886. Mr. Schneider was the first postmaster and took great pride in the fact that the town was named for him although the spelling of the name was not the same as that of his own name.
  
• Uehling. Uehling was named in honor of Mr. Theodore Uehling because he was one of the pioneers in this section and the town was located on his farm. It was platted on December 6, 1905, and incorporated on November 20, 1906. Mr. Uehling was also the first postmaster. He came to Nebraska in 1860.
  
• Winslow. This town was named by the Great Northern Railway Company.
  

        Douglas county was created in the fall of 1854 and approved by the legislature on March 2, 1855. It was named in honor of Stephen A. Douglas, (1813-1861), United States senator from Illinois.

• Bennington. The Pioneer Town-Site Company platted this town in 1887 and named it after Bennington, Vermont, which in turn was named for Governor Bennington Wentworth of New Hampshire.
  
• Benson. This place is in Omaha precinct, on the northwest side of Omaha. It was named for a member of the Benson family residing in Omaha.
  
• Dodge. A village on the Chicago and Northwestern railroad. It was probably named for General G. M. Dodge, the noted railroad builder, a former resident of Council Bluffs, Iowa.
  
• Elk City. This town was originally called Elkhorn City because of its location near the crossing on the Elkhorn river which is about a mile west of the present site. Later the name was changed because of its similarity to Elkhorn Station, a town about eight miles distant, which resulted in the confusion of mail. The name Gelston was suggested in honor of one of the oldest citizens, but some were opposed to this for political reasons. As a compromise the "horn" was omitted from the original name and the town was called Elk-City.
  
• Elkhorn. The town of Elkhorn or Elkhorn Station takes its name from the Elkhorn river which empties into the Platte river a short distance from the town. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved January 22, 1856. Ta-ha-zouka (Elk's Horn), from whom the Elkhorn river takes its name, was associated with Blackbird, also an Omaha chief, in a treaty with the Spanish Governor-General of Louisiana in 1796.
  
• Florence. This town was first surveyed in 1853 and was resurveyed and platted in the fall of 1854 by James C. Mitchell (1811-1860), member of the council of the first territorial assembly. Mr. Mitchell gave the town its name in honor of Miss Florence Kilbourne, a neice of Mrs. Mitchell. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved March 15, 1855.
  
• Irvington. Irvington was first named Pappio because of its location on Pappio creek. It was renamed by a Mr. Brewster, a farmer in the vicinity who owned the town-site, after his old home in Irvington, New York. It is also claimed the town was named by Frank Hibbard, a resident of the place.
  
• Lane. A station on the Union Pacific railroad.
  
• Mercer. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Platte Valley precinct.
  
• Millard. This town was laid out by Ezra Millard (1833-1886) in 1871 and was named for him.
  
• Omaha. Omaha was founded in 1854 by Wm. D. Brown, Dr. Enos Lowe, Jesse Lowe, Jesse Williams, and Joseph H. D. Street. The name was suggested by Jesse Lowe, partly because it was attractive and partly because it was the name of the nearest tribe of Indians in the vicinity. It has a very significant meaning: "Upstream, upstream people, or above all others upon a stream." The word and its meaning originated as follows according to an Indian tradition: "Two tribes had met on the Missouri river and engaged in an encounter in which all on one side were killed but one who had been thrown into the river. Rising suddenly from what was thought to be a watery grave he lifted his head above the surface and pronounced the word 'Omaha,' which had never been heard before. Its meaning was that the supposedly drowning Indian was above the water and not under it as his enemies supposed, and those who heard it took that word as the name of their tribe." Another account says that the Indian tribe was known as the Mahas or "those who went against the current." White men prefixed the letter "O" to the tribal name. Omaha Indians located the city of Omaha as early as 1820. It was natural that the whites preserved the name when they founded the city in 1854. (See Trans. Neb. State Hist. Soc. 4:151-152.)
          The foregoing Omaha legend is the usual white man's invention. Omaha is the white man's approximation to the Omaha Indian word O-man'-ha; an is a nasalized a, the accent is on the second syllable. The tendency of white people is to throw the accent back to the first syllable. 0-man'-ha is the Omaha Indian name for their people and is an old or ancient name with them. Omaha is the county seat of Douglas county. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved February 2, 1857.
  
• Ralston. Ralston was named in honor of a Mr. Ralston who lived in the vicinity when the town was first started and who was very prominent in business circles.
  
