Editing Chase County, Nebraska (section)

==History==
Chase County was named after [[Champion S. Chase]], who served as mayor of Omaha for seven years and was Nebraska's first Attorney General.

Chase County was separated from Hayes County by the Nebraska legislature on February 27, 1873, although the county was not organized until 1886.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=englishunsllc|title=Nebraska Place-Names|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Lilian Linder|publisher=University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism|location=Lincoln|date=1925|page=35|access-date=December 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nacone.org/webpages/counties/countywebs/chase.html|title=Chase County|publisher=Nebraska Association of County Officials|access-date=December 14, 2014}}</ref>

It was once said that, excluding ranch owners, their wives, and their cooks, at the time Chase County was organized it was populated entirely by cowboys. Part of the reason for such a statement may have been the fact that at one time [[Frenchman Creek (Republican River)|Frenchman Creek]] and its main branch the Stinking Water Creek were used as watering stops for [[Cattle drives in the United States|cattle drives]] that traveled from [[Texas]] to the Union Pacific railhead at [[Ogallala, Nebraska|Ogallala]]. These trails are known as the Western or Great Western trails.<ref>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ayw02 Western Trail, The Handbook of Texas]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.greatwesterncattletrail.com/along_gwct_a/along_gwct.html |title=The Great Western Trail |access-date=March 1, 2009 |archive-date=October 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007145752/http://www.greatwesterncattletrail.com/along_gwct_a/along_gwct.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Chase County sits in the region once referred to as the [[Great American Desert]]. However, on the broad, fertile plateau, early settlers quickly discovered that Chase County's dark sandy loam soil was excellent for farming.

The railroad came to Chase County in 1892, reaching Wauneta on January 28.<ref>[http://www.chasecounty.com/waunetahistory.html Chase County Tourism]</ref> It was built by a division of the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]. This line left the main line near [[Culbertson, Nebraska|Culbertson]] and terminated in Imperial.

===National Register of Historic Places listings===
* Imperial
** Balcony House (listed 2000)<ref>[http://www.chasecounty.com/balconyhousehistory.html Chase County Tourism]</ref><ref name=NSH>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000410215113/http://nebraskahistory.org/histpres/nebraska/chase.htm Nebraska State Historical Society]}}</ref>
** Chase County Court House (listed 1990) <ref name=NSH/><ref name=CCT>[http://www.chasecounty.com/chasecourthousehistory.html Chase County Tourism]</ref>
* Wauneta
** Wauneta Roller Mills (listed 2008)<ref name=NSH/>
* Champion
** Champion Mill (listed 1988)<ref name=NSH/><ref name=CCT/>
* Rural Areas
** Lovett Site (listed 1972)<ref name=NSH/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0300/stories/0301_0102.html |title=NebraskaStudies.Org |access-date=June 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017212318/http://nebraskastudies.org/0300/stories/0301_0102.html |archive-date=October 17, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** Texas Trail Stone Corral (listed 2002), on Spring Creek North of Imperial<ref name=NSH/><ref>[http://www.chasecounty.com/championmillhistory.html Chase County Tourism]</ref>