This is a NEGenWeb Project On-Line Library presentation.

        Seward county was named for William H. Seward (1801-1872), secretary of state during President Lincoln's administration. It was originally named for General Greene of Missouri and was renamed when General Greene joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. The name was changed to Seward by an act of the legislature approved January 3, 1862. The original county was established and its boundaries defined by an act approved January 26, 1856. The boundaries were previously defined by an act approved March 6, 1855.

• Beaver Crossing. This town was named after a place not far from the town-site where the overland trail from Fort Leavenworth crossed Beaver creek. The town-site was platted by the Pioneer Town-Site Company in 1887. Beaver creek gets its name from the former presence of beaver in the vicinity.
  
• Bee. The sixteen precincts in Seward county are lettered alphabetically from A to P, beginning in the northeast corner of the county with the letter A. The town of Bee is in B precinct and is named after it.
  
• Cordova. This town was established on the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley railroad, now the Chicago and Northwestern, in the fall of 1887. It was originally named Hunkins in honor of C. W. Hunkins, the first postmaster, but on account of the fact that there was a town by the name of Hoskins in Wayne county, Nebraska, the United States post office department advised a change of name in order to prevent confusion of mail. Mr. Hunkins suggested the name Cordova, after Cordova, Spain, because of its dissimilarity to the name of any other post office in the state. This name was accepted by both the post office department and the railroad.
  
• Garland. The name of this town was formerly Germantown. It was changed to Garland during the World War, in honor of Ray Garland, a soldier from the vicinity, who died in France. The former name, Germantown, was given with reference to local German settlers.
  
• Goehner. Goehner was named in honor of Mr. John F. Goehner of Seward, Nebraska, a prominent merchant and a member of the legislature. The Pioneer Town-Site Company platted this town in 1887.
  
• Milford. Mr. J. L. Davison made the first settlement in this vicinity in the spring of 1864. He built a log house on the site of the present hospital building at Milford (The Pines), and opened a ranch on the steam wagon road. Later he improved a ford on the Blue river and moved a mill from Weeping Water Falls and placed it just above the ford. Thus the name Milford originated.
  
• Pleasant Dale. The late J. H. Culver, a captain in the United States army, gave the name Pleasant Dale to the town, because of the beautiful valley, in which it is situated. The town originally stood one mile east and one-half mile north of its present location and was supplied by stage service.
  
• Seward. The town of Seward was named after Seward county of which it is the county seat.
  
• Staplehurst. In 1873, Ebenezar Jull settled on a piece of land one and one-half miles south of Staplehurst on the banks of Lincoln creek. He, with his wife and children, came here from the little village of Staplehurst, England. Three years later when a post office was established at his home his eldest daughter, May Jull, was postmistress, and she named the office Staplehurst after her old home in England. In 1879 the post office was moved to its present location, but it retained its name.
  
• Tamora. This place was surveyed into lots in 1879. Philip G. Tyler, who built the first house in the town, says that J. W. Scott, S. N. Scott, William Riser, and Mr. Chapen each donated ten acres from their quarter sections at the common corner for a free town-site in order to get a depot located. Each donator wanted the town named for him but the town was too small for so many names "so they called it Tamora to suit all," evidently a play on the word tomorrow with the idea if they could not select the name today they would tomorrow, spelling the word as it was frequently pronounced on the frontier. It is also suggested that the name may have been derived from Tamoria, a variant of Tamaroa, the name of a tribe of Indians of Illinois, for whom a village in Perry county, Illinois, was named. Another guess is that the name is for T. A. Mora.
  
• Utica When a post office was established in the neighborhood in the home of G. A. Derby, his daughter was appointed postmistress and the name Utica was chosen, this being then the name of the precinct or township in which it was located. Later Dr. Derby laid out the town, and named it Utica after the original post office. The first store building was erected by Thomas Standard; and Miss Derby (now Mrs. Harry Vanderhoof of Seward, Nebraska) resigned her position in his favor. The name was taken from Utica, New York.
  

        Sheridan county was named for Philip H. Sheridan (1831-1888), the noted general of the Civil War period. Its boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved February 25, 1885.

