Columbus, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Columbus is a city in east central Nebraska
, United States
. Its population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
of Platte County
.
, Ponca
, and Omaha
.
The Pawnee are thought to have descended from the Protohistoric Lower Loup Culture;
the Otoe had moved from central Iowa into the lower Platte Valley in the early 18th century;
and the closely related Omaha and Ponca had moved from the vicinity of the Ohio River mouth, settling along the Missouri by the mid-18th century.
In 1720, Pawnee and Otoe allied with the French massacred the Spanish force led by Pedro de Villasur
just south of the present site of Columbus.
In the 19th century, the "Great Platte River Road
"—the valley of the Platte and North Platte rivers running from Fort Kearny
to Fort Laramie— was the principal route of the westward expansion.
For travellers following the north bank of the Platte, the Loup River, with its soft banks and quicksands, represented a major obstacle. In the absence of a ferry or a bridge, most of these followed the Loup for a considerable distance upstream before attempting a crossing: the first major wave of Mormon emigrants, for instance, continued up that river to a point about three miles downstream from present-day Fullerton
.
, where most of the settlers had originally lived. The townsite was selected for its location on the proposed route of the transcontinental railroad
.
Just west of the Columbus site, the Elk Horn and Loup Fork Bridge and Ferry Company, headed by James C. Mitchell, had laid out the townsite of Pawnee. In 1855, Mitchell had obtained from the First Nebraska Territorial Legislature
the right to operate a ferry across the Loup River. The two companies consolidated in November 1856.
At the time of its initial settling, the land Columbus occupied still belonged to the Pawnee. However, in 1857, the Pawnee signed a treaty whereunder they gave up the bulk of their Nebraska lands, save for a reservation on what is now Nance County, Nebraska
.
In 1858, the Platte County Commissioners passed an act of incorporation making Columbus a town;
at this time there were 16 citizens. It became the county seat shortly thereafter.
In that same year, at the recommendation of the U.S. Army, a ferry across the Loup was installed; contemporary documents suggest that the Mitchell company had failed to act on its right to operate such a ferry.
, passed the previous year, attracted a host of settlers to the Plains and gave rise to increased emigrant traffic business. The ferry across the Loup was replaced by a seasonal pontoon bridge, used in the summer and taken up in the winter.
The railroad reached Columbus in June 1866, at which time the city's population was about 75.
The energetic and eccentric promoter George Francis Train
envisioned building "a magnificent highway of cities" from coast to coast along the Union Pacific route; Columbus was to be one of these.
In 1865, he bought several hundred lots in the city. In the following year, seeing the nearby townsite of Cleveland as a threat to his plans for Columbus, he bought the only building on the site, a hotel, and moved it to Columbus. He renamed the building the Credit Foncier Hotel, after his land company, Credit Foncier of America
;
in it, he set aside a room permanently reserved for the President of the United States.
Train believed that the capital of the United States should be in the geographic center of the nation,
and promoted Columbus as "...the new center of the Union and quite probably the future capital of the U.S.A."
Columbus grew and prospered during the 1870s, as a result of both expanding agriculture in Platte County and traffic on the railroad. During the decade, the population of the county grew threefold, and Columbus became the trade center for an eight-county area. The Black Hills Gold Rush
in 1875 led the city's merchants to promote it as a staging and outfitting area for gold seekers, who could ride the railroad to Columbus and then travel overland to the gold fields.
In 1879, Columbus became the focus of a war between railroad companies. The Burlington and Missouri
proposed to develop a line from Lincoln
through Columbus and into northwestern Nebraska, and urged the citizens of Platte County to vote a bond of $100,000 for construction expenses. Union Pacific
financier Jay Gould
, displeased at the prospect of competition, informed the voters of the county that if the measure passed, he would do his best to ruin Columbus. After a heated campaign, the measure passed despite Gould's threats. The Burlington and Missouri built a line from Lincoln to Columbus, but stopped there; for their diagonal route across Nebraska, they chose one that crossed the Union Pacific at Grand Island
rather than Columbus.
