Editing Norfolk, Nebraska (section)

==History==

===Settlement and early history===
In late 1865 three scouts were sent from a German [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] settlement near [[Ixonia, Wisconsin]], to find productive, inexpensive farmland that could be claimed under the [[Homestead Act]]. From the Omaha area they followed the [[Elkhorn River]] upstream to [[West Point, Nebraska|West Point]]. Finding that area too crowded, they continued up the river. On September 15, they reached the junction of the Elkhorn and its North Fork, and chose that area as a settlement site.<ref name=pangle>Pangle, Mary Ellen.  ''A History of Norfolk''.  Published serially in ''Norfolk Daily News''.  1929.</ref>{{rp|1–2}} On May 23, 1866, a party of 124 settlers representing 42 families from the Ixonia area set out for northeast Nebraska in three [[wagon train]]s. They arrived at the new site on July 15.<ref name=pangle />{{rp|8}} A second group of settlers from Wisconsin arrived in July 1867.<ref name=pangle />{{rp|19}} These collective wagon parties established the first church in Madison County, St. Paul's Lutheran, which is still operating today.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reichert |first1=Mark |title=History and Beliefs of St. Paul's-Norfolk |url=https://www.stpls.com/what-we-believe |website=St. Paul's Lutheran History and Beliefs |publisher=Mark Reichert |access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Schmeckpeper |first1=Sheryl |title=New historical marker tells church’s story |url=https://norfolkdailynews.com/news/new-historical-marker-tells-church-s-story/article_c030e7d4-2f6b-11e8-943e-cb99cb11da8a.html |website=Norfolk Daily News |access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref>

The original name of the colony was a variant of "North Fork", but accounts differ on the exact name: "Northfork",<ref name=pangle />{{rp|32}} "Nor'fork", and "Nordfork"<ref name=perkey>Perkey, Elton. ''Perkey's Nebraska Place Names''. Nebraska State Historical Society.  1982.</ref> are all suggested. The name was submitted to federal postal authorities, and at some point was transmuted to "Norfolk". Nebraskans typically pronounce it as "Norfork".

The North Fork settlement was named the county seat in 1867.<ref name=pangle />{{rp|22}} In 1875 a series of elections changed this. In the first of these Norfolk, which at the time had 45 voters, was eliminated. In a subsequent election [[Madison, Nebraska|Madison]] was chosen over [[Battle Creek, Nebraska|Battle Creek]].<ref name=pangle />{{rp|56–7}}

===Railroads and growth===
The [[Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad]] was built after the discovery of gold in the [[Black Hills]] in South Dakota. It ran from the Omaha area up the Elkhorn valley, then across northern Nebraska and into South Dakota.<ref>[http://www.railstotrails.org/news/recurringFeatures/trailMonth/archives/0905.html "Nebraska's Cowboy Trail".] Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. May 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-02.</ref> Its arrival at Norfolk in 1879 connected the city through [[Wisner, Nebraska|Wisner]] to [[Blair, Nebraska|Blair]] on the Missouri.<ref name=pangle />{{rp|60}} The Omaha, Niobrara, and Black Hills branch of the [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]] ran north from the railroad's main line at [[Columbus, Nebraska|Columbus]] to Norfolk;<ref>[http://www.ci.humphrey.ne.us/ "Welcome to Humphrey, Nebraska".] City of Humphrey website. Retrieved 2010-01-02.</ref> it reached the city in 1880.<ref name=histbuild>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061116014713/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/reports/madison_county.pdf "Madison County, Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey".]}} Nebraska State Historical Society. August 2001. Retrieved 2010-01-03.</ref>{{rp|14}} The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railroad was completed to Norfolk in 1882.<ref name=histbuild />{{rp|14}}

The development of these railway connections led to significant growth in the city. In 1886 Norfolk's population reached 1,000, making it a city of the second class.<ref name=pangle />{{rp|80}} A street railway system and a public water supply were established in 1887.<ref name=pangle />{{rp|81–83}} In 1888 a franchise was granted to the Norfolk Electric Light Company, and the Nebraska Telephone Company was given a right-of-way for "general telegraph and telephone business".<ref name=pangle />{{rp|85}}

The Nebraska legislature created the Insane Asylum in Norfolk in 1885;<ref name=insane>[http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/docs/hhsshistory2-01.pdf "Nebraska Health and Human Services System Chronological History".] Nebraska Health and Human Services System. Retrieved 2010-01-03.</ref> it accepted its first patients in 1888.<ref name=pangle />{{rp|84}} In 1920, the institution's name was changed to the Norfolk State Hospital; in 1962, it became the [[Norfolk Regional Center]].<ref name=insane /> As of 2010, it was a 120-bed institution providing the initial phase of treatment to sex offenders.<ref name=nrc>[http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/beh/rc/nrcserv.htm "Norfolk Regional Center".]  [http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/index.htm Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221042520/http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/index.htm |date=2011-02-21 }} Retrieved 2010-10-07. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110102153055/http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/beh/rc/nrcserv.htm Archived 2011-01-02] at Wayback Machine.</ref>