• Adaton. Named by the cowboys of the vicinity after Mrs. Ada Foster, the first postmaster and the first white woman living in Beaver valley. It is in Beaver precinct.
  
• Albany. This town was named after Albany, New York, by W. D McIntyre who came from New York state. It is in Wounded Knee precinct.
  
• Antioch. The name Antioch was given to the town by the family of W. G. Wilson after a town in Iowa [Ohio] from which they had come to Nebraska. The original name of the post office was Reno, but because of confusion of mail with Reno, Nevada, a change was made.
  
• Bingham. A village on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Bingham precinct. It was probably named for a local resident or a railroad man or possibly for Bingham, Minnesota. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Clinton. This town was named after Clinton, Iowa. It was platted by the Pioneer Town-Site Company in 1894. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Ellsworth. A village on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Ellsworth precinct. It was probably named for Ellsworth, Minnesota, or possibly for a local resident or a railroad man.
  
• Gordon. This town was named in honor of John Gordon of Sioux City, who with a train of wagons attempted to travel to the Black Hills when the country was still a part of Indian territory and closed to white settlers. He was overtaken about five miles from the present location of this town by a lieutenant in command of a detachment of United States cavalry. Mr. Gordon's oxen were turned loose and his wagons and freight burned. For this offense the lieutenant was later dismissed from the service.
  
• Grayson. An inland village in the southern part of Minnetonka precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
  
• Hay Springs. This town receives its name from its location in the center of meadow country where the soil is moistened by numerous springs. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Hilton. Mrs. Carrie E. Smith, the first postmistress at Hilton, named this town in honor of her nephew, William Hilton Merrill. It is in the northern part of Schill precinct.
  
• Hunter. This place is in Hunter precinct. It and the precinct were named after Hunter's ranch which was in the vicinity at a very early date.
  
• Lakeside. The town of Lakeside was established as soon as the railroad was built through the vicinity in 1886. It is located beside a large lake, and there are many lakes surrounding it. On this account the town was given the name Lakeside. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Long Lake. Long Lake post office in Sharp precinct, derived its name from a lake about two miles long and one-half mile wide, extending in a straight line. This lake is located in the immediate vicinity of the office.
  
• Marple. This post office was originally located in Box Butte county where a skinning station was established about twenty-five years ago. The head of this enterprise was a man by the name of Marple, in whose honor the post office was named. Later the station was discontinued and the office moved into Sheridan county where it continued under its original name. It is the only post office in the United States by the name of Marple.
  
• Mirage. Mirage post office in Mirage precinct, was named after the mirage which is often visible in this vicinity. The office here is now discontinued.
  
• Moomaw. This place in the northern part of Box Butte precinct, was named after J. P. Moomaw, the first postmaster and a pioneer of the vicinity. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Peters. Named after George S. Peters, the first postmaster. It is in Running Water precinct.
  
• Rushville. Rushville, the county seat of Sheridan county, was named after Rush creek which flows near the town. The creek is a dry stream which received its name from the large growth of rushes in the vicinity. This name was given to the creek by one of the first surveyors in the county. It is not recalled whether Rush was the name of the surveyor or not. Gannett's work on place names states that Rushville was so named because of the extensive growth of rushes in the vicinity.
  
• Schill. An inland place in Schill precinct, both probably named for a local settler.
  
• Spade. The Spade ranch in this vicinity was the first to have the post office, hence the name Spade was given to the town. It is in Spring Lake precinct.
  
• Strasburger. This place is in Spring Lake precinct. It was named for John B. Strasburger, the postmaster. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Whiteclay. Whiteclay post office, formerly located about one and one-half miles south of its present location, was named after White Clay creek. It is in the northern part of Sheridan county, in Extension precinct.
  

        Sherman county was formally organized in the fall of 1873. The county was named in honor of General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891). The county was officially organized and the boundaries defined by an act approved March 1, 1871.

• Ashton. John P. Taylor, an old settler in Ashton, named this town after his old home, Ashton, Illinois. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Austin. Austin was named for Austin Butts who was a pioneer settler in the vicinity. It is in Clay precinct.
  
• Hazard. The name originally selected was Bunnell, but finding this name preempted other names were suggested by those holding conference and were found to be objectionable. A person present remarked that they "would hazard some name"; another replied that "hazard" it would be, so the town was named Hazard. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Litchfield. This town was laid out in 1886. It was probably named for Litchfield, Connecticut. It is in Harrison precinct.
  