• Sarpy. A station on the Union Pacific railroad. It was named for Peter A. Sarpy after whom Sarpy county was named.
  
• Seymour. A station on the Union Pacific railroad.
  
• Valley. In 1867 John Sanders named this town Platte Sanders after himself. Later the name was changed by a number of citizens to Platte Valley. When the town was incorporated, the first part of the name, Platte, was accidently omitted and only Valley was inserted. Hence the town became Valley, but the precinct in which it is located is still known as Platte Valley precinct. The railway officials called this place Valley Station because it was the first station on the Union Pacific railroad in the Platte valley, later the name was shortened to Valley and as such it was incorporated.
  
• Waterloo. This town was laid out in 1871 and was named by the Union Pacific railroad for the battlefield in Belgium.
  

        Dundy county was named in honor of Judge Elmer S. Dundy (1830-1896) of the United States circuit court, a former resident of Falls City, Nebraska. Its boundaries were defined by an act approved February 27, 1873.

• Benkelman. This town is now called Benkelman, although at one time it was named Collinsville in honor of Moses Collins, one of the early settlers. It was named Benkelman for another early settler, J. G. Benkelman. The first settlement made here was in January, 1880. Benkelman is the county seat of Dundy county. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Calvert. This town was named after an official of the Burlington railroad,- T. E. Calvert of Lincoln, general superintendent, according to Milton W. Nesmith who homesteaded in the vicinity in 1885. It is in Calvert precinct.
  
• Haigler. This place was named after Jacob Haigler, an early settler in the vicinity and one of local prominence, engaged in the cattle business and owner of considerable land. The precinct was also named for him.
  
• Hiawatha. An inland post office in the northern part of Dundy county, presumably named for the hero of Longfellow's poem. It is in Lutz precinct.
  
• Max. In 1880, Max Monvoisin, Hiram Ostrom, and Hoxie Groesbeck, with their families, homesteaded land in the Republican river valley where the town of Max is now located. The little settlement needed a post office which was established about a year before the railroad went through. The office was named Max after Max Monvoisin who was the first postmaster. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Parks. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, in Parks precinct, and on a tributary of the near-by Republican river. It and the precinct were probably named for a local resident.
  
• Sanborn. The town of Sanborn was named in honor of J. E. Sanborn who homesteaded the tract of land on which the town is located. Mr. Sanborn was employed as engineer on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad. Sanborn is in Haigler precinct.
  

        Fillmore county was named in honor of Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) president of the United States, 1850-1853. The county was established and its boundaries defined by an act of the legislature approved January 26, 1856. The county was formally organized in 1871. On March 15, 1871, acting Governor W. H. James decreed April 21, 1871, as the date of election for county officers.

• Burress. This town is named in honor of J. Q. Burress who homesteaded the land on which the site is located.
  
• Carlisle. The town of Carlisle was named for John G. Carlisle, secretary of the treasury in the cabinet of President Cleveland.
  
• Exeter. The name "Exeter" was suggested for this town by a family that came to the neighborhood from Exeter, New Hampshire. The name happened to fit in with the alphabetical system of naming towns along the Burlington railroad, so it was adopted. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Fairmont. This town is a junction point for the Burlington railway. It is apparently so named because of the fine surroundings and somewhat elevated position. The precinct has the same name. The pioneer name was Hesperia. Settlement was made in the spring of 1871.
  
• Geneva. Miss Emma McCaully named this town in 1871 after Geneva, New York, which in turn was named after Geneva, Switzerland. Miss McCaully was a daughter of Colonel J. A. McCaully who owned the farm on which the town is established. Geneva is the county seat of Fillmore county.
  
• Grafton. This town is a station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, in Grafton precinct. It was probably named for Grafton, Massachusetts.
  
• Milligan. This town was named in honor of an official on the Kansas City and Omaha railroad.
  
• Ohiowa. Ohiowa post office was organized in 1871. The early settlers at that time came in about equal numbers from the states of Ohio and Iowa and they agreed to name the town Ohiowa, a combination of the names of the two states.
  
• Sawyer. This town was originally named Buxton in honor of a railroad official. It was changed to Sawyer in honor of Simeon Sawyer who was the oldest settler in the vicinity.
  
• Schickley. The town of Schickley was named in honor of Fillmore Schickley who was attorney for the first railroad built through the vicinity, also an owner of land and of the town-site in the vicinity.
  
• Strang. This town was renamed several times but finally it was called Strang in honor of a local man, A. L. Strang, who presented to its citizens a windmill for the town pump.
  