===Automobile age===
In 1900, the city had a population of 3,883, nearly quadruple its population of a decade earlier. By 1910, it had more than 6,000 people, comprising roughly one-third of Madison County's population of 19,101.<ref name=histbuild />{{rp|14}} In 1915, petitions were filed for an election to move the [[county seat]] from [[Madison, Nebraska|Madison]] to Norfolk. The measure, however, failed to secure the necessary number of votes.<ref name=madisonhistory>Madison County Historical Society. ''125 Years of Memories: 1867-1992''. Locally published, 1993.</ref>{{rp|20}}

In the 1910s, development began on the [[Meridian Highway]] as a direct north–south route across the United States; the route of the highway ran through Norfolk. The 1924 completion of the [[Meridian Highway Bridge|Meridian Bridge]] across the Missouri River at the Nebraska-South Dakota border made the highway a continuous year-round thoroughfare. In 1926, it was designated as [[U.S. Route 81|U.S. Highway 81]].<ref name=meridian>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100620230030/http://nebraskahistory.org/histpres/nebraska/pierce/PC00-Meridian_Highway.pdf "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Meridian Highway".]}} Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 2010-01-03.</ref> A second federal highway, [[U.S. Highway 275]], received its designation in 1939; it follows the Elkhorn valley upstream from Omaha through Norfolk to [[O'Neill, Nebraska|O'Neill]]. During [[World War II]], the segment from Norfolk to O'Neill was a portion of the Strategic Network of Highways; as such, it was given a high priority for federal funds for materials and for federal maintenance funds.<ref>Koster, George E. [http://www.dor.state.ne.us/history/docs/history-general.pdf "A Story of Highway Development in Nebraska".] Nebraska Department of Roads. 1997. p. 44. Retrieved 2010-01-03.</ref>

[[File:Karl Stefan Airport SE View.JPG|thumb|alt=One-story building with two-story central section; rounded corners|Former terminal building, [[Norfolk Regional Airport|Karl Stefan Airport]]]]

Air travel developed in Norfolk beginning with the establishment of a flying school in 1928. The school's field gradually expanded and was improved. In 1942 the [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] began construction of a [[Norfolk Regional Airport|municipal airport]] at the site. Although construction materials were limited during World War II, Norfolk received priority as an auxiliary field to several war-related airports, including [[Sioux Gateway Airport|Sioux City Air Field]]. After the war, Congressman [[Karl Stefan]], a resident of Norfolk and a member of the Congressional Air Policy Board, used his influence to secure further funding for the airport. Commercial passenger flight through the airport began in the early 1950s.<ref name=airport1>Ebeling, Mary R., and Christina Slattery.  {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100620195053/http://nebraskahistory.org/histpres/nebraska/madison/MD00-023_Karl_Stefan_Airpt.pdf "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Karl Stefan Memorial Airport Administration Building".]}} {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110307215553/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/index.shtml Nebraska State Historical Society.]}}  Retrieved 2011-11-03.</ref>

In the 1970s, another attempt was made to move the county seat from Madison to Norfolk. In a 1975 county-wide election, the move's proponents failed to secure a simple majority. A 60% majority would have been necessary for the measure to pass.<ref name=madisonhistory/>{{rp|8}}

On September 26, 2002, three gunmen robbed a [[U.S. Bancorp|US Bank]] branch in Norfolk, killing five people in the process. This was the nation's deadliest bank robbery in at least a decade.<ref>[http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/119002.html "Five Dead in Norfolk Bank Robbery".] WOWT-TV website. 2002-09-26. Retrieved 2009-12-30.</ref> The three gunmen, Jose Sandoval, Jorge Galindo and Erick Vela, were arrested the same day as was their accomplice Gabriel Rodriguez. All four men were later convicted and sentenced for their roles in the crime. Sandoval, Galindo and Vela were given the [[death penalty]], whereas Rodriguez received life imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://journalstar.com/norfolk-bank-robbery-a-timeline/article_cadab6c1-36e5-5401-b5a3-eb777cfedcbd.html|title=Norfolk bank robbery: A timeline|work=Lincoln Journal Star|last=Pilger|first=Lori}}</ref> Additionally, Sandoval pleaded guilty to two additional murders that occurred before the bank robbery and was given a life sentence for each victim.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://norfolkdailynews.com/news/convicted-u-s-bank-murderer-adds-another-two-murders-to-his-body-count/article_78d54e1e-9e2f-51fa-a5be-82046faad7b5.html|title=Convicted U.S. Bank murderer adds another two murders to his body count|last=Schulz|first=Tricia|work=Norfolk Daily News|date=July 22, 2008|accessdate=November 26, 2024}}</ref>