Big Springs Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Deuel County · Population 394 (2020 census) · ZIP 69122 · Founded 1884 · Peak population 595 (1930)

About Big Springs

Big Springs is a village of 394 (2020) in the southeastern corner of Deuel County and of the Panhandle, on the Union Pacific north of the South Platte, at about 3,370 feet. US 138 runs through town on Pine Street; I-80 exit 107 is just south, the I-76 split to Denver is 5 miles west at exit 102, and US 30 passes 2 miles north. Like the rest of the county it is on Mountain Time.

History

The Union Pacific reached the site in 1867 and named its stop for the large spring at the edge of town, which supplied its steam engines until 1950; as engines grew larger, a well and water tank were added in 1907 in what is now Railroad Park. A lone cottonwood near the river, a landmark for trail travelers, is said to have given the place an earlier name, Lone Tree. On the night of September 18, 1877, Sam Bass and five companions captured station agent John Barnhart, smashed the telegraph and robbed Union Pacific Express No. 4 of about $60,000 in newly minted $20 gold pieces, plus cash and watches from the passengers. The state marker says they divided the gold beneath the Lone Tree north of the river and calls it "the first and greatest robbery of a Union Pacific train."

Settlers arrived in 1883, and the Union Pacific platted the townsite in November 1884; the Phelps family opened their hotel on Christmas Eve 1885. Big Springs contended with Chappell for the county seat from 1889 until Chappell won in 1894, and according to the county, the county fair was held here from 1889 to 1932. The village incorporated on May 15, 1917, and reached its largest population, 595, in 1930. On June 4, 1965, a robber killed three employees of the Farmers State Bank and paralyzed a fourth. Big Springs High School graduated its last class in 1995, when the district joined Brule's as South Platte Public Schools.

Highways and trails through Big Springs

Route	One way	Other way
I-80Exit 107, just south by Link 25B	East to Brule and Ogallala	West to the I-76 split (exit 102) for Denver, and to Chappell
US 138Through the village as Pine Street	North to US 30 at Big Springs Junction (about 2 mi)	Southwest past Barton to Julesburg, Colorado
US 30The Lincoln Highway, about 2 mi north	East to Brule and Ogallala	West to Chappell

Nearby towns

Barton	about 6 mi west-southwest	US 138
Brule	about 10 mi east-northeast	I-80 or US 30
Ogallala	about 19 mi east-northeast	I-80
Lewellen	about 19 mi north	County roads and US 26
Venango	about 21 mi south	County roads
Chappell	about 21 mi west	I-80 or US 30
Grant	about 24 mi southeast	I-80 and NE 61

Things to see

The Phelps Hotel, 401 Pine St., an 1885 frame hotel on the National Register, where Dwight D. Eisenhower is reported to have stayed with the Army's 1919 transcontinental convoy · the Big Springs Depot Museum and Veterans Memorial, 206 W. 2nd St., in the 1906 depot (summer hours Monday–Saturday 9:30–5, Sunday 1–5) · Eiker Park, US 138 and First St., with markers for the Sam Bass robbery, the Phelps Hotel and the Waterman Sod House · the Waterman Sod House, about 9 mi north on Day Road (1886; National Register) · Colorado's northeast corner, about 4 mi south-southeast, with county markers · Goldeneye WMA, west of town · Our Lavender Co., 20380 Road 4 · McGreer Camper Park, 20925 Road 8

Schools and health care

Schools: South Platte Public Schools, 610 Plum St., (308) 889-3674: elementary (PK–6) and high school (7–12)

Health care: Nearest hospitals: Sedgwick County Health Center, Julesburg, Colorado, about 11 mi, and Ogallala Community Hospital, about 19 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Lilian L. Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (1925); Nebraska State Gazetteers (1890–91, 1917); Who's Who in Nebraska, Deuel County (1940); Deuel County history page; Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; National Register nominations (Deuel County Courthouse, Phelps Hotel, Sudman House, Waterman Sod House); History Nebraska and its markers; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Nebraska Department of Revenue; South Platte NRD; Nebraska Game and Parks; Cabela family obituaries and company histories; school, library and city websites; Visit Nebraska. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.