Gould sought to make good on his threat. When the Union Pacific developed its subsidiary Omaha, Niobrara and Black Hills Railroad, he directed that it cross the Loup River at Lost Creek, the site of present-day Oconee, then run south to join the Union Pacific's main line at Jackson (since renamed Duncan
), bypassing Columbus. Fortunately for Columbus, an ice jam destroyed the Lost Creek bridge in the spring of 1881. Railroad officials agreed to reroute the line down the north bank of the Loup to Columbus in exchange for a $25,000 contribution from the city.
in 1924, replacing a seasonal ferry across the Missouri River
at the Nebraska-South Dakota border, made the highway a year-round route from Canada to Mexico. In 1928, the route became U.S. Highway 81
.
In 1913, the Lincoln Highway
was established as an east-west transcontinental highway. It followed the Platte River route across Nebraska; ultimately, about half of its mileage was on the Union Pacific right-of-way.
It also crossed the Loup on the bridge at Columbus.
In 1926, the route became U.S. Highway 30
.
Traffic on the two transcontinental auto routes through and near central Columbus spurred a burst of commercial construction. Hotels were expanded and new ones built; service garages were opened. To make the route through Columbus more attractive to motorists, the city undertook to illuminate and pave the downtown streets. By 1925, all of the city's major commercial thoroughfares were paved, and almost every lot along 13th Street (the Lincoln Highway) between 23rd and 29th Avenues was occupied by a commercial building.
Rural Platte County suffered badly from the Great Depression
. Grain and livestock prices had been high during World War I
, engendering a bubble
in farmland; to acquire additional acres, farmers had secured them with mortgages not only on the newly-purchased land, but on their older holdings. The fall in the prices of agricultural commodities, combined with drought-induced crop failures in 1934 and 1936, forced many such farmers to abandon their lands.
The civic and commercial leaders of Columbus aggressively sought federal and state funds for local construction projects during this time. In 1931, the Meridian Viaduct was completed, carrying the combined Meridian and Lincoln highways across the Union Pacific tracks and eliminating a grade-level crossing.
In 1930–31, the aging and inadequate bridge across the Platte was replaced; in 1932–33, a new bridge was built at the Loup crossing.
. This was a 35 miles (56.3 km) canal running from a diversion weir on the Loup River in Nance County
to the Platte River about 1 miles (1.6 km) below the mouth of the Loup.
The waters of the canal run through two hydroelectric
generating stations: one north of Monroe
with a capacity of 7,800 kW; and one at Columbus with a capacity of 45,600 kW.
Initially financed with a loan and grant of $7.3 million from the Public Works Administration
,
construction of the diversion structure, canal, and powerhouses began in August 1934
and was finished, apart from some final details, in September 1938.
At its peak, in October 1936, the project directly employed 1,352 people.
To make payments on the Loup Project bonds, the Loup River Public Power District had to find a market for its electricity. Rural electrification was not expanding rapidly; and private power companies in Nebraska were only willing to buy a small fraction of the project's power. Although the provisions of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
gave East Coast holding companies an incentive to sell off their Nebraska subsidiaries, bankers were unwilling to finance their sale to the Loup District because of its debts from the canal project.
In 1939, Consumers Public Power District was formed in Columbus. The new organization's purpose was to buy power from the Loup Project and from the Tri-County and Sutherland projects on the Platte in central Nebraska; and to market it to consumers and municipal utilities. To this end, it was authorized to issue revenue bonds for the purchase of privately held power companies. By 1942, it had purchased all of the private electrical utilities in Nebraska outside of the immediate vicinity of Omaha;
by 1949, the last of the private utilities had been bought up, making Nebraska the only state in the nation to be served entirely by public power.
, Columbus's boosters sought a war plant for Columbus. They persuaded the federal government to purchase 90 acres (36.4 ha) in northeastern Columbus, and to build a railroad line to the site. Before construction of the projected aluminum-extrusion plant could begin, however, it became clear that the war would end soon and that the plant would not be needed.
The site was sold as surplus property to the Loup District for a fraction of its original cost; the District turned it into an industrial site.
In 1946, Behlen Manufacturing
built a factory on the site;
the rest of the available land was occupied soon thereafter.
and 81
intersect in the city, and the main line of the Union Pacific railroad passes through it.
The city lies at an elevation of 1447 feet (441 m). It is built on the flat terrain of the Platte River valley; rolling hills rise to the north of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²), of which 9 square miles (23.3 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) (2.07%) is water.
of 2000, there were 20,971 people, 8,302 households, and 5,562 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,337.3 people per square mile (902.7/km²). There were 8,818 housing units at an average density of 982.8 per square mile (379.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.19% White, 1.45% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.49% from other races
, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.65% of the population.
