Geneva in Fillmore County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Fillmore County
1871-1971
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2022
1. Fillmore County Marker
The first homesteads were filed in 1866 by William O. Bussard and William C. Whitaker along the West Fork of the Blue River. Mrs. E. A. Whitaker, the first white woman, came in 1867. The first white children, Emma Whitaker Hall and Arthur Dixon were born in 1869. Fillmore City was the first town platted in 1870. Other settlers soon followed, and on April 21, 1871 an election was held for officers to organize a new county, named for President Millard Fillmore. The county seat was named for Geneva, Illinois, the former home of Nathaniel McCalla in whose dugout the election was held.
The completion of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad across the county in 1871, resulted in large numbers of settlers taking up the land and the towns of Exeter, Fairmont and Grafton were platted. Other towns now in the county are Burress, Milligan, Ohiowa, Shickley and Strang.
The early pioneers came from varied origins, Anglo-Saxon, Bohemian, German, and Swedish. Indians were not a major threat to the settlers but blizzards, grasshoppers, prairie fires and droughts were major hazards. HONOUR TO PIONEERS WHO BROKE THE SOD THAT MEN TO COME MIGHT LIVE.
Erected by Nebraska State Historical Society; and Descendants of Jonathan K. and Emma E. Hall. (Marker Number 132.)
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Location. 40° 31.53′ N, 97° 36.182′ W. Marker is in Geneva, Nebraska, in Fillmore County. Marker is at the intersection of G Street and North 9th Street, on the right when traveling east on G Street. Marker is located near the sidewalk, on the north/front side of the Fillmore County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 G Street, Geneva NE 68361, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fairmont Army Air Field (approx. 5 miles away); Fairmont Creamery Company (approx. 7.6 miles away); In Memory of the Sons of Strang (approx. 7.7 miles away); a different marker also named Fairmont Army Air Field
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2022
2. Fillmore County Marker
Also see . . . Fillmore County History.
In 1871, the Burlington and Missouri laid its tracks through the area. The town site was surveyed and platted, and given the name "Henry". 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. 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. 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. Milligan was established in 1887, on the Kansas City and Omaha line.(Submitted on September 25, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 103 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 24, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
