Dunning Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Blaine County · Population 80 (2020 census) · ZIP 68833 · Founded 1887 · Peak population 289 (1920)

About Dunning

Dunning is a village of 80 people (2020), the largest town in Blaine County, at about 2,618 feet on NE 2, the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, beside the BNSF main line. The Middle Loup and the Dismal rivers meet about a mile and a half northeast of town, and NE 91 starts at NE 2 just north of town and runs to Brewster. Dunning has a post office (which also serves Brewster), Sandhills Public Schools and its high school, the Sandhills Heritage Museum in the old Home State Bank, and the Blaine County Fair. The Bessey Recreation Complex of the Nebraska National Forest is about 11 miles west near Halsey. Dunning is on Central Time.

History

The Burlington reached the Dismal River in 1886 and crossed it here in 1887, opposite the old Lena post office at the Finch Hatton ranch. The railroad’s Lincoln Land Company laid out the town in 1887 and named it for the Dunning family, early ranchers on the Middle Loup; the post office opened that year. Dunning became the shipping point for German Valley, Hawley Flats, Pleasant Valley and Edith Valley, and it had the county’s first graded school and high school. The Home State Bank building went up in 1918, and the Wilson Hotel, with 16 rooms, in 1919. The village reached 289 people in 1920. A community building was put up with village bonds and WPA help in 1938. Sandhills Public Schools was formed in 1973 to serve Brewster, Dunning, Halsey and Purdum. The Sandhills Heritage Museum opened in the bank building in July 2017.

Highways and trails through Dunning

Route	One way	Other way
NE 2Through town, the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway	East to Anselmo, Merna and Broken Bow	West to Halsey and Thedford
NE 91Begins at NE 2 just north of town	Northeast to Brewster, Taylor and Burwell

Nearby towns

Linscott	about 7 mi southeast	NE 2
Halsey	about 10 mi west-northwest	NE 2
Brewster	about 15 mi east-northeast	NE 91
Purdum	about 18 mi north-northwest	NE 2 and local roads
Anselmo	about 19 mi southeast	NE 2
Thedford	about 26 mi west-northwest	NE 2
Arnold	about 28 mi south	county road from NE 2
Merna	about 30 mi southeast	NE 2
Stapleton	about 32 mi southwest	NE 2 and US 83
Taylor	about 37 mi east	NE 91
Broken Bow	about 38 mi southeast	NE 2
Burwell	about 50 mi east	NE 91

Things to see

the Sandhills Heritage Museum, 415 Jewett Ave., open summer weekends · the Hereford Crossroads exhibit inside the museum · the Middle Loup and Dismal rivers, meeting just northeast of town · the Bessey Recreation Complex, about 11 miles west · the Blaine County Fair in summer

Events in Dunning

Blaine County Fair
The Blaine County Fair is held annually in Dunning, Nebraska -- a Sandhills community in the North Loup River valley.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Sandhills Public Schools: Sandhills High School and district office, 107 Gandy Ave., (308) 538-2224; elementary in Halsey; activities co-op with Thedford as the Sandhills/Thedford Knights

Health care: No clinic in the county; nearest hospital: Broken Bow, about 38 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Blaine County (blainecounty.ne.gov); NEGenWeb Blaine County and Belle Dunn's county history; Nebraska Who's Who (1940) county sketch; Jim Forte Postal History; USPS Postal Bulletin; Courthouses.co; Nebraska Game and Parks; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; USGS; NDOT; Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway; History Nebraska; VisitNebraska; Sandhills Public Schools; SchoolDigger; KOLN. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.