There were 8,302 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,874, and the median income for a family was $48,669. Males had a median income of $30,980 versus $22,063 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,345. About 4.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
, a medical products company that operates two facilities in Columbus; Behlen Manufacturing, which produces steel buildings, grain bins, and agricultural equipment; CAMACO, a manufacturer of automotive seat frames; Cargill
, which operates a ground-beef processing plant; Archer Daniels Midland
, which runs a corn-milling facility; and Vishay Dale Electronics, a subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology
that produces electronic components. Major non-manufacturing employers include Nebraska Public Power District
, which is headquartered in Columbus; Columbus City Schools; and Columbus Community Hospital.
. The newspaper is published six days a week.
There are 6 radio stations in Columbus. KTLX at FM 91.9 is a religious station; KKOT at FM 93.5 plays classic hits
. KZEN
at FM 100.3 broadcasts country music
; the station is licensed in Central City
, but the studio is in Columbus. KLIR
at FM 101.1 plays adult contemporary music; KJSK
at AM 900 is a news talk station; and KTTT
at AM 1510, which is a talk radio
station.
Columbus has one low power TV station, KCAZ at LP 57, a Spanish language station that is available over the air and not on cable.
is a Catholic school named after John Duns Scotus; it serves grades 7 through 12. Its mascot is the Shamrocks.
with bronze statues of soldiers exiting into the sand. The memorial includes sand samples from 58 beaches of historic significance: D-Day beaches of World War II, and beaches in Korea and Vietnam. The site is also home to the Freedom Memorial, which incorporates steel from the remains of the World Trade Center
, destroyed by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Glur's Tavern, built in 1876, is the oldest tavern west of the Missouri River still in operation. The tavern was patronized by "Buffalo Bill" Cody during his frequent visits to Columbus. The tavern is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Platte County Agricultural Society hosts a number of events at Agricultural Park. The Platte County Fair is held there annually. Live thoroughbred horse racing takes place at the park every year from late July through mid-September; races from other tracks are simulcast throughout the year.
U.S. 30 Speedway stages weekly stock-car races from April to September.
, creator/designer of the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP)
, or Higgins boat, used during World War II
.
Noteworthy current or former residents of Columbus include former U. S. Senator Chuck Hagel
, actor Brad William Henke
, former professional boxer Leon Spinks
, three time world speed climbing champion Guy German, architect Emiel Christensen
and NFL football players Cory Schlesinger
and Chad Mustard
.
Lucas Cruikshank
, creator of YouTube
series FRED and its main character Fred Figglehorn, is a Columbus resident.
Tony Raimondo, chairman of Behlen Manufactring, was initially selected in 2003 for the new federal post of assistant secretary for manufacturing in the Commerce Department
. Raimondo withdrew his name from consideration following controversy over Behlen's operations in China; and, according to Robert Novak
, because of opposition from Senator Chuck Hagel arising from Raimondo's support of Democrat Ben Nelson
over Republican Hagel in the 1996 senatorial election. In 2008, Raimondo ran as a Democrat for the open U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Hagel; he came in second in the Democratic primary with 25% of the vote, behind Scott Kleeb
with 69%.
Although not a resident, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
was a frequent visitor to Columbus. In 1883, the city was the site of the first full-dress rehearsal of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show before its opening in Omaha.
Lon Milo DuQuette
, occultist author and musician, is a graduate of Columbus High School.
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Platte County
Platte County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,662 people, 12,076 households, and 8,465 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 12,916 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
.
Pre-settlement history
In the 18th century, the area around the confluence of the Platte and the Loup Rivers was used by a variety of Native American tribes, including Pawnee, OtoeOtoe tribe
The Otoe or Oto are a Native American people. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa and Missouri tribes.-History:...
, Ponca
Ponca
The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan-language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
, and Omaha
Omaha (tribe)
The Omaha are a federally recognized Native American nation which lives on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States...
.
The Pawnee are thought to have descended from the Protohistoric Lower Loup Culture;
the Otoe had moved from central Iowa into the lower Platte Valley in the early 18th century;
and the closely related Omaha and Ponca had moved from the vicinity of the Ohio River mouth, settling along the Missouri by the mid-18th century.
