This is a NEGenWeb Project On-Line Library presentation.



PART 8

| Nuckolls | Otoe | Pawnee | Perkins | Phelps |
|
Pierce | Platte | Polk | Red Willow |
Part 9
Alphabetical Town Index



NUCKOLLS COUNTY


        Nuckolls county was organized on June 27, 1871. It was named in honor of Stephen F. Nuckolls (1825-1879), a prominent pioneer. The boundanes of the county were defined by an act of the legislature approved January 13, 1860.



OTOE COUNTY


        Otoe county was named after the Otoe tribe of Indians. The boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 2, 1855, and redefined by an act approved January 26, 1856.



PAWNEE COUNTY


        Pawnee county was named after the Pawnee tribe of Indians. The boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 6, 1855; January 26, 1856; and reapproved January 8, 1862. Counties in Kansas and Oklahoma have the same name for the same reason.



PERKINS COUNTY


        Perkins county was named in 1888 in honor of Charles E. Perkins, president of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railway system. The first settlement of the county began in 1885. Local tradition is to the effect that the county was named after Joseph Perkins, a former resident of Grant, Nebraska. Perkins county was formed from Keith county by vote November 8, 1887.



PHELPS COUNTY


        Phelps county was organized and its boundaries defined by an act approved February 11, 1873, and was named in honor of Captain William Phelps, an early settler in this part of Nebraska, and whose son-in-law, C. J. Dilworth, served a term as attorney general of the state. Mr. Phelps was born in 1808 in New York state and for many years was captain of a steamboat on the Missouri river.



PIERCE COUNTY


        Pierce county was named for President Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) It was established in 1859. The county was officially established and its boundaries defined by an act approved January 26, 1856.



PLATTE COUNTY


        Platte county took its name from the Platte river. Its boundaries were defined and the county established by an act of the legislature approved January 26, 1856. The boundaries were redefined by an act approved December 22, 1859. The Platte river is characteristically flat or shallow, and it takes its name from the French word for flat or shallow, applied to it by early French missionaries or explorers in Nebraska.



POLK COUNTY


        Polk county was organized following an election held August 6, 1870. It was named in honor of ex-president of the United States, James K. Polk (1795-1849). Its boundaries were defined and the county established by an act of the legislature approved January 26, 1856.



RED WILLOW COUNTY


        Red Willow county takes its name from Red Willow creek. This name is a mistranslation of the Dakota Indian name Chan-shasha Wakpala, literally, Red Dogwood creek, this shrub being abundant along the stream. The boundaries were defined by an act approved February 27, 1873.



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