Blaine County, Nebraska

Blaine County, Nebraska

County seat: Brewster · Created: March 5, 1885; organized 1886 · Named for: James G. Blaine, the 1884 Republican presidential candidate · License plates: prefix 86 · Population: 431 (2020 census); peak 1,778 in 1920 · Area: 714 sq mi · Time zone: Central

About Blaine County

Blaine County is ranch country in the central Sandhills, crossed by three rivers: the North Loup past Purdum and Brewster, and the Middle Loup and Dismal, which meet at Dunning. Its villages are Dunning, the largest, and Brewster, the county seat and after the 2010 census the smallest incorporated county seat in the United States; Purdum is an unincorporated ranch settlement, and a small part of Halsey lies in the county. Part of the Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest reaches into the west side. It borders Brown County on the north, Loup on the east, Custer on the south, Logan on the southwest, Thomas on the west and Cherry on the northwest. The county has no sites on the National Register.

The Purdum family homesteaded on Buffalo Flats in 1883, and George W. Brewster laid out his town in 1884. The Legislature created the county on March 5, 1885, and it was organized in 1886. Brewster, Ladora and Blaine Center fought over the county seat until Brewster won in November 1887. The Burlington came up the Middle Loup through Dunning in 1887, but a railroad graded toward Brewster was never finished. Kinkaid homesteaders brought the county to 1,778 people in 1920; ranching took over as the homesteads failed. The present courthouse in Brewster dates from 1908, after the first one burned.

Towns of Blaine County

Travel Corridors

NE 2 — the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, through Dunning along the Middle Loup beside the BNSF main line. Highway 2 Corridor → NE 91 starts at NE 2 by Dunning and runs northeast to Brewster, then east to Taylor and Burwell; NDOT is resurfacing and realigning it east of Brewster in 2026. Highway 91 Corridor → NE 7 begins at Brewster and runs north to Ainsworth. No Interstate or U.S. highway enters the county.

Cameras: View Blaine County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Outdoors

Milburn Dam WMA, 672 acres on the Middle Loup in the southeast corner of the county, about 2 miles northwest of Milburn, is open to hunting, and the Milburn Diversion is a Game and Parks public fishing area with primitive camping. The diversion dam, finished in 1956, feeds the Sargent Canal. There is no developed public campground in the county; the nearest is the Bessey Recreation Complex near Halsey, about 11 miles west of Dunning, with 48 sites, electric hookups and showers in season. Most river frontage is private, so ask permission before fishing or launching. The upper Dismal is a fast river with strainers and fences for experienced paddlers only, and its logjammed stretch between the Seneca and Jameson bridges in Thomas County is impassable.

Things to See

In Dunning: the Sandhills Heritage Museum in the 1918 Home State Bank, with the Hereford Crossroads exhibit, open summer weekends. In Brewster: the 1908 courthouse and the North Loup River.

Blaine County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Dunning · Brewster · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Brown County (north) · Loup County (east) · Custer County (south) · Logan County (southwest) · Thomas County (west) · Cherry County (northwest).

Events

The Blaine County Fair is held in Dunning each summer. In August, the Sandhills Open Road Challenge usually races on the paved road between Dunning and Arnold.

Blaine County at a Glance

Blaine County, Nebraska — 714 square miles of Sandhills ranch country with 431 people, county seat Brewster. 34 listings across 4 towns. Central Time.

Getting there: NE 2, the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, through Dunning; NE 91 from Burwell and Taylor; NE 7 from Ainsworth.

For visitors: a heritage museum in Dunning, three rivers, hunting and fishing at Milburn Dam, and the national forest next door at Halsey. No clinic in the county; the nearest hospital is in Broken Bow.