In 1720, Pawnee and Otoe allied with the French massacred the Spanish force led by Pedro de Villasur
Villasur expedition
The Villasur expedition of 1720 was a Spanish military expedition intended to check the growing French presence on the Great Plains of central North America...
just south of the present site of Columbus.
In the 19th century, the "Great Platte River Road
Great Platte River Road
The Great Platte River Road was the convergence point for the Trapper's Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail, the Pony Express route, and the military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Laramie across Nebraska. The Road, which extended from the Second Fort Kearny to Fort...
"—the valley of the Platte and North Platte rivers running from Fort Kearny
Fort Kearny
Fort Kearny was a historic outpost of the United States Army founded in 1848 in the western U.S. during the middle and late 19th century. The outpost was located along the Oregon Trail near present-day Kearney, Nebraska, which took its name from the fort .-Origins and various missions of the...
to Fort Laramie— was the principal route of the westward expansion.
For travellers following the north bank of the Platte, the Loup River, with its soft banks and quicksands, represented a major obstacle. In the absence of a ferry or a bridge, most of these followed the Loup for a considerable distance upstream before attempting a crossing: the first major wave of Mormon emigrants, for instance, continued up that river to a point about three miles downstream from present-day Fullerton
Fullerton, Nebraska
Fullerton is a city in Nance County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,190 as of the 2010 Census. The community name is derived from cattleman Randolph Fuller.Fullerton is the county seat of Nance County.- History :...
.
Settlement and early history
The site of Columbus was settled by the Columbus Town Company on May 28, 1856. The group took its name from Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, where most of the settlers had originally lived. The townsite was selected for its location on the proposed route of the transcontinental railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
.
Just west of the Columbus site, the Elk Horn and Loup Fork Bridge and Ferry Company, headed by James C. Mitchell, had laid out the townsite of Pawnee. In 1855, Mitchell had obtained from the First Nebraska Territorial Legislature
First Nebraska Territorial Legislature
The First Nebraska Territorial Legislature first met in Omaha, Nebraska on January 15, 1855. The Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company provided the first meeting place, which was a building "constructed for public purposes." Standing out from the estimated twenty shacks in the young town, it...
the right to operate a ferry across the Loup River. The two companies consolidated in November 1856.
At the time of its initial settling, the land Columbus occupied still belonged to the Pawnee. However, in 1857, the Pawnee signed a treaty whereunder they gave up the bulk of their Nebraska lands, save for a reservation on what is now Nance County, Nebraska
Nance County, Nebraska
-History:The land that comprises Nance County was originally part of the Pawnee Reservation, created in 1857 when the Pawnee Indians signed a treaty with the United States ceding its lands in exchange for the reservation. After the state of Nebraska was admitted into the Union, the state government...
.
In 1858, the Platte County Commissioners passed an act of incorporation making Columbus a town;
at this time there were 16 citizens. It became the county seat shortly thereafter.
In that same year, at the recommendation of the U.S. Army, a ferry across the Loup was installed; contemporary documents suggest that the Mitchell company had failed to act on its right to operate such a ferry.
Railroads and growth
Growth of the town was slow until 1863. In that year, construction began in Omaha on the transcontinental railroad. The Homestead ActHomestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
, passed the previous year, attracted a host of settlers to the Plains and gave rise to increased emigrant traffic business. The ferry across the Loup was replaced by a seasonal pontoon bridge, used in the summer and taken up in the winter.
The railroad reached Columbus in June 1866, at which time the city's population was about 75.
The energetic and eccentric promoter George Francis Train
George Francis Train
George Francis Train was an entrepreneurial businessman who organized the clipper ship line that sailed around Cape Horn to San Francisco; he organized the Union Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier in the United States, and a horse tramway company in England while there during the American...
envisioned building "a magnificent highway of cities" from coast to coast along the Union Pacific route; Columbus was to be one of these.
In 1865, he bought several hundred lots in the city. In the following year, seeing the nearby townsite of Cleveland as a threat to his plans for Columbus, he bought the only building on the site, a hotel, and moved it to Columbus. He renamed the building the Credit Foncier Hotel, after his land company, Credit Foncier of America
Credit Foncier of America
Credit Foncier of America was a late 19th century financing and real estate company in Omaha, Nebraska. The company existed primarily to promote the townsites along the Union Pacific railroad, and was incorporated by a special act of the Nebraska Legislature in 1866...
