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Merna is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, founded in the 1880s around the time the railroad was extended to the site. It takes its name from Merna Dunning, daughter of the community's first postmaster, Samuel Dunning. The village sits along Nebraska Highway 2, near its western overlap with Nebraska Highway 92. Nearby, the Bartak Depression — locally nicknamed the “Merna Crater” — was initially suspected to be a meteor impact site before geologists determined it to be an erosional feature, a small but genuine local curiosity that still draws curious visitors. With a population of 343 (2020 census), Merna remains one of the mid-sized communities of rural Custer County.
Merna, founded in the 1880s with the arrival of the railroad, is named for Merna Dunning, daughter of the town's first postmaster. Nearby, the “Merna Crater” was once suspected to be a meteor impact site before being identified as an erosional feature. Population was 343 in 2020.