        Franklin county was named for Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), the American statesman and philosopher. The first settlements in the county were made in 1870. The county was organized by an act of the legislature approved March 9, 1871. The boundaries were defined by an act approved February 16, 1867.

Bloomington. A village on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Oak Grove precinct. It was probably named for Bloomington, Illinois.

Campbell. Named after a Mr. Campbell who was a member of the town-site company that founded the town.

Franklin. The first settlement in Franklin was made in July, 1879. The town, like the county, was named for Benjamin Franklin. It is the county seat of Franklin county.

Hildreth. This town was named for Carson Hildreth who at present resides in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Hildreth at one time owned the land on which the town is now located.

Macon. One of the old setflers in this locality came from Macon, Georgia, and named the town after his former home. The precinct has the same name.

Naponee. The first settlement here was made in 1870. The town was named after a town in Canada.

Riverton. The first settlers arrived March 20, 1871. How or why they gave their town its name is not known, possibly it was because it is a "river town," being located on the Republican river. Or Riverton, Iowa, may have suggested the name.

Upland. This town is built upon a high elevation of land and for this reason was named Upland.

        Frontier county was so named because of its geographical location on the Nebraska frontier at the time of its naming. It was organized on January 17, 1872; its boundaries were redefined by an act approved March 3, 1873.

• Centerpoint. This town was so named because it is located in the center of the school district and also in the center of the township. The post office here was discontinued about four years ago.
  
• Colebank. A locality in Lincoln precinct, named for a local resident.
  
• Curtis. The town of Curtis was named after Curtis creek on which it is located. Curtis creek was named after a trapper by that name who settled near the mouth of the creek about sixty years ago. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Earl. A pioneer store and post office in Earl precinct. The precinct and post office were named for a local resident, Earl Childs, son of E. S. Childs who was proprietor of the store and the first postmaster.
  
• Eustis. The Lincoln Land Company purchased this town-site and named it in honor of P.S. Eustis, passenger agent on the Burlington railroad. Mr. Eustis was at that time a resident of Omaha, Nebraska.
  
• Freedom. This post office was established in 1895 in Knowles precinct, and was named after a former post office in the vicinity which doubtless was established shortly after the Civil War, when the name Freedom was a word with which to conjure.
  
• Havana. The post office at Havana was established during the Spanish American war and was named after Havana, Cuba. It has been discontinued for several years.
  
• Hunt. A store and former post office in Logan precinct; named for Isaac Hunt, a pioneer settler in the vicinity.
  
• Maywood. This place is a station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Laird precinct. The original name was Laird, after James Laird, but as there was another town in Colorado named Laird on the same railway the name was changed to Maywood, after May Wood, the youngest daughter of Israel Wood, the original owner of the land, who sold it to Harry Phillips, the town-site man.
  
• Moorefield. This town was named in honor of a man by the name of Moore who originally owned the town-site, it being in a field that had been farmed. The village was first called Moore's Field, and later shortened to Moorefield. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Orafino. This place is located in the eastern part of Lower Medicine precinct. It was so named by H. C. Rogers on account of his finding iron pyrites in Mitchell creek near the present site of Orafino. He thought at the time that the ore was very valuable. Orafino is from the Spanish language and means "fine ore." Towns in California and Idaho named for the same reason, (the finding of valuable ore), have the form Orofino.
  
• Osborn. A precinct and former post office in the southwestern part of Frontier county. Both were named for David J. Osborn, an early homesteader and a prominent man in the vicinity. In some directories and on some maps the name is given as Osburn.
  
• Quick. Quick post office was named for M. W. Quick who started its first post office about thirty years ago.
  
• Saint Ann. The post office at Saint Ann was presumably named for Saint Ann church which is located in the vicinity.
  
• Stevens. Frank S. Stevens was the first postmaster of this town and the post office was named in his honor.
  
• Stockville. This town is the county seat of Frontier county. It was established in 1872 on land owned by W. L. McClary, a ranchman in the vicinity. As the settlers were mainly cattlemen the town was known as a stocktown, hence Stockville. The post office was established in 1871 with Everett G. Nesbit as postmaster. The name Stockville was given to the locality in 1870 by Samuel Watts, an early settler, on account of its being a fine stock country. At that time there was neither an official post office nor town but only a place where information was exchanged or left for those who passed back and forth through the country. The precinct has the same name.
  