• Loup City. This town was named because of its location in the middle Loup valley. The first settlements in the vicinity were made in 1873. The Loup valley was at one time occupied by the Wolf or Skidi tribe of the Pawnee Indians and received its name from them. The word loup is the French translation of the Pawnee word Skidi, meaning wolf. Loup City is the county seat of Sherman county and is in Loup City precinct.
  
• Rockville. Rockville is named for Rock creek which runs along the west side of the town. The creek is so named because of the numerous lime rocks in its bed. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Schaupps. This town receives its name from the Schaupps brothers who at one time owned a great deal of land where the town-site is now located. It is in Loup City precinct.
  

        Sioux county was named for the Sioux tribe of Indians. The boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved February 19, 1877, and redefined February 19, 1885.
        The word Sioux is derived from the Chippewa (Ojibway) name of the tribe Nadowe-is-iw, signifying "snake or little snake," which by metaphor means "enemy." The French corruption of this word in Nadowessioux, which became shortened to Sioux.

• Agate. James H. Cook named this post office after his ranch (The Agate Springs Ranch) when it was established there in the early eighties. The Agate Springs Ranch was so named because of the deposits of agate found at this point and because of the springs which flow from some of them.
  
• Aldine. Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Brown were the first postmasters and they named the postoffice after a girl friend.
  
• Andrews. This town was originally named Hunter but was renamed Andrews because there was another Hunter in the state. It was named Andrews in honor of the man who homesteaded the land on which the town is located. The precinct has the same name. It is also stated that the town was named for Jew Andrews, the locating engineer for the Chicago and Northwestern railway.
  
• Ashbrook. The Ashbrook brothers, Link and Harry, owned a ranch in this vicinity at an early date and also had charge of the post office. The town of Ashbrook was named for them.
  
• Bodarc. This place is situated in Hat Creek precinct. Grant L. Shumway gives the following account of the origin of this placename: "Bodarc was named by John W. Hunter in a very singular manner. Hunter and C. F. Slingerland were in partnership and ran a store on Hat creek. They wanted a post office and it needed a name. Hunter's little daughter was named Oressa which was suggested as the name of the post office. Down in Texas there is a shrub called bodarc and the people of a Texas community were asking for a post office and that it be named Bodarc. In some inexplicable way the department at Washington crossed the names and gave the Texas post office the name of Oressa and the Sioux county post office the name of Bodarc. Bodarc had a newspaper called The Record, published by Slingerland, who is now, I believe, on the Omaha Bee. Bodarc was a contestant for the county seat when Sioux county was organized." The word bodarc is a corruption of the French bois d'arc, a thorny shrub or small tree, usually designated as the osage orange, native of Texas, frequently utilized for hedges. A Southern place name derived from the same source is "Bodock."
  
• Coffee Siding. A station on the Chicago and Northwestern railroad near the state line, named for Charles F. Coffee, a local cattleman, now president of the First National Bank of Chadron, Nebraska.
  
• Curly. An inland post office in Snake Creek precinct, named after the first postmaster, a rancher, at this place.
  
• Glen. This town was so named because of its location in a glen.
  
• Harrison. This place was first named Bowen for John S. Bowen of Blair, Nebraska. Later the name Harrison was suggested for this post office by the department at Washington. It was named for President Benjamin Harrison. Harrison is the county seat of Sioux county.
  
• Kelley. This office is located in Sheep Creek precinct. It was named after Mattie A. Kelly, the postmistress.
  
• Malinda. This place was named for Malinda, a relative of John Wildy at whose home the first post office was located. Malinda is near the southeast corner of Sioux county in Lowell precinct.
  
• Montrose. Montrose post office is located on the high banks of Hat creek which are covered with wild roses. It is after these two characteristics that the town of Montrose received its name.
  
• Mud Springs. This place is near the center of Lowell precinct. It was named by a ranchman because of the muddy soil always about a spring in the vicinity, which was mostly a seep over a large area of ground.
  
• Orella. This town was originally named Harold, then Adelia. It is not known why the town was renamed Orella, after a young lady of the neighborhood whose first name was Orella.
  