;
in it, he set aside a room permanently reserved for the President of the United States.
Train believed that the capital of the United States should be in the geographic center of the nation,
and promoted Columbus as "...the new center of the Union and quite probably the future capital of the U.S.A."
Columbus grew and prospered during the 1870s, as a result of both expanding agriculture in Platte County and traffic on the railroad. During the decade, the population of the county grew threefold, and Columbus became the trade center for an eight-county area. The Black Hills Gold Rush
Black Hills Gold Rush
The Black Hills Gold Rush took place in Dakota Territory in the United States. It began in 1874 following the Custer Expedition and reached a peak in 1876-77.Rumors and poorly documented reports of gold in the Black Hills go back to the early 19th century...
in 1875 led the city's merchants to promote it as a staging and outfitting area for gold seekers, who could ride the railroad to Columbus and then travel overland to the gold fields.
In 1879, Columbus became the focus of a war between railroad companies. The Burlington and Missouri
Burlington and Missouri River Railroad
The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was an American railroad company incorporated in Iowa in 1852, with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. It was developed to build a railroad across the state of Iowa and began operations in 1856...
proposed to develop a line from Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
through Columbus and into northwestern Nebraska, and urged the citizens of Platte County to vote a bond of $100,000 for construction expenses. Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
financier Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
, displeased at the prospect of competition, informed the voters of the county that if the measure passed, he would do his best to ruin Columbus. After a heated campaign, the measure passed despite Gould's threats. The Burlington and Missouri built a line from Lincoln to Columbus, but stopped there; for their diagonal route across Nebraska, they chose one that crossed the Union Pacific at Grand Island
Grand Island, Nebraska
Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 48,520 at the 2010 census.Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state,...
rather than Columbus.
Gould sought to make good on his threat. When the Union Pacific developed its subsidiary Omaha, Niobrara and Black Hills Railroad, he directed that it cross the Loup River at Lost Creek, the site of present-day Oconee, then run south to join the Union Pacific's main line at Jackson (since renamed Duncan
Duncan, Nebraska
Duncan is a village in Platte County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 359 at the 2000 census.-History:The transcontinental railroad reached the site of Duncan in 1866...
), bypassing Columbus. Fortunately for Columbus, an ice jam destroyed the Lost Creek bridge in the spring of 1881. Railroad officials agreed to reroute the line down the north bank of the Loup to Columbus in exchange for a $25,000 contribution from the city.
The automobile age
In 1911, the Meridian Highway project was launched with the formation of a Meridian Road association in Kansas. Later in that same year, John Nicholson, originator of the highway, spoke at a meeting in Columbus, at which the Nebraska Meridian Road Association was organized. The proposed north-south transcontinental highway crossed the Platte and the Loup rivers at the Columbus bridges. In 1922, it was designated a state highway. The completion of the Meridian BridgeMeridian Highway Bridge
The Meridian Highway Bridge is a bridge that formerly carried US Route 81 across the Missouri River from the Nebraska border to the South Dakota border. The Meridian Highway Bridge connects Yankton, South Dakota, with rural Cedar County, Nebraska...
in 1924, replacing a seasonal ferry across the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
at the Nebraska-South Dakota border, made the highway a year-round route from Canada to Mexico. In 1928, the route became U.S. Highway 81
U.S. Route 81
U.S. Route 81 is one of the many United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the US Department of Agriculture Bureau of Public Roads....
.
In 1913, the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
was established as an east-west transcontinental highway. It followed the Platte River route across Nebraska; ultimately, about half of its mileage was on the Union Pacific right-of-way.
It also crossed the Loup on the bridge at Columbus.
In 1926, the route became U.S. Highway 30
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
.
Traffic on the two transcontinental auto routes through and near central Columbus spurred a burst of commercial construction. Hotels were expanded and new ones built; service garages were opened. To make the route through Columbus more attractive to motorists, the city undertook to illuminate and pave the downtown streets. By 1925, all of the city's major commercial thoroughfares were paved, and almost every lot along 13th Street (the Lincoln Highway) between 23rd and 29th Avenues was occupied by a commercial building.
