Nebraska State...
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Nebraska Counties
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Burt County, Nebraska
Burt County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Tekamah
Year Organized: 1854
Square Miles: 493
MSA: |
Court House: Put address here
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Named: Burt County was named after Francis Burt of South Carolina, who
was appointed Nebraska's first territorial governor. Burt died Oct. 18, 1854, a
mere two days after taking office.
State & County QuickFacts:
Burt County Quick
Facts
History
Burt County holds the distinction of
being among the oldest counties in the state, as it was one of the first eight
counties to comprise the Nebraska Territory. When its original boundaries were
defined in 1855, the county actually included the entire northeast corner of the
state, stretching nearly 100 miles westward from the Missouri River. In 1862 the
county's boundaries were significantly reduced and redefined to present day 486
square miles.
The history of the area that is known as Burt County dates back to the early
1800s. It has been reported that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stopped in
the area to visit the grave of Chief Blackbird during their exploration trip up
the Missouri River. There are also reports of settlers coming to the area as
early as the 1830s.
The Nebraska Stock Company made the first organized attempt to settle the area
in 1854 when a group of pioneers staked a claim on the site that is today
Tekamah. With the claim, the town of Tekamah was founded on Oct. 7. Five months
later, through an act adopted by the Legislature, Tekamah was named the county
seat.
Although Tekamah was incorporated in 1855, it would be 23 years before a
courthouse was built. For many years, meetings were held in various buildings in
the town. An old blockhouse was used for court proceedings and the building's
attic served as a jail. In response to the irritation expressed by citizens,
petitions were circulated in 1877 in an effort to construct a courthouse. The
following year a courthouse became reality when a building was constructed at a
cost of less than $3,000. The courthouse served the residents of the county
until 1917 when it was replaced by an elegant structure that still houses the
county's government offices.
Neighboring Counties:
Cities:
- Craig, Decatur, Lyons, Oakland, Tekamah
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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Penn Foster High School
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