Keya Paha County, Nebraska

Keya Paha County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Springview
Year Organized: 1884
Square Miles: 773

Court House:

310 Courthouse Drive

P.O. Box 349
County Courthouse
Springview, NE 68778-0349

Etymology - Origin of County Name

One of the most unique names among Nebraska's 93 counties belongs to Keya Paha County in the north central area of the state. It is traced to the Dakota Sioux Indian tribe, which once hunted on the land north of the Niobrara River.

According to historians, the county's name is derived from the Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá, which translated means turtle hill river. It is assumed that this was how the Dakotas referred to the area, because numerous small, rounded hills make up the terrain.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Keya Paha County was once part of a much larger county known as Brown. This area included what today are Brown, Rock and Keya Paha Counties. In 1884 it became apparent that the existing Brown County was too large and a petition was circulated to designate the area north of the Niobrara River as a separate county. When the question was put before the voters on Nov. 4, it carried by a wide margin.

Locating the county seat proved to be more difficult than creating the county. Nearly every settlement within the new county sought this important distinction. A committee was appointed to make a selection. But failing to accomplish this, the issue was put to a vote when the county's first election was held in January 1885. Fifteen different settlements were listed on the ballot. The field was pared to two and the newly-elected county officers ordered another election for March 24.

When election day arrived, voters were asked to choose either Burton, located in the northeast part of the county, or Springview, which was more centrally located. When the votes were counted, Springview won by a narrow 494 to 405 margin.

Springview included 160 acres of choice land and a natural spring, for which the settlement had been named. Lots in the county seat were sold for $20 each. Building activity began almost immediately after the election. Until enough lots were sold to accumulate the necessary funds to build a courthouse, county offices were housed in a private residence.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Burton	village	Incorporated Area
- Newport	village	Incorporated Area
- Springview (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."