Rural Platte County suffered badly from the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Grain and livestock prices had been high during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, engendering a bubble
Economic bubble
An economic bubble is "trade in high volumes at prices that are considerably at variance with intrinsic values"...
in farmland; to acquire additional acres, farmers had secured them with mortgages not only on the newly-purchased land, but on their older holdings. The fall in the prices of agricultural commodities, combined with drought-induced crop failures in 1934 and 1936, forced many such farmers to abandon their lands.
The civic and commercial leaders of Columbus aggressively sought federal and state funds for local construction projects during this time. In 1931, the Meridian Viaduct was completed, carrying the combined Meridian and Lincoln highways across the Union Pacific tracks and eliminating a grade-level crossing.
In 1930–31, the aging and inadequate bridge across the Platte was replaced; in 1932–33, a new bridge was built at the Loup crossing.
Hydro power
The most expensive and ambitious of Columbus's Depression-era public-works efforts was the construction of the Loup ProjectLoup Canal
The Loup Canal is a hydroelectric and irrigation canal located in eastern Nebraska, United States. The canal is owned and managed by Loup Power District, a public power electric utility....
. This was a 35 miles (56.3 km) canal running from a diversion weir on the Loup River in Nance County
Nance County, Nebraska
-History:The land that comprises Nance County was originally part of the Pawnee Reservation, created in 1857 when the Pawnee Indians signed a treaty with the United States ceding its lands in exchange for the reservation. After the state of Nebraska was admitted into the Union, the state government...
to the Platte River about 1 miles (1.6 km) below the mouth of the Loup.
The waters of the canal run through two hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
generating stations: one north of Monroe
Monroe, Nebraska
Monroe is a village in Platte County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 307 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Monroe is located at ....
with a capacity of 7,800 kW; and one at Columbus with a capacity of 45,600 kW.
Initially financed with a loan and grant of $7.3 million from the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
,
construction of the diversion structure, canal, and powerhouses began in August 1934
and was finished, apart from some final details, in September 1938.
At its peak, in October 1936, the project directly employed 1,352 people.
To make payments on the Loup Project bonds, the Loup River Public Power District had to find a market for its electricity. Rural electrification was not expanding rapidly; and private power companies in Nebraska were only willing to buy a small fraction of the project's power. Although the provisions of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 , , also known as the Wheeler-Rayburn Act, was a law that was passed by the United States Congress to facilitate regulation of electric utilities, by either limiting their operations to a single state, and thus subjecting them to effective state...
gave East Coast holding companies an incentive to sell off their Nebraska subsidiaries, bankers were unwilling to finance their sale to the Loup District because of its debts from the canal project.
In 1939, Consumers Public Power District was formed in Columbus. The new organization's purpose was to buy power from the Loup Project and from the Tri-County and Sutherland projects on the Platte in central Nebraska; and to market it to consumers and municipal utilities. To this end, it was authorized to issue revenue bonds for the purchase of privately held power companies. By 1942, it had purchased all of the private electrical utilities in Nebraska outside of the immediate vicinity of Omaha;
by 1949, the last of the private utilities had been bought up, making Nebraska the only state in the nation to be served entirely by public power.
World War II and after
With the arrival of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Columbus's boosters sought a war plant for Columbus. They persuaded the federal government to purchase 90 acres (36.4 ha) in northeastern Columbus, and to build a railroad line to the site. Before construction of the projected aluminum-extrusion plant could begin, however, it became clear that the war would end soon and that the plant would not be needed.
The site was sold as surplus property to the Loup District for a fraction of its original cost; the District turned it into an industrial site.
In 1946, Behlen Manufacturing
Walter Behlen
Walter Dietrich Behlen was born on a small farm near Columbus, Nebraska. He was the second of nine children born to Fred and Ella Behlen. His high school education was interrupted by illness, but he returned to school at age 20, and received his diploma at age 23...
built a factory on the site;
the rest of the available land was occupied soon thereafter.
Geography
Columbus is located at 41°25′58"N 97°21′31"W (41.432785, -97.358530), 85 miles (136.8 km) west of Omaha and 75 miles (120.7 km) northwest of Lincoln. It is on the north side of the Loup River near its confluence with the Platte River. U.S. Highways 30U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
and 81
U.S. Route 81
U.S. Route 81 is one of the many United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the US Department of Agriculture Bureau of Public Roads....
intersect in the city, and the main line of the Union Pacific railroad passes through it.
