Western Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Western Area Cameras

Village · Saline County · Population 224 (2020 census) · ZIP 68464 · Founded 1872 · Peak population 511 (1930)

About Western

Western is a village of 224 in southwestern Saline County, on a short state spur about 1½ miles west of NE 15 and 14 miles west of Wilber. It is the base of Saline County Area Transit and has the Struckman-Baatz Public Library.

History

German families from Wisconsin settled along Swan Creek east of the site in the 1860s. In 1871 a post office opened on the land of homesteader Wesley West; "West" was not accepted, so a syllable was added. Dr. L. E. Goodell laid out the village in 1872, and Andreas counted 39 residents in 1882. Western was incorporated in 1880 and became a Burlington station about 1884.

William Bench built the Saline County Bank in 1887, and George Sawyer ran it until 1933; the building now holds the post office. The Old Settlers' Picnic has been held almost every year since 1897. The population peaked at 511 in 1930, and the high school closed in 1968.

Highways and trails through Western

Route	One way	Other way
NE 15About 1½ mi east, by Spur S-76C	North to NE 74, NE 41 and US 6 at Dorchester	South to Fairbury

Nearby towns

Swanton	about 6 mi east	County roads
Daykin	about 7 mi southwest	NE 15 and NE 4
Tobias	about 7 mi west-northwest	NE 15 and NE 74
Wilber	about 14 mi east-northeast	NE 15 and NE 41
Fairbury	about 17 mi south	NE 15

Things to see

The Saline County Bank building, 100 N. West Ave. (1887; National Register), now the post office · the Michael Witt Fachwerkbau, a rare German half-timbered building east of the village (National Register; private) · the Rad Saline Center Z.C.B.J. hall, 2202 M Rd., about 9 mi north (National Register) · Western Village Park · St. John's United Church of Christ · the Old Settlers' Picnic

Health care

No clinic in Western; nearest hospitals: Crete Area Medical Center (Bryan Health), 2910 Betten Dr., Crete, a 15-bed critical access hospital opened in 2003; or Jefferson Community Health & Life, Fairbury

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Saline County and NEGenWeb Saline County histories; History Nebraska and its historical markers; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Lower Big Blue NRD; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Bryan Health; city, village, school, museum and hospital websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.