Craig Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Burt County · Population 202 (2020 census) · ZIP 68019 · Founded 1881 · Peak population 462 (1900)

About Craig

Craig is a village of 202 on NE 32 in southern Burt County, about 6 miles east of Oakland and 8 miles west of Tekamah. Most of the town sits on one hillside above the Bell Creek valley. It has the village office, the First Presbyterian Church and the Craig Cemetery; students attend Oakland-Craig schools.

History

Settlers reached the Bell Creek valley in the 1860s, and a post office called Clark served the area from 1874 to 1880. Craig was laid out in 1881 as a water station on the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway and named for William Stewart Craig, who gave the land. The 1885 census listed it as "Bell Creek (Village of Craig)."

Main Street was busy before the 1920s, and the population peaked at 462 in 1900. The First National Bank of Craig closed in 1933. The railroad was abandoned in 1975. The standpipe water tower from the early 1900s is still in use. Ira J. McDonald, a Los Angeles city councilman, was born in Craig.

Highways and trails through Craig

Route	One way	Other way
NE 32East–west through town	East to Tekamah (about 8 mi) and US 75	West to Oakland (about 6 mi) and West Point
Spur S-11ACounty Road 21, south from NE 32	South toward the Washington County line	Ends at NE 32

Nearby towns

Oakland	about 6 mi west	NE 32
Argo	about 6 mi southwest	County roads
Tekamah	about 8 mi east	NE 32
Uehling	about 11 mi southwest	County roads and US 77
Herman	about 16 mi southeast	NE 32 and US 75

Things to see

The standpipe water tower · Alder Grove United Methodist Church and Alder Grove Cemetery, site of an 1867 settlement northwest of town · the Argo site and cemetery, about 6 mi southwest

Schools and health care

Schools: Oakland-Craig Public Schools (both buildings in Oakland)

Health care: No clinic; Franciscan Healthcare Oakland Clinic (about 6 mi); nearest hospitals West Point (about 19 mi) and Blair (about 26 mi)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Burt County; History Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.