The city lies at an elevation of 1447 feet (441 m). It is built on the flat terrain of the Platte River valley; rolling hills rise to the north of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²), of which 9 square miles (23.3 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) (2.07%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 20,971 people, 8,302 households, and 5,562 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,337.3 people per square mile (902.7/km²). There were 8,818 housing units at an average density of 982.8 per square mile (379.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.19% White, 1.45% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.49% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.65% of the population.
There were 8,302 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,874, and the median income for a family was $48,669. Males had a median income of $30,980 versus $22,063 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,345. About 4.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Columbus's economy is based on agriculture and manufacturing, with many industrial companies attracted by cheap, plentiful hydroelectric power. Major manufacturing employers include Becton DickinsonBecton Dickinson
Becton, Dickinson and Company , is an American medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD does business in nearly 50 countries and has 28,803 employees worldwide. In...
, a medical products company that operates two facilities in Columbus; Behlen Manufacturing, which produces steel buildings, grain bins, and agricultural equipment; CAMACO, a manufacturer of automotive seat frames; Cargill
Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...
, which operates a ground-beef processing plant; Archer Daniels Midland
Archer Daniels Midland
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is a conglomerate headquartered in Decatur, Illinois. ADM operates more than 270 plants worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed markets worldwide.ADM was named the...
, which runs a corn-milling facility; and Vishay Dale Electronics, a subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. , is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components. Vishay has manufacturing plants in Israel, Asia, Europe, and the Americas where it produces rectifiers, diodes, MOSFETs, optoelectronics, selected integrated...
that produces electronic components. Major non-manufacturing employers include Nebraska Public Power District
Nebraska Public Power District
Nebraska Public Power District is the largest electric utility in the state of Nebraska, serving all or parts of 91 counties. It was formed on January 1, 1970, when Consumers Public Power District, Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District and Nebraska Public Power System merged to...
, which is headquartered in Columbus; Columbus City Schools; and Columbus Community Hospital.
Media
Columbus has one newspaper, the Columbus TelegramColumbus Telegram
The Columbus Telegram is a newspaper owned by Lee Enterprises and published in Columbus, Nebraska. It is delivered on Monday through Friday afternoon and on Sunday morning.Its circulation is 8,270 daily and 9,222 on Sundays.-19th century:...
. The newspaper is published six days a week.
There are 6 radio stations in Columbus. KTLX at FM 91.9 is a religious station; KKOT at FM 93.5 plays classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
. KZEN
KZEN
KZEN is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Central City, Nebraska, USA, the station serves the Columbus and Grand Island areas. The station is currently owned by Three Eagles Communications and features programing from ABC Radio ....
at FM 100.3 broadcasts country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
; the station is licensed in Central City
Central City, Nebraska
Central City is a city in Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,998 at the 2000 census...
, but the studio is in Columbus. KLIR
KLIR
KLIR is a radio station licensed to serve Columbus, Nebraska, USA. The station is owned by Three Eagles Communications and the license is held by Three Eagles of Columbus, Inc...
at FM 101.1 plays adult contemporary music; KJSK
KJSK
KJSK is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Columbus, Nebraska, USA. The station is currently owned by Three Eagles of Columbus, Inc...
at AM 900 is a news talk station; and KTTT
KTTT
KTTT is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk/information format. Licensed to Columbus, Nebraska, USA, the station is currently owned by Three Eagles of Columbus.-External links:...
at AM 1510, which is a talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station.
Columbus has one low power TV station, KCAZ at LP 57, a Spanish language station that is available over the air and not on cable.
Central Community College
The Central Community College at Columbus is located four miles (6 km) northwest of the city. Its athletic teams are the Raiders.High Schools
Columbus has three high schools. The largest is Columbus High School, with 1,100 students. Its mascot is the Discoverers. Lakeview High School is the high school for the rural community. It is located just north of Lake Babcock, and its mascot is the Vikings. Scotus Central Catholic High SchoolScotus Central Catholic High School
Scotus Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Columbus, Nebraska. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha.-General information:Scotus Central Catholic is located in Columbus, Nebraska...
is a Catholic school named after John Duns Scotus; it serves grades 7 through 12. Its mascot is the Shamrocks.