• Story. The Story post office was named in honor of Solomon R. Story, a Civil War veteran and postmaster of the office.
  
• Unit. A former, inland post office in Cottonwood precinct, probably named for a local settler.
  

        Stanton county was named in honor of Edwin M. Stanton (1814-1869, American secretary of war, 1862-1867) in 1862, by an act approved January 10, 1862, when its present boundaries were defined. Before that time it was known as Izard county, named in honor of Mark W. Izard, territorial governor of Nebraska, 1855-1857. The boundaries were defined by an act approved January 26, 1856, and redefined January 10, 1862.

• Bega. An inland village in Dewey precinct. The name derives from a river of eastern Hungary.
  
• Haymow. An inland locality in Haymow precinct. The name is apparently a locally descriptive one.
  
• Pilger. This town was named for Peter Pilger who owned the land on which the town-site was platted. It is in Humbug precinct.
  
• Stanton. The town of Stanton was platted by S. L. Halman in 1871. Mr. Halman named the town in honor of his wife whose maiden name was Stanton. The claim is also made that the town was named for Edwin M. Stanton, after whom the county was named. Stanton is the county seat of Stanton county. The precinct has the same name.
  

        Thayer county was originally called Jefferson county. It was given its present name in 1870 in honor of General John Milton Thayer, United States senator from Nebraska, 1867-1871, and governor of Nebraska, 1887-1892.

• Alexandria. This town was located by the Nebraska Land and Town Company in 1871. It was named in honor of S. J. Alexander, secretary of state of Nebraska, 1879-1882.
  
• Belvidere. An official named Harbine of the Saint Joseph and Grand Island railroad named this town in accordance with its alphabetical system of naming the stations along that road, probably for Belvidere, Illinois, or New Jersey. The word belvidere is a variant of the Italian belvedere, meaning "beautiful to see."
  
• Bruning. This town was named for Frank Bruning and his three brothers who were early settlers in the vicinity.
  
• Byron. The town of Byron was named for the English poet, George Noel Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824).
  
• Carleton. Coldrain was the first name given this town. It was changed to Carleton at the request of the owner of the town-site in honor of his son, Carleton. An old maps the name is given as Coleraine.
  
• Chester. This town was laid out by the Lincoln Land Company on July 29, 1880.
  
• Davenport. Davenport was laid out in 1872 and was named after Davenport, Iowa.
  
• Deshler. Mr. John Deshler owned the original site of this town and it was named in his honor.
  
• Friedensau. J. J. Kern was the first settler here in 1873. The town was settled by German colonists who gave it the name Friedensau or "the vale of peace."
  
• Gilead. This town is named for Gilead precinct in which it is located. The name derives from Mount Gilead, Palestine. Towns of the same name are in Maine, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
  
• Hebron. In 1869 Hebron was organized and named by a group of pioneers who identified themselves with the Disciples of Christ. It was named after the ancient city, Hebron of Palestine, mentioned in the Bible. Hebron, Palestine, is located in a picturesque valley and these pioneers took refuge in the beautiful valley of the Little Blue river. Hebron is the county seat of Thayer county.
  
• Hubbell. In August, 1880, this town was laid out by the Lincoln Land and Loan Company and named for Hubbell H. Johnson, on whose farm the site is located. Mr. Johnson is the oldest resident of the town. He has lived in Hubbell for over fifty years and owns a great deal of property in the vicinity.
  
• Kiowa. This place is an inland village in Kiowa precinct. It is named for the Kiowa tribe of Indians reported by Lewis and Clark in 1805 as living on the North Platte river.
  
• Stoddard. This village is a station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Stoddard precinct. The name is probably of local or railway origin.
  
• Williams. This town is located on land formerly owned by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lamb and was named after their son William.
  

        Thomas county was named in honor of Major General George H. Thomas (1816-1870) of Civil War fame. The boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 31, 1887.

• Halsey. This town was named in honor of Halsey Yates of Lincoln, who was a member of the party that surveyed the railroad through the vicinity.
  
• Natic. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Natic precinct, both named for Natick, Massachusetts. The name derives from the Natic tribe of Indians of Massachusetts. Gannett's work on place names states that the name means "place of hills."
  
