Carleton Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Carleton Area Cameras

Village · Thayer County · Population 94 (2020 census) · ZIP 68326 · Founded 1872 · Peak population 458 (1890)

About Carleton

Carleton is a village of 94 in northern Thayer County, on NE 4 and the Union Pacific main line, about 11 miles north-northwest of Hebron. A large grain loadout stands just west of town, and Milo Day is held each September.

History

The settlement east of the present site was first known as Coldrain. When the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad built through in 1872, Carleton became the "C" station of its alphabetical series, and the town moved to the line; the name is said to honor Carleton B. Emory, son of an early settler. By 1882 it had about 425 people, a two-story school and Methodist and Presbyterian churches, and the population peaked at 458 in 1890.

Milo grain was brought from Texas in the 1930s, and Carleton shipped its first carload in 1939; Milo Day, first held in 1952, still takes place on the second Saturday of September. Pitcher Roy "Rhino" Hitt (1884–1956) and Marling J. Ankeny, director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines from 1956 to 1964, were born here.

Highways and trails through Carleton

Route	One way	Other way
NE 4Along the north edge of the village	East to Bruning and US 81	West to Davenport

Nearby towns

Bruning	about 7 mi east-northeast	NE 4
Davenport	about 7 mi west	NE 4
Belvidere	about 7 mi east-southeast	County roads
Shickley	about 8 mi north-northwest	County roads
Hebron	about 11 mi south-southeast	NE 4 and US 81
Deshler	about 11 mi south	NE 4 and NE 5

Things to see

Zion Lutheran Church, 505 8th St. · Carleton Cemetery · Milo Day, the second Saturday of September

Health care

No clinic in Carleton; nearest: Bruning Medical Clinic and Davenport Medical Clinic; hospital: Thayer County Health Services, 120 Park Ave., Hebron, a 17-bed critical access hospital

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Who's Who in Nebraska, Thayer County (1940); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1917); History Nebraska and its historical markers; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Little Blue NRD; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Heritage Highway 136; village, school, museum and hospital websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.