Sprague Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Sprague Area Cameras

Village · Lancaster County · Population 136 (2020 census) · ZIP 68438 · Founded 1888 · Peak population 168 (1980)

About Sprague

Sprague is a village of 136 people (2020) at 1,289 feet about 13 miles south-southwest of downtown Lincoln; Martell is about a mile northwest. Bluestem State Recreation Area is next to the village. Sprague is on Central Time.

History

A settlement called Centerville had a post office from 1865 but did not last. Sprague was founded in 1888 on the Missouri Pacific’s Talmage–Crete branch and named for Civil War veteran William Sprague and his wife, Amy. Fires in 1912 and 1927 destroyed much of the business district. The village was incorporated in 1913. The Bluestem dam was built in 1963, creating a 325-acre lake in a 742-acre recreation area.

Nearby towns

Martell	about 1 mi northwest	County roads
Roca	about 5 mi east-northeast	County roads
Hickman	about 6 mi east	County roads
Hallam	about 7 mi south-southwest	County roads
Denton	about 9 mi northwest	County roads
Lincoln	about 13 mi north-northeast	County roads

Things to see

Bluestem State Recreation Area: 86 campsites; boat ramps closed for low water

Schools and health care

Schools: No school in the village; the area is split between Norris School District 160 and Crete Public Schools

Health care: Hospitals: Bryan Medical Center (East and West), CHI Health St. Elizabeth and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Lincoln, about 13 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); NEGenWeb Lancaster County; History Nebraska; National Register; Nebraska Game and Parks; Lower Platte South NRD; City of Lincoln; Lincoln Airport; Nebraska State Capitol; Flatwater Free Press; school districts; city and village sites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.