• Norway. The town of Norway was named by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad when the road was first built through the town. A post office was established here under the same name in 1906. The precinct has the same name. Presumably the name is due to the presence of Norwegian settlers in the vicinity.
  
• Seneca. This village is a station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Seneca precinct. The name comes from the Seneca tribe of Indians.
  
• Thedford. The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad named this town at the time when it was laid out and platted. It is the county seat of Thomas county. The precinct has the same name. The name is probably directly or indirectly for Thedford, Ontario, Canada.
  

        Thurston county was named for United States Senator John M. Thurston who assisted in effecting the organization of the county out of territory under the jurisdiction of Dakota, Wayne, and Burt counties. It was originally named Blackbird county in honor of the first Omaha chief of whom there is definite knowledge. According to Lewis and Clark who visited his grave in 1804, he died in 1800. The Indian name of Chief Blackbird was Wagigasabey [Wazhinga Sabe]. It is also authoritatively stated that the county was originally named Black Bird after the mythological Thunder Bird of the Indians. The boundaries of the county were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 7, 1855.

• Macy. This post office was originally named Omaha Agency because it is the Agency of the Omaha Indians. It was thought best, however, to change the name because so much mail was being missent to Omaha. In forming the new name, the second syllable of Omaha (-ma-) was taken plus the last syllable of agency (-cy) and the office was called Macy.
  
• Pender. Pender, the county seat of Thurston county, was organized on Friday 2, 1886. It was originally two miles south of its present location and was at that time called Athens. The name was changed to Pender in honor of John Pender, an Englishman, who was noted as a cable builder and who was a director of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha railroad. The town was moved to its present location through railroad cooperation.
  
• Rosalie. Rosalie was named for Rosalie La Flesche, a daughter of Joseph La Flesche (died 1888), French-Indian chief of the Omaha tribe. Rosalie La Flesche was the wife of Edward Farley of Bancroft and a sister of "Bright Eyes," as she was named by her white husband, Thomas Tibbles.
  
• Thurston. The town of Thurston was named for United States Senator John M. Thurston of Nebraska, like the county. This place was formerly called Flournoy and the precinct still retains that name.
  
• Walthill. James J. Hill, the builder of the Great Northern Railroad, had several sons. One of them, Walter Hill, was sent to this vicinity during the building of the Sioux City and Lincoln branch of the Burlington railroad in which the Hills were interested. Walter Hill became very friendly with a local man by the name of Hutchins and they organized a town-site company together. When the time came for naming this town Mr. Hutchins insisted that it be given the name of his friend, "Walt Hill." Settlement in the new town was begun in the spring of 1906.
  
• Winnebago. The town of Winnebago was named for the Winnebago tribe of Indians. Allouez, the French explorer who first intelligently wrote of the tribe, spells the name Ovenibigoutz, the Algonquian appellation which, freely translated, means "the disfavored ones." In the Jesuit Relations the name occurs as Ouinibegouc, Ouinipegouec, and Ouenibegoutz. This in our spelling has been transformed to Winnebago. The Winnebagoes own name for their people is Ho-tchan'-ga-ra.
  

        The first settlement was made in Valley county in April, 1872. The county was established by the legislature of 1873 and was so named because it was composed mostly of valley land, lying between higher table lands. It was created and the boundaries de-defined by an act approved March 1, 1871.

• Alta. A former, inland post office in Noble precinct. The name derives from the Latin word altus, referring to a high or elevated position.
  
• Arcadia. The site of Arcadia was laid out in 1885, and the plat put on record October 3, 1885. It was named by Mrs. Samuel A. Hawthorne who served as the first postmaster and who at one time taught school in the village. She understood the meaning of "Arcadia" to be "the feast of flowers." At that time this valley was filled with beautiful wild roses in bloom, which made the name seem appropriate to her. The town was first called Brownville in honor of Porter Brown who came to the vicinity in April, 1873, and who is considered the real father of the settlement. The name was changed because there was another town of the same name in the state. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Elyria. The name Eldon was first given to this town, but since there was another town in the state by that name, it was changd to Elyria. It is not known why the latter name was selected. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Geranium. The name of a former, inland post office and a locality in Geranium precinct. The name is floral in origin.
  
