Nickerson Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Village · Dodge County · Population 312 (2020 census) · ZIP 68044 · Founded 1871 · Peak population 431 (2000)

About Nickerson

Nickerson is a village of 312 on US 77 about 8 miles north of Fremont, where NE 91 turns east toward Blair. It has the One Horse Saloon, the Nickerson Short Stop and Nickerson Lake. The territorial town of Fontanelle is 2 miles east.

History

Henry Depew made the first land claim here in 1857. The village was platted on January 13, 1871, on the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad and named for Reynolds K. Nickerson. A fire in the spring of 1892 destroyed most of the business district. The Burlington built a second line through in 1906, and Nickerson incorporated in October 1910.

The 1982 flood damaged both railroads; the Burlington, now BNSF, rebuilt, and the Chicago & North Western abandoned its line. The Fremont & Elkhorn Valley tourist trains ran into Nickerson from 1985 to 2012, and their tracks were removed in 2021. The 2000 census count of 431 was the village's highest.

Highways and trails through Nickerson

Route	One way	Other way
US 77North–south through the village	North to Winslow and Uehling	South to Fremont (about 8 mi)
NE 91Turns east at Nickerson	East past Fontanelle to Blair (about 19 mi)	Northwest with US 275 toward Hooper and Scribner

Nearby towns

Fontanelle	about 2 mi east	NE 91
Winslow	about 5 mi north	US 77
Hooper	about 8 mi northwest	US 77 and US 275
Fremont	about 8 mi south	US 77
Arlington	about 10 mi southeast	County roads

Things to see

Nickerson Lake · Fontanelle, the 1854 territorial town, about 2 mi east

Schools and health care

Schools: Nearby districts: Fremont and Logan View

Health care: No clinic; nearest hospital Methodist Fremont Health (about 8 mi)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Buss and Osterman, History of Dodge and Washington Counties (1921); History Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.