Merrick County, Nebraska

Merrick County, Nebraska

County seat: Central City · Created: November 4, 1858; organized April 18, 1864 · Named for: Elvira Merrick, wife of territorial legislator Henry W. DePuy · License plates: prefix 46 · Population: 7,668 (2020 census); peak 10,763 in 1920 · Area: 494 sq mi · Time zone: Central

About Merrick County

Merrick County lies on the north side of the Platte River in central Nebraska, low rolling farm country with Prairie Creek running northeast through its middle and the Loup River near its north edge. US 30, the Lincoln Highway, and the Union Pacific main line follow the Platte through Chapman, Central City, Clarks and Silver Creek; Palmer is in the northwest, and Archer and Havens are small unincorporated communities. The county borders Nance County on the north, Platte on the northeast, Polk on the east, Hamilton on the south, Hall on the southwest and Howard on the west, and is part of the Grand Island metropolitan area.

The territorial Legislature created the county on November 4, 1858, naming it for Elvira Merrick, the wife of Henry W. DePuy, who introduced the bill; its paper county seat, Elvira, was never built. Mormon emigrants followed the north bank of the Platte past the Lone Tree landmark from 1847, and stage stations went up along the route in 1858. The first election was held on April 18, 1864. The Union Pacific built through in 1866 and platted Lone Tree, Clarks and Silver Creek; Lone Tree became the county seat in 1869 and was renamed Central City in 1875. Lands of the 1857 Pawnee Reservation in the north were removed from the county in 1873 and became Nance County in 1879. The Burlington reached Central City in 1880. The county peaked at 10,763 people in 1920.

Towns of Merrick County

Travel Corridors

US 30 (Lincoln Highway) — along the Platte and the Union Pacific through Chapman, Central City, Clarks and Silver Creek, between Grand Island and Columbus. US 30 Corridor →

NE 14 — north–south through Central City, from Fullerton to Aurora and I-80. Highway 14 Corridor → NE 92 crosses the north-central county past Palmer to NE 14 and US 30 near Clarks, then crosses the Platte to Osceola. Highway 92 Corridor → NE 39 runs north from Silver Creek to Genoa.

Cameras: View Merrick County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Things to See

The new Merrick County Historical Museum in Central City, with railroad, trail and Lincoln Highway exhibits; the Lone Tree monument and Mormon Trail marker; the Wright Morris Boyhood House; Prairie Creek Vineyard and Winery; the 1913 courthouse and other National Register buildings in Central City; the Cahow Barber Shop in Chapman; and the Carnegie library in Clarks.

Outdoors

Bader Memorial Park, on the Platte about 2.5 miles south of Chapman, has 270 acres with five fishing lakes, a sand beach, 6 miles of trails and 50 campsites (vehicle pass required). The Dark Island Trail runs about 8 miles from Central City south across the Platte on the 1,072-foot Bader Bridge to Marquette. Dr. Bruce Cowgill WMA, 216 acres east of Silver Creek, is open to public hunting. Riverside Park near Central City has a pool and a 1940 dance pavilion. Sandhill cranes use the Platte valley each spring.

Merrick County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Central City · Palmer · Clarks · Silver Creek · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Nance County (north) · Platte County (northeast) · Polk County (east) · Hamilton County (south) · Hall County (southwest) · Howard County (west).

Events

Each year: Lone Tree Days in Central City over the Fourth of July; the Central Nebraska Amateur Radio Club’s Steak Fry and Hamfest at Bader Park in July; the Merrick County Fair at Central City in early August; and Clarks Bean Day in odd-numbered years.