Fillmore County, Nebraska

Fillmore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 5,551.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Geneva.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county was named for President Millard Fillmore.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Fillmore County is represented by the prefix 34 (it had the thirty-fourth largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Fillmore County was established, and its boundaries defined, by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature in 1856. It was named for Millard Fillmore, the thirteenth president of the United States, who had left office in 1853.<ref name=established/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The first homesteaders arrived in the county in 1866. Ohio natives William O. Bussard and William C. Whitaker filed claims on the West Fork of the Big Blue River in the county's northeastern portion.<ref name=bussard/><ref name=marker-1971/> Settlement of the area was slow until 1870;<ref name=archives/> it was concentrated in the county's northern part, in part because the surveyed route of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad ran through York County just north of the present-day York-Fillmore county line.<ref name=gaffney-3/> In 1870, Fillmore City, the county's first town, was established on the Big Blue about Template:Convert north of present-day Grafton;<ref name=gaffney-3/><ref name=casde-grafton/> in 1871, the county's first post office opened in Fillmore City.<ref name=andreas-1/>

In 1871, the Burlington and Missouri laid its tracks through the area. A recent change in federal law allowed them to alter their route, shifting it about Template:Convert south of their original surveyed path. This placed the route on more level country, reducing the cost of cutting and bridging; it also shifted the line from York County to northern Fillmore County.<ref name=gaffney-3/>

The county was formally organized in 1871;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> up to this time, it had been administered from, and taxed by, Saline County, its neighbor to the east. In April, an election was held to choose officers to organize the county; at this time, it was decided to place the county seat in the county's center. The town site was surveyed and platted, and given the name "Henry". It could not be occupied, since it was on school land owned by the state; an act of the legislature was necessary before the land could be sold.<ref name=andreas-1/><ref name=gaffney-4-5/><ref name=andreas-3/>

The legislature passed a bill in the summer of 1872 to allow sale of the school lands. At about that time, the new county seat's name was changed from "Henry" to "Geneva", at the suggestion of the daughter of a local settler, who wanted it named after her family's old home of Geneva, Illinois.<ref name=andreas-1/><ref name=gaffney-5/><ref name=geneva-name/>

The county grew rapidly through the first years of the 1870s. Three towns were established along the Burlington line; in keeping with the railroad's practice of naming their towns alphabetically, they were dubbed Exeter, Fairmont, and Grafton.<ref name=alphabetical/> By 1873, the entire county had been "thickly settled".<ref name=andreas-1/> Its growth suffered a check in the mid-1870s, due to the worldwide depression following the Panic of 1873 and an infestation of grasshoppers in the late summer of 1874.<ref name=andreas-1/><ref name=gaffney-15/>

As additional railroad lines were constructed through the county, new towns were established. In about 1886, the Burlington built a branch line from Beatrice to Holdrege, running east–west through southern Fillmore County; Shickley, Strang, and Ohiowa were founded on or near the route. A north–south line connected this branch to the Burlington's main line, running from Strang to Fairmont.<ref name=bn-1886/><ref name=casde-shickley/><ref name=casde-strang/><ref name=casde-ohiowa/> Milligan was established in 1887, on the Kansas City and Omaha line.<ref name=gaffney-254/><ref name=casde-milligan/>

Several ethnic European enclaves developed during the time of the county's homesteading. An extensive Czech settlement covered much of Saline County and extended into eastern Fillmore County, including Milligan.<ref name=nomform-milligan/> A concentration of Swedish immigrants developed in eastern Clay County, extending into southwestern Fillmore County in the area between Shickley and Ong.<ref name=nomform-stockholm/> German settlements formed in both the county's southeastern and southwestern corners.<ref name=andreas-1/>

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.2%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The county lies within the watershed of the Big Blue River. Water in the county drains via the West Fork of the Big Blue; via Turkey Creek, which runs into the Big Blue near De Witt, Nebraska; and via the Little Blue, which joins the Big Blue in Kansas.<ref name=watershed/>

Fillmore County lies within the eastern portion of Nebraska's loess plain, a region of soil deposited by the wind between 25,000 and 13,000 years ago, forming a plain that slopes to the southeast. The Big Blue and its tributaries have incised channels into the loess surface in places, but in much of the county the original plain remains. These loess-plain regions are characterized by extensive upland flats with shallow depressions, lined with fine-grained and relatively impermeable silt, and tend to form shallow ephemeral wetlands when filled with rain or snowmelt; such wetlands range in area from less than Template:Convert to more than Template:Convert.<ref name=loess/>

