Cozad Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Dawson County · Population 3,988 (2020 census) · ZIP 69130 · Founded 1873 · Peak population 4,453 (1980)

About Cozad

Cozad is a city of 3,988 people (2020) in western Dawson County, at 2,494 feet on US 30 and the Union Pacific main line. The 100th meridian crosses just west of downtown, and a 1933 monument marks it at US 30 and Meridian Avenue. NE 21 runs north through town toward Broken Bow and south toward Eustis, and I-80 (Exit 222) is about a mile south. Cozad has Cozad Community Health System, Cozad Community Schools, the Wilson Public Library, the 18-hole Cozad Country Club and Muny Park campground; Midway Canyon and Gallagher Canyon state recreation areas are 6 and 9 miles south. Cozad is on Central Time.

History

Union Pacific track crews reached the 100th meridian here on October 5, 1866, and a sign on the line read “100th Meridian, 247 miles from Omaha.” John Jackson Cozad, an Ohio developer and former faro dealer who had seen that sign from a train in 1872, bought about 40,000 acres from the railroad and brought a company of Ohio settlers in 1873. The post office opened on June 18, 1874; it was called Gould from 1881 to 1885. In 1879 Cozad built a hotel that was also his family’s home. In October 1882 he shot rancher Alfred Pearson in a land dispute; Pearson died two months later, and the family left for Denver and took new names. His son Robert Henry Cozad, born in Cincinnati in 1865, became the painter Robert Henri. The hotel, later the Hendee Hotel, is now the Robert Henri Museum. The Lincoln Highway ran through downtown until it was moved south in 1926. Allen’s Opera House (1906) and the downtown historic district, with the Atkinson Building of 1890, are on the National Register.

Highways and trails through Cozad

Route	One way	Other way
US 30Through town (the Lincoln Highway)	East to Lexington	West to Willow Island and Gothenburg
NE 21Meridian Avenue	North toward Broken Bow	South to I-80 and toward Eustis
I-80Exit 222, about 1 mi south	East to Lexington	West to Gothenburg

Nearby towns

Willow Island	about 5 mi west-northwest	US 30
Gothenburg	about 10 mi west-northwest	US 30 or I-80
Eustis	about 14 mi south	NE 21
Lexington	about 14 mi east-southeast	US 30 or I-80
Farnam	about 16 mi southwest	NE 21 and NE 23
Elwood	about 20 mi south-southeast	I-80 and US 283
Eddyville	about 22 mi east-northeast	County roads
Brady	about 23 mi west-northwest	US 30 or I-80
Sumner	about 26 mi east-northeast	County roads
Callaway	about 30 mi north	NE 21

Things to see

the 100th Meridian marker and 1933 monument at US 30 and Meridian Ave. · the Robert Henri Museum in the Hendee Hotel (1879, National Register), 218 E. 8th St. · the 100th Meridian Museum, 206 E. 8th St. · the Willow Island Pony Express Station cabin in Veterans Memorial Park · Allen’s Opera House (1906) and the Cozad Downtown Historic District · Midway Canyon State Recreation Area, about 6 miles south-southwest · Gallagher Canyon State Recreation Area, about 9 miles south · the Cozad Country Club · the Muny Park Disc Golf Course

Events in Cozad

Cozad Hay Days
Cozad Hay Days is held in Cozad, Nebraska, from the Thursday to the Sunday after Labor Day.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Cozad Community Schools (Haymakers), 1710 Meridian Ave., (308) 784-2745: Cozad High School (9–12), Cozad Middle School (6–8), 1810 Meridian Ave., Cozad Elementary (PK–5) and Cozad Early Education Center, 420 E. 14th St.

Health care: Cozad Community Health System, 300 E. 12th St., (308) 784-4691, 24-hour emergency; Cozad Medical Clinic, 1803 Papio Lane

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Dawson County (dawsoncountyne.gov); History Nebraska (markers, "Dawson County's True Namesake," "How a Lexington meatpacking plant changed Nebraska," "The Instant Town"); Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (1925); NEGenWeb Dawson County; National Register; National Park Service (Pony Express NHT); HMdb; Nebraska Game and Parks; KRVN; Rural Radio Network; 1011 Now; Gothenburg Leader; school districts; NE211. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.