        Furnas county was organized and its boundaries defined on February 27, 1873. It was named in honor of Robert W. Furnas (1824-1905) then governor of Nebraska, 1873-1875.

• Arapahoe. Apparently this town was named after the Arapahoe tribe of Indians. Gannett, in his book on the origin of certain place names in the United States, states the word Arapahoe signifies "traders."
  
• Beaver City. This town was so named because of its location in the valley of the Beaver river, so named because of the presence of beaver. The first settlement was made here by J. H. McKee on October 9, 1872. The precinct has the same name. Beaver City is the county seat of Furnas county.
  
• Cambridge. The post office at Cambridge was established under the name of Medicine Creek in 1874, with George Carothers as postmaster. Hiram Doing was the first settler in the vicinity in 1871. The name was changed to Cambridge in 1880. This place was probably named after Cambridge, Massachusetts. D. F. Neiswanger, of Cambridge, Nebraska, is authority for the statement that in 1880 W. E. Babcock of Cambridge met the Burlington officials at Oxford. These officials, as they had named Oxford, suggested the name Cambridge to Mr. Babcock, the names to be in commemoration of the old university towns of England.
  
• Edison. This office was named in honor of Edward Rohr, who was commonly known as Eddie.
  
• Hendley. The town of Hendley was named in honor of a Mr. Hendley who was a resident in the locality many years ago.
  
• Holbrook. This locality was formerly known as Burton's Bend after Ben Burton's Indian trading post, located on a bend of the Republican river. The township still retains the name. As there was a Burton post office in the state the name was changed to Holbrook, after an official of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad.
  
• Hollinger. The name Hollinger was selected by the railroad from a list of names suggested for this town.
  
• Oxford. This town in Oxford precinct was located late in the year 1879. It was originally called Grand View. According to local tradition there was a ford across the Republican river in the vicinity for ox teams which was known locally as Ox ford. The town took the name of the near-by ford. Another account is that the place was named for Oxford University, England, but more likely it was named for Oxford, Ohio, according to the Burlington custom of naming towns after those in Massachusetts or Ohio.
  
• Wilsonville. This town received its name from the Wilson brothers, early local settlers. The township has the same name for the same reason.
  

        The county was established and its boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 16, 1855; reestablished and redefined January 26, 1856. Gage county was named after William D. Gage (1803-1885), a Methodist minister who was chaplain of the first territorial assembly when the county was established. He was also one of the commissioners appointed to locate the county seat of Gage county.

• Adams. The town of Adams and Adams township in which it is located were both named after John O. Adams. Mr. Adams was a pioneer settler who founded Adams township in 1873.
  
• Barneston. Located in Barneston township. The town and township were both named in honor of Francis M. Barnes, a member of the original town-site company.
  
• Beatrice. Beatrice was named on July 4, 1857, in honor of Miss Julia Beatrice Kinney, the eldest daughter of Judge J. F. Kinney (1816-1902), chief justice of the supreme court of Utah, 1853, and United States congressman from Utah, 1863. Contrary to the usual pronunciation of the name Be'-a-trice, the local pronunciation is Be-at'-rice, because Miss Kinney's name was pronounced in this way. The town was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved October 29, 1858. It is the county seat of Gage county.
  
• Blue Springs. Established in 1857. The town is named after the several large springs known as the "Blue Springs" which are situated a short distance north of the town near the Blue river. These springs are large enough to supply the water systems of Blue Springs and Wymore. The precinct is also named Blue Springs and apparently for the same reason as the town.
  
• Clatonia. This town is named after Clatonia creek and Clatonia township in which it is located. Gage county was originally a part of Clay county after which the creek and township were named.
  
• Cortland. The early settlers of Cortland intended to call the town Galesburg in honor of a Mr Gale who owned the land on which the town is now located. There were so many Galesburgs in the United States, however, that this name was rejected. The name Cortland was suggested by the railroad officials, doubtless after Cortland, New York.
  
• Cropsey. An inland locality near the northeast corner of Gage county in Adams precinct. The name is for a pioneer local settler who had a mill at this place.
  
• Ellis. This town was named in honor of John H. Ellis. Mr. Ellis was then a banker in Beatrice.
  
• Filley. Located in Filley township. Filley was founded in 1882 by Elijah Filley and the town and township were named in his honor.
  
• Freeman. An inland locality in Logan precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
  
• Grandview. A locally descriptive name for an inland locality in the southeastern part of Nemaha precinct.
  