The county's surface is underlain by Cretaceous sedimentary bedrock, topped with unconsolidated Quaternary sediments. The bedrock was eroded into hills and valleys before the deposition of the overlying sediments, so the thickness of the latter varies. The unconsolidated sediments range in thickness from Template:Convert; they form an aquifer whose saturated zone ranges in thickness from Template:Convert.<ref name=aquifer/>

Adjacent counties

• York County – north
• Seward County – northeast
• Saline County – east
• Jefferson County – southeast
• Thayer County – south
• Nuckolls County – southwest
• Clay County – west
• Hamilton County – northwest

Protected areas

• Bluebill State Wildlife Management Area<ref>Bluebill State Wildlife Management Area, Grafton NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>
• Marsh Hawk State Wildlife Management Area<ref>Marsh Hawk State Wildlife Management Area, Grafton NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>
• Morphy Lagoon National Wildlife Management Area<ref>Morphy Lagoon National Wildlife Mgt Area Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>
• Rauscher Lagoon National Wildlife Management Area<ref>Rauscher Lagoon National Wildlife Management Area, Grafton NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>
• Redhead Wildlife Management Area<ref>Redhead Wildlife Management Area, Shickley NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>
• Rolland Lagoon National Wildlife Management Area<ref>Rolland Lagoon N w M A, Sutton NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>
• Sandpiper State Wildlife Management Area<ref>Sandpiper State Wildlife Management Area, Geneva NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>
• Sora Wildlife Management Area<ref>Sora Wildlife Management Area, Shickley NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)</ref>

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> there were 6,634 people, 2,689 households, and 1,801 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,990 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 97.75% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 1.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 48.6% were of German, 10.4% Czech, 7.1% Irish and 7.0% English ancestry.

There were 2,689 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 5.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.

The county population contained 26.30% under the age of 18, 5.10% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 21.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,162, and the median income for a family was $41,725. Males had a median income of $29,813 versus $18,507 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,465. About 4.80% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.20% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

• U.S. Route 81 – enters from Thayer County; runs northward into York County.
• U.S. Route 6 runs east–west across the northern part of the county.
• Nebraska Highway 41 runs east–west across the central portion of the county.
• Nebraska Highway 74 runs east–west through the southern part of the county.<ref name=dor-map/>
• BNSF Railway – runs east–west across northern Fillmore County, passing Exeter, Fairmont, and Grafton.<ref name=bnsf/><ref name=rr-2009/>

In the Nebraska license plate system, Fillmore County is represented by the prefix 34: when the state began using county numbers on its license plates in 1922, it had the 34th-largest number of registered vehicles.<ref name=fillmore-34/><ref name=license-history/>

Communities

City

• Geneva (county seat)

Villages

• Exeter
• Fairmont
• Grafton
• Milligan
• Ohiowa
• Shickley
• Strang

Unincorporated communities

• Burress
• Carlisle
• Martland

Ghost towns

• Dudley <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Sawyer
• Buxton <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Turkey Creek <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Martland <ref name="Nebraska">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Lyman <ref name="Nebraska"/>
• Fillmore <ref name="davidrumsey.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Bryant <ref name="davidrumsey.com"/>
• Eden <ref name="davidrumsey.com"/>

Townships

• Belle Prairie
• Bennett
• Bryant
• Chelsea
• Exeter-Fairmont
• Franklin
• Geneva
• Glengary
• Grafton
• Hamilton
• Liberty
• Madison
• Momence
• Stanton
• West Blue

Politics

Fillmore County voters have been reliably Republican since the beginning, selecting the Republican Party candidate in 80% of national elections (as of 2024). Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Fillmore County, Nebraska

Notes

<references>

<ref name=alphabetical>Cordes, Henry J. "A railroad history lesson: Union Pacific and Burlington Northern". Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; originally appeared in Omaha World-Herald, November 8, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2013. The three towns listed formed part of a sequence: Crete, Dorchester, Exeter, Fairmont, Grafton, Harvard, Inland, Juniata, Kenesaw.</ref>