Columbus Public Schools
Columbus Public Schools in in charge of the middle school and the elementary schools. There are 5 elementary schools in the Columbus Public Schools District including Centennial, West Park, North Park, Lost Creek, and Emerson along with the Columbus High School and Columbus Middle School. The district has gone under several closings concerning elementary schools within the past 10 years, most recently the nearby Duncan Elementary School, which had been in the district since 1967.Attractions
The Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial in Pawnee Park features a life-sized replica of a Higgins boatLCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
with bronze statues of soldiers exiting into the sand. The memorial includes sand samples from 58 beaches of historic significance: D-Day beaches of World War II, and beaches in Korea and Vietnam. The site is also home to the Freedom Memorial, which incorporates steel from the remains of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, destroyed by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Glur's Tavern, built in 1876, is the oldest tavern west of the Missouri River still in operation. The tavern was patronized by "Buffalo Bill" Cody during his frequent visits to Columbus. The tavern is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Platte County Agricultural Society hosts a number of events at Agricultural Park. The Platte County Fair is held there annually. Live thoroughbred horse racing takes place at the park every year from late July through mid-September; races from other tracks are simulcast throughout the year.
U.S. 30 Speedway stages weekly stock-car races from April to September.
Notable residents
Columbus is the birthplace of Andrew Jackson HigginsAndrew Higgins
Andrew Jackson Higgins was the founder and owner of Higgins Industries, the New Orleans-based manufacturer of "Higgins boats" during World War II. General Dwight Eisenhower is quoted as saying, "Andrew Higgins ... is the man who won the war for us. .....
, creator/designer of the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP)
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
, or Higgins boat, used during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Noteworthy current or former residents of Columbus include former U. S. Senator Chuck Hagel
Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002...
, actor Brad William Henke
Brad William Henke
Brad William Henke is an American actor.-Biography:Henke was born in Columbus, Nebraska. He starred in October Road and in the movies Around June with Samaire Armstrong and Jon Gries, The Amateurs with Jeff Bridges and Tim Blake Nelson, In the Valley of Elah with Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize...
, former professional boxer Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks is a former American boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins, and was the former World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion of the world...
, three time world speed climbing champion Guy German, architect Emiel Christensen
Emiel Christensen
Emiel J. Christensen was a Nebraska architect, community planner, and professor at the University of Nebraska whose work includes the Oak Ballroom in Schuyler, Nebraska, Eagle Creek Lodge in Atkinson, Nebraska, Izaak Walton League Lodge in Columbus, Nebraska...
and NFL football players Cory Schlesinger
Cory Schlesinger
Cory Schlesinger is a former American football fullback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft...
and Chad Mustard
Chad Mustard
Chad Mustard is a former American football tight end and offensive tackle of the National Football League. He was signed by the Omaha Beef as a street free agent in 2003...
.
Lucas Cruikshank
Lucas Cruikshank
Lucas Cruikshank is an American comedic actor. Living in Columbus, Nebraska, he created the character Fred Figglehorn for his channel, named "Fred", on the video-sharing website YouTube...
, creator of YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
series FRED and its main character Fred Figglehorn, is a Columbus resident.
Tony Raimondo, chairman of Behlen Manufactring, was initially selected in 2003 for the new federal post of assistant secretary for manufacturing in the Commerce Department
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
. Raimondo withdrew his name from consideration following controversy over Behlen's operations in China; and, according to Robert Novak
Robert Novak
Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for...
, because of opposition from Senator Chuck Hagel arising from Raimondo's support of Democrat Ben Nelson
Ben Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....
over Republican Hagel in the 1996 senatorial election. In 2008, Raimondo ran as a Democrat for the open U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Hagel; he came in second in the Democratic primary with 25% of the vote, behind Scott Kleeb
Scott Kleeb
' covers most of western Nebraska, comprises 69 counties and is considered to be a traditional Republican stronghold. In the 2006 midterm elections, Republican incumbent Tom Osborne did not seek re-election, instead making a failed bid for the Nebraska gubernatorial nomination...
with 69%.
Although not a resident, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
was a frequent visitor to Columbus. In 1883, the city was the site of the first full-dress rehearsal of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show before its opening in Omaha.
Lon Milo DuQuette
Lon Milo Duquette
Lon Milo DuQuette, AKA Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford, is an American writer, lecturer, and occultist, best known as an author who applies humor in the field of Western Hermeticism.-Early life:...
, occultist author and musician, is a graduate of Columbus High School.