• Lee Park. This village was laid out in 1884 near the southwest corner of the county on the west county line, a portion being previously laid out over the line in Custer county, the post office was established in Valley county. The name is in honor of James Lee, the first settler, who came here in September, 1874. The local valley is known as Lee's Park and formerly the post office had the same name. A creek in the vicinity is known as Lee's creek. Later the post office was moved over into Custer country and finally discontinued. The nearness of Arcadia brought on decay and eventually the village disappeared but the name clings to the neighborhood.
  
• Miracreek. A locally descriptive flame for a former inland post office and a locality in Enterprise precinct.
  
• North Loup. A post office was established at North Loup in 1872. It was so named because of its location in the valley of the North Loup river.
  
• Ord. Ord was surveyed early in the year, 1874, by Haskill brothers, O. S. and O. C., and A. M. Robbins. General E. O. C. Ord was at that time in command of the military department of the Platte and the town was named for him. Ord is the county seat of Valley county.
  

        Washington county was named for General George Washington (1732-1799). Its boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved February 22, 1855, on the anniversary of Washington's birthday, and redefined November 2, 1858. The western boundary was redefined by an act approved January 12, 1860. More than thirty states have thus honored Washington.

• Admah. This town was named after a Bible town of that name, a place near Sodom. Admah is a Hebrew word mearning fortress.
  
• Arlington. This town was originally named Bell Creek after a near-by stream which was named for a family of early settlers on its banks. The name was changed to Arlington in 1882 after a place on the Potomac river in Virginia. The Sioux City and Pacific Railway Company platted the town in 1869.
  
• Blair. The history of Blair dates back to 1869 when the town was platted. It was named in honor of John I. Blair (1802-1899), of New Jersey, the great railroad builder and controller of railroad operations, who owned the land on which the town is located. At one time Mr. Blair was president of the Sioux City and Pacific railroad Company. He was well known for his philanthropic work. Blair is the county seat of Washington county.
  
• Bowen. This town was named in honor of John S. Bowen, an early settler of Blair, Nebraska. The Pioneer Town-Site Company platted the town in 1886.
  
• Coffman. This town was named for Dr. V. H. Coffman who owned the farm on which it is platted.
  
• Cuming City. Cuming City was mapped and surveyed in the spring of 1865. It was named in honor of Thomas B. Cuming, acting Governor of Nebraska at that time. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved February 16, 1857.
  
• Dale. This town was named in honor of General Samuel Dale of Alabama.
  
• De Soto. The town of De Soto is located in De Soto township. The town and township were named in honor of the sixteenth-century Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto. The town was platted in the autumn of 1854. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved March 7, 1855.
  
• Fontanelle. This town was settled by the Quincy, Illinois, colony in 1854. It was named in honor of Logan Fontenelle (1825-1855) interpretor on occasion for the Omaha Indian delegation to Washington in 1854. The township in which it is located was also named for the Indian chief. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved March 14, 1855. The name of the town was originally spelled Fontenelle. A creek in Nebraska, a village in Hocking county, Ohio, and a city in Cache county, Utah, were named Logan for Logan Fontenelle. A hotel and a projected natural park in Omaha were named Fontanelle in honor of this man.
  
• Fort Calhoun. The original name of this town was Fort Atkinson, named in honor of Brevet Brigadier General Henry Atkinson (died 1842), after whom four posts in different parts of the country were named. Later it was named Fort Calhoun in honor of J. C. Calhoun (1782-1850), secretary of war at the time. The town was incorporated in November 4, 1858, and is located in Fort Calhoun township. Originally the county seat was at Fort Calhoun but was moved to De Soto by act of the legislature approved November 3, 1858. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Herman. The town of Herman, located in Herman township, was platted in 1871 by the railroad officials of the old Omaha and Northwestern Railroad Company. It was named in honor of Samuel Herman who held the position of cdnductor on this railroad for many years.
  
• Kennard. This town was platted by the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad Company and was incorporated as a village on April 29, 1895. It was named for Honorable Thomas P. Kennard, first secretary of state for Nebraska, 1867-1870. Mr. Kennard was for many years a prominent citizen in Lincoln.
  
