Logan County, Nebraska: History and Information

Logan County, Nebraska

Logan County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Stapleton
Year Organized: 1885
Square Miles: 571

Court House:

317 Main Street
County Courthouse
Stapleton, NE 69163-0000

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Logan County, located on the southern fringe of the Sandhills, is named in honor of Gen. John A. Logan.

Demographics:

History

The boundaries of Logan County were established by the Legislature on Feb. 24, 1885. But it would not be until 45 years to that day that Stapleton would become the county seat.

In the early days following its organization, a site near the eastern boundary with Custer County was slated to be the seat of Logan County's government. Several other precincts also were anxious to hold this honor. The precincts decided to join forces and start a new settlement by the name of Union, with the intent being that it would become the county seat. Jim Gandy of Broken Bow heard of this effort and informed organizers that if they would agree to name the town after him, he would move there and bring with him other businessmen. Since Gandy possessed the capital that was needed, the organizers quickly agreed. The town was chosen as the county seat on July 25, 1885, and Gandy the businessman proceeded to build a courthouse. Gandy the town would serve as the county seat for the next 45 years.

When the Union Pacific Railroad began work in 1911 on a branch line that would run through Logan County, a townsite company was chosen to locate towns along the new route. Gandy was bypassed and instead a town named Stapleton was laid out at the railroad's terminus. Stapleton was located just 3½ miles west of Gandy. As Stapleton began serving a large trade area, two banks, a drug store and several other businesses relocated from Gandy to the rapidly developing new town.

The residents of Stapleton began to promote their town to become the county seat. It took 18 years before a special election was held on May 2, 1929, and their dream became reality. After a court challenge, Stapleton finally became the county seat on Feb. 24, 1930.

Logan County, located on the southern fringe of the Sandhills, is named in honor of Gen. John A. Logan. Many of its early settlers were Civil War veterans who would develop the county with ranches and farms, the same industries that support the area today.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Gandy

village

Incorporated Area

- Stapleton (County Seat)

village

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

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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