<ref name=andreas-1>Fillmore County, Part 1. Andreas's History of the State of Nebraska. Retrieved May 2, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=andreas-3>Fillmore County, Part 3. Andreas's History of the State of Nebraska. Retrieved May 2, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=aquifer>Keech and Dreeszen (1968), pp. L8, L12, L15.</ref>

<ref name=archives>Template:Usurped Template:Usurped. Retrieved May 1, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=bn-1886>"Map of Nebraska, published by the Burlington Route, 1886". Library of Congress - American Memory. Retrieved May 8, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=bnsf>Map: Nebraska Operating Division. Template:Webarchive BNSF Railway. Retrieved April 29, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=bussard>Gaffney (1968), p. 1; the Bussard and Whitaker homesteads were located on Section 8, Township 8, Range 3 West of the sixth principal meridian.</ref>

<ref name=casde-grafton>"Grafton - Fillmore County". Nebraska... Our Towns. Template:Webarchive Retrieved May 1, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=casde-milligan>"Milligan - Fillmore County". Nebraska... Our Towns. Template:Webarchive Retrieved May 8, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=casde-ohiowa>"Ohiowa - Fillmore County". Nebraska... Our Towns. Template:Webarchive Retrieved May 8, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=casde-shickley>"Shickley - Fillmore County". Template:Webarchive Nebraska... Our Towns. Template:Webarchive Retrieved May 1, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=casde-strang>"Strang - Fillmore County". Nebraska... Our Towns. Template:Webarchive Retrieved May 1, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=dor-map>"General Highway Map: Fillmore County, Nebraska." Nebraska Department of Roads. Template:Webarchive Retrieved April 28, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=established>Perkey (2003), p. 67.</ref>

<ref name=fillmore-34>"Counties and county seats by license plate prefix numbers". Template:Webarchive Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Retrieved May 8, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=gaffney-3>Gaffney (1968), p. 3.</ref>

<ref name=gaffney-4-5>Gaffney (1968), pp. 4-5.</ref>

<ref name=gaffney-5>Gaffney (1968), p. 5.</ref>

<ref name=gaffney-15>Gaffney (1968), p. 15.</ref>

<ref name=gaffney-254>Gaffney (1968), p. 254.</ref>

<ref name=geneva-name>Sources differ on the source of Geneva's name. Lilian Linder Fitzpatrick, "Nebraska Place-Names", 1925, p. 59, states that it was named after Geneva, New York. Gaffney (1968), p. 5., and Perkey (2003), p. 68, state that Geneva, Illinois was the namesake. Perkey's introduction (p. v) states that he was motivated by Fitzpatrick's work; this suggests that he was aware of the New York hypothesis, and had some reason for choosing Illinois instead.</ref>

<ref name=license-history>"History Of Nebraska Passenger Vehicle License Plates". Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Retrieved May 8, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=loess>Keech and Dreeszen (1968), pp. L1, L4-L5, L7; for age of loess deposits, see Muhs, Daniel R.; Bettis III, E. Arthur; Aleinikoff, John N.; McGeehin, John P.; Beann, Jossh; Skipp, Gary; Marshall, Brian D.; Roberts, Helen M.; Johnson, William C.; and Benton, Rachel (2008), "Origin and paleoclimatic significance of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Evidence from stratigraphy, chronology, sedimentology, and geochemistry", USGS Staff—Published Research, Paper 162, retrieved April 28, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=marker-1971>Template:Usurped Template:Usurped. Retrieved May 1, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=nomform-milligan>Murphy, D. Template:Usurped Template:Usurped Retrieved May 17, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=nomform-stockholm>Hendrickson, Joan E., Norman E. Landgre, and Joni Gilkerson. Template:Usurped Template:Usurped Retrieved May 17, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=rr-2009>"Nebraska Railroads".Template:Dead link Nebraska Department of Roads. Template:Webarchive January 31, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2013.</ref>

<ref name=watershed>"Fillmore County, Nebraska". Surf Your Watershed. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Template:Webarchive Retrieved April 28, 2013.</ref>

</references>

References

• Gaffney, Wilbur G., ed. (1968). The Fillmore County Story. Copyrighted by Geneva Community Grange No. 403.
• Keech, C. F. and V. H. Dreeszen (1968). "Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Fillmore County, Nebraska". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
• Perkey, Elton A. (2003). Perkey's Nebraska Place Names. Nebraska State Historical Society; revised edition.

External links

• Fillmore County Official Web Site Template:Webarchive