• Washington. This town was named for Washington county in which it is located. It was platted by the Pioneer Town-Site Company in 1887.
  

        Wayne county was named for Anthony Wayne (1745-1796), the American revolutionary general. It was organized by a proclamation of Governor David Butler in the fall of 1870. Its boundaries were defined and its organization legalized March 4, 1871.

• Altona. This village was named after Altona, in Holstein, Germany.
  
• Apex. A station on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha railroad in Hoskins precinct. It was so named because of its elevated position, being on or near the divide.
  
• Carroll. E. W. Winter, general manager of the railroad, named this town in honor of Charles Carroll (1737-1832) of Carrollton, Maryland, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
  
• Hoskins. When the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha railroad was built, there was a land company of Sioux City that bought farms and established towns. The town of Hoskins was named for a member of this company who lived in Sioux City. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Sholes. This town was named for Lyman Sholes, an official on the railroad. It was established in 1902.
  
• Wayne. The town of Wayne was named for Wayne county which in turn was named for General Anthony Wayne. Wayne is the county seat of Wayne county.
  
• Winside. When the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha railroad was first built, there was a station three miles west and one mile south of the present location of this town. A proposal was made to change the town-site and the person who chose the new site named it Winside, because he considered he had hade a winning contest.
  

        The first settlement in Webster county was made on May 16, 1870, by members of the Rankin Colony of Omaha. The county was named in honor of Daniel Webster, the American statesman (1782-1852). The boundaries were defined by an act approved February 16, 1867.

• Bladen. The Lincoln Land Company platted this town in June, 1886.
  
• Bluehill. The town of Bluehill was surveyed and platted for the railroad company in September, 1878, by Anselmo B. Smith, the town surveyor. It was first called Belmont but as there was another town of the same name in the state the name was changed to Bluehill. It derives its name from being located on the hills of the Blue river. Gannett's work on place names states that the town was "so named because of the bluish atmosphere surrounding the hill on which the village is located."
  
• Cowles. This town was named in honor of W. D. Cowles who was general freight agent of the Burlington and Missouri River railroad prior to his death in 1876. The town was platted by Anselmo B. Smith in September, 1878.
  
• Guide Rock. The town of Guide Rock was named for a rocky bluff about two and a half miles southeast and across the river from the town-site. This bluff is made up of rock and earth, the face of which is almost perpendicular. The rock extends upward from the ground from thirty to forty feet and is of a soft, scaly, slaty composition. The earth extends above the rock for about the same distance, making a total of approximately seventy-five feet. At the foot of this formation is the old bed of the Republican river. The rock served as a conspicuous landmark to early western travelers.
  
• Inavale. This town was named by a vote of the people, In-a-vale, the vale being the Republican valley. W. J. Vance laid out the town in 1884.
  
• Red Cloud. This town was named in honor of Red Cloud, the last warrior chief of the Teton-Sioux Indians. Red Cloud was born near the forks of the Platte river in 1821 and died on December 10, 1909. Local tradition states that he held a war council on what is now the town-site. Captain Silas Garber, afterward Governor Garber, was the first settler, in 1870, and platted the town on November 12, 1872. The town of Red Cloud is in the middle of the Pawnee country and far from Red Cloud's country which came no nearer than the line of the North Platte river. Red Cloud is the county seat of Webster county.
  
• Rosemont. The Lincoln Land Company platted this town in June, 1890. Claus Rose, Senior, at one time owned the town-site and the town was named for him.
  

        The county was named in honor of Major Daniel H. Wheeler, long time secretary of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture, born November 26, 1834. The boundaries of Wheeler county were defined by an act of the legislature approved February 17, 1877.

• Arden. An inland village and a former post office near the east line of Wheeler county in Caldwell precinct. The name derives from Arden, an ancient forest of England.
  
• Bartlett. This town was named after Ezra Bartlett Mitchell, the founder, in the year 1885 or 1886. It is the county seat of Wheeler county. The precinct is also named Bartlett.
  
• Cumminsville. The name Cumminsville was given to this town because the old town-site was built on land homesteaded by Mr. Frank Cummins (or Cummings). Gannett's account of place names gives the name as J. F. Cummings and states that he was county clerk. The present post office is about three miles west of the old site.
  
