KEARNEY COUNTY
 
"A mile wide and an inch deep", the Platte River runs along the northern border of Kearney County.
This is the only place Mr. Graham will come in contact with the Platte.
 
                    Hello, my name is John Klemak I am a sophomore at Downers Grove North HIgh School.  I have many interests in school.  One is wrestling.  I am on our school's JV(junior varsity) wrestling team.  I like history and science even though my grades don't reflect it.  outside of school I like to play Vampire the masquerade.   I really don't "hang out" anywhere but when I do I like to go to downtown Chicago.

County Information

Statistical info on Kearney County

The U.S. Census Bureau has several reports on people in the county.

A little profile of little (pop. 700) Axtell, in Kearney County

A littler profile of littler (pop. 350) Wilcox, in Kearney County.

Information on Minden, "The Christmas City". Minden is the county seat of Kearney County.

In 1915, to impress the state convention of the Grand Army of the Republic, Minden attempted to string Christmas lights. The weather intervened. But the "Light of the World Pageant" has now become a tradition. Here's the story.

Map of Minden

Isn't it strange that the big city of Kearney isn't in Kearney County? It's in Buffalo County, just to the north. This map will show you all three towns in Kearney County, and Rte. 34.

This map site shows in detail the locations of 83 different man-made features in the county (like dams, towns, canals, etc.)

The main job in Kearney County is agriculture. This link that will tell you all you want to know about farming in the county.

History

History of Minden and Kearney County

Harold Warp's Pioneer Village is one of Nebraska's major attractions. Harold Warp, of plastics fame, grew up on a homestead not far from Minden. To honor his parents and the hard-working pioneer spirit they embodied, he opened the Village. It is one of the best collections of pioneer and other memorabilia anywhere. Go visit it if you haven't been there. It's only 20 minutes south of I-80 and worth the drive.

The Oregon-California Trail goes through Kearney County. Fort Kearny (same guy, different spelling) is located here. Here's a history of the fort from the Kearny High School web site.

Geography

The beautiful sandhill crane makes its home in Kearney County, on the Platte River.

The Platte River runs along the northern edge of the county. It's the great highway of the Oregon-California Trail. It really is a fascinating river and of mighty importance in our history.
This index of photographs of the river gives a good idea of its nature. James Michener wrote maybe the best description of the Platte in his book "Centennial". You can't read that book and ever drive through Nebraska bored again.

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