North Loup Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Valley County · Population 254 (2020 census) · ZIP 68859 · Founded 1872 · Peak population 657 (1930)

About North Loup

North Loup is a village of 254 people (2020) on the North Loup River in southeastern Valley County, at about 1,965 feet. NE 11 runs through the village on the Loup Rivers Scenic Byway, northwest to Ord about 10 miles away and southeast to Scotia; NE 22 comes in from the west and joins NE 11 here for about 2 miles toward Scotia. North Loup has a post office, the township library, churches and Popcorn County USA’s popcorn store; it has no school of its own. North Loup is on Central Time.

History

Seventh Day Baptists from Wisconsin explored the valley in 1871 and founded a colony here in May 1872; a post office and store followed in 1873, and the town was organized in 1877. The Union Pacific branch arrived in 1882, after North Loup and Ord voted bonds for it, and the population doubled in a year before the boom moved on to Ord in 1886. Drought in the 1890s pushed farmers to try popcorn, which suited the sandy valley soil, and Popcorn Days has been held every August since 1901, billed as Nebraska’s longest continuously running community celebration; the area still grows and packs popcorn. North Loup peaked at 657 people in 1930. On June 12, 2010, the privately owned Bredthauer Dam on Mira Creek, about 4½ miles upstream, failed after heavy rain, sending water down Main Street and forcing the village to evacuate.

Highways and trails through North Loup

Route	One way	Other way
NE 11Through the village	Northwest to Ord, Elyria and Burwell	Southeast with NE 22 to Scotia, then south to Elba
NE 22Joins NE 11 here	West to NE 70 south of Ord	Southeast with NE 11 to Scotia, then east to Wolbach

Nearby towns

Scotia	about 4 mi east-southeast	NE 11 and NE 22
Olean	about 5 mi north-northwest	County roads
Sumter	about 7 mi north	County roads
Ord	about 10 mi northwest	NE 11
Cotesfield	about 12 mi southeast	NE 11
Greeley	about 13 mi east-northeast	NE 22 and US 281
Elyria	about 18 mi northwest	NE 11
Elba	about 18 mi southeast	NE 11
Loup City	about 18 mi south-southwest	County roads
Arcadia	about 19 mi west-southwest	NE 22 and NE 70
St. Paul	about 25 mi southeast	NE 11 and NE 92

Things to see

Popcorn Days every August · Popcorn County USA, 107 N. Grand Ave.: popcorn grown, processed and sold here · the National Register North Loup Bridge on a county road 1½ miles northeast · Davis Creek Recreation Area, about 5½ miles south: a 1,145-acre lake with about 74 electric campsites, boat ramps and walleye fishing · Scotia Canal WMA, about 4 miles north · the North Loup Township Library, 112 B St., (308) 496-3151

Events in North Loup

North Loup Popcorn Days
North Loup Popcorn Days is held in North Loup, Nebraska, on the third weekend of August.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: No school in the village; most students attend Central Valley Public Schools (elementary in Scotia, grades 7–12 in Greeley), (308) 428-3145, and some attend Ord Public Schools

Health care: Nearest hospital: Valley County Health System, 2707 L St., Ord, (308) 728-4200, about 10 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Valley County (offices); History Nebraska (markers); National Register listings; courthouses.co; Nebraska Game and Parks (Fort Hartsuff); NDOT and VisitNebraska (Loup Rivers Scenic Byway); FAA/AirNav; Valley County Health System; SchoolDigger; Lower Loup NRD; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Brookings Institution; KOLN 10/11; KNLV; Nebraska Passport; Campendium. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.