• Ericson. This town was named in honor of Christensen Erickson and his two sons, Eric and Peter. The town-site was homesteaded and sold to the town by the son, Peter Erickson. The precinct is also named Ericson.
  
• Francis. An inland village and a former post office near the northwest corner of Wheeler county in Francis precinct. It and the precinct were probably named for a local resident.
  
• Headquarters. An inland place and a former post office in Valley precinct. The name is locally descriptive.
  
• Lisle. Lisle is located in Gritty Ridge township. It was named after Lisle, a brother-in-law of the first postmaster, Harry Grout. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Newboro. There was no particular reason for naming this town Newboro, unless that a town or village was expected to develop on the newly located site, hence "new town" or "new boro."
  
• Pibel. An inland place and a former post office near the south line of Wheeler county in Keaka precinct. The name is probably for a local resident.
  
• Sheridan. An inland village and a post office near the west line of Wheeler county in Buffalo precinct. It was named for General Philip H. Sheridan (1831-1888), of Civil War fame. Formerly the post office was in Garfield county.
  
• Wheeler. The original name was Baird, but because there was then another office of the same name in western Nebraska the place was rechristened in honor of Wheeler county in which it is located.
  

        Two explanations are given for the naming of York county. One is that it was named by Alfred D. Jones for York, England. According to the second explanation a number of early settlers came to the vicinity from York county, Pennsylvania, and named York county, Nebraska, after their former home. Its boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 13, 1855; reestablished and redefined by an act approved January 26, 1856.

• Arborville. The Reverend C. S. Harrison, formerly of York, Nebraska, laid out this town. Along each street he planted trees and named the streets after the trees, such as Box Elder street, Cottonwood street, etc. These trees were to form arbors over the streets, hence the name Arborville was given to the town. The farmers' horses and the grasshoppers, however, ate or killed all the trees. This is the only post office in the United States called Arborville. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Benedict. This town was named in honor of E. C. Benedict, president of the Kansas City and Omaha railroad. It was incorporated in 1890.
  
• Bradshaw. Bradshaw was established in the fall of 1880 on the land owned by O. R. and J. M. Richards. It was named in honor of Mrs. J. M. Richards, whose maiden name was Mary Bradshaw.
  
• Charlestown. This town was named for Charles A. McCloud of York, Nebraska, who procured the right-of-way for the railroad. The town was platted by the Pioneer Town-Site Company in 1887.
  
• Gresham. This town was named in honor of Walter Quinton Gresham, who was secretary of state in President Grover Cleveland's cabinet. It was platted by the Pioneer Town-Site Company in 1887.
  
• Henderson. Named for David Henderson who with his son, John Henderson, Rudolph Fairbank, and Daniel George made the first settlements on the Blue river, July 2, 1866. The town was incorporated on October 4, 1899. Henderson precinct, in which Henderson is located, was also named for this early settler.
  
• Houston. This town is named for Joseph D. Houston, an early settler. Mr. Houston came to York county from England in 1870 and took up land in New York township. This town of Houston was located by the Pioneer Town-Site Company in 1881.
  
• Lushton. The town of Lushton was surveyed and platted in the spring of 1887. It was named for a railroad official by the name of Lush in the same year when the Saint Joseph and Grand Island railroad was built through the town.
  
• McCool Junction. A village on a junction point of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in McFadden precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
  
• Thayer. Named in honor of General John Milton Thayer of Nebraska, who fought in the Civil War, after whom Thayer county was named. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Waco. The land on which Waco is located was donated for a town-site by a Miss Chapin who named the place Waco after her former home, Waco, Texas. Miss Chapin is now a resident of England. The precinct has the same name. Waco is the name of one of the divisions of the Tawokoni Indians whose village stood on the site of Waco, Texas.
  
• York. The original site of York was surveyed and platted in October, 1896. It is presumed that the town took its name from York county, but nothing very definite is known about this. The town of New York, outside the city limits of York, was incorporated in 1880. It was named by a Mr. Wooley, who owned the land, in honor of the metropolis. This town is now a part of the city of York. Gannett's treatise on place names states that York and York county were named for a resident family. York is the county seat of York county.
  

© 2001 for the NEGenWeb Project by Connie Snyder