• Hanover. This inland village is in Logan precinct. The vicinity has many German settlers. The place was named for Hanover, Germany. A neighboring precinct has the same name for the same reason.
  
• Hoag. A man by the name of Hoagland owned the land on which Hoag is now located and the town was named after him.
  
• Holmesville. In 1880 Holmesville was founded by Morgan L. Holmes after whom it was named.
  
• Kinney. Named in honor of Samuel A. Kinney, an old resident of Island Grove township. The town is located on the site of Mr. Kinney's farm.
  
• Krider. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Paddock precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
  
• Lanham. This town is located on the Kansas-Nebraska state line. The railway station and most of the houses are in Nebraska, but the post office is in Kansas. The town was originally called Morton, which caused confusion with Norton, Kansas. It was then changed to Lanham, named after an official of the Burlington and Missouri railroad in Nebraska, now a part of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy system.
  
• Liberty. Located in Liberty township. An early post officein the vicinity was called Liberty and when the village was laid out its founders adopted the name of the post office as a suitable cognomen for the prospective town.
  
• Odell. Founded in 1880. The town was named in honor of Le Grand Odell of Chicago, an early settler. Mr. Odell's relation with the officials of the Burlington railroad was of use to him in obtaining a railroad in the vicinity of the town.
  
• Pickrell. The town was named after William Pickrell who owned part of the land on which it is located. The site was laid out in lots in 1884.
  
• Rockford. There are numerous stone quarries in the vicinity and also a large rocky ford across Mud creek, a small stream which flows through the town. This town was named after these natural features. The precinct is also named Rockford for the same reason.
  
• Townsend. An inland village in Hanover precinct. The name is probably for a local settler.
  
• Virginia. Virginia was named in honor of Miss Virginia Lewis who is now Mrs. D. S. Dalbey of Beatrice, Nebraska.
  
• Wymore. Named in honor of an early settler, Samuel Wymore. Mr. Wymore gave the railroad company some land as an inducement to bring it to the vicinity. Gannett's work on place names gives the name as G. S. Wymore.
  

        On November 2, 1909, an election was held to create the new county of Garden out of the north part of Deuel county. The election carried and the new county entered into existence about January 1, 1910, with Oshkosh as the county seat. The name Garden was suggested by John T. Twiford and William H. Twiford, who were conducting a real estate business in Oshkosh, Nebraska, at the time of the organization of the county. Their explanation for the name was that this particular locality was or bade fair to be the "garden spot of the west."

• Hartman. This place is located on Lost creek in Lost Creek precinct. The post office was established in the spring of 1889 and named after Sebastian Hartman, the first postmaster. The post office was discontinued in 1899.
  
• Hutchinson. This place is located on Blue creek, in Blue Creek precinct.
  
• Kowanda. A former, inland post office in Green precinct. It was named for a local resident. The name is of Bohemian origin, being derived from kovan, kovane, smithy, smithwork, kováni', forging, hammering, ironwork, the reference being to one doing blacksmithing.
  
• Lewellen. Frank Lewellen conducted the first store and post office here in 1887 or 1888 and the town was named in his honor.
  
• Lisco. This place was named after Reuben Lisco who formerly owned the land on which the village stands. Mr. Lisco was an old time cattle man of the vicinity, owning about forty thousand acres of land. He is now president of the Lisco state bank.
  
• Lutherville. A post office was established here on Blue creek about 1887 and called Ramsey, after the first postmaster, but it was discontinued in 1893. The present name is for a station on the Union Pacific railroad.
  
• Moffitt. The Moffitt post office was named in honor of its first postmaster, a Mr. Moffitt.
  
• Mumper. This office was named after a woman by the name of Mumper, a homesteader in the vicinity.
  
• Orlando. This name was given to the post office at the suggestion of one of the patrons of the office. It seems not to be known whether it was named for any other place or person.
  
• Oshkosh. Oshkosh, the county seat of Garden county, was named after Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1885, Henry G. Gumaer, Alfred W. Gumaer, Herbert W. Potter, and John Robinson, moved from Saint Paul, Nebraska, to the present town-site and established a cattle ranch. In 1886 the post office was established and the name suggested by the Gumaer brothers who were natives of Wisconsin, Alfred W. Gumaer having lived at one time in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
  
• Pawlett. A former, inland post office in Alkali precinct. The name may be of local origin or derived from Pawlett, Somerset, England.
  
• Rackett. An inland post office in Alkali precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
  

© 2001 for the NEGenWeb Project by Connie Snyder