Ord Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Valley County · County seat · Population 2,113 (2020 census) · ZIP 68862 · Founded 1874 · Peak population 2,658 (1980)

About Ord

Ord is a city of 2,113 people (2020) and the seat of Valley County, the largest town in the North Loup valley, at about 2,041 feet. NE 11 runs north–south through town on its way from North Loup to Elyria and Burwell, and NE 70 shares about a mile of it, running west through Arcadia to Broken Bow and east through Ericson to Elgin; NE 22 begins on NE 70 south of town. Ord has Valley County Health System’s 16-bed hospital and clinic, Ord Public Schools, the Ord Township Library, a city park with a pool and campground, a nine-hole golf course, Evelyn Sharp Field and KNLV radio. Grand Island is about 64 road miles south-southeast. Ord is on Central Time.

History

Ord was platted in 1874 and named for Gen. Edward O. C. Ord; a local story holds that when settlers asked to name the town for him, he told them to call it Scratchtown, the name Scratchtown Brewing now carries. It was chosen as the county seat in 1873, and the present Beaux Arts courthouse, by Omaha architect William F. Gernandt, was built in 1919–21. The Omaha & Republican Valley Railway finished its 59-mile branch from Grand Island in 1886, and the railroad was extended up the valley through Elyria in 1888. Ord grew steadily to a peak of 2,658 people in 1980. Evelyn Sharp, born in Montana in 1919, grew up in Ord, soloed here at 16 in 1936 and became one of the first women to fly airmail and a squadron commander of women ferry pilots in World War II; she was killed in 1944 at 24 and is buried in Ord, and the airfield bears her name. Since voters approved a local sales tax for economic development in 2001, Ord and Valley County have become a widely studied example of a small town holding its population.

Highways and trails through Ord

Route	One way	Other way
NE 11North–south through town	North to Elyria and Burwell	Southeast to North Loup, Scotia and Grand Island
NE 70Shares about a mile with NE 11	West to Arcadia and Broken Bow	East to Ericson and Elgin
NE 22Begins on NE 70 south of town	East to North Loup and Scotia	Ends at NE 70

Nearby towns

Olean	about 6 mi east-southeast	County roads
Sumter	about 7 mi east	County roads
Elyria	about 7 mi northwest	NE 11
North Loup	about 10 mi southeast	NE 11
Scotia	about 14 mi southeast	NE 11
Arcadia	about 16 mi southwest	NE 70
Burwell	about 17 mi northwest	NE 11
Comstock	about 17 mi west	County roads
Ericson	about 18 mi northeast	NE 70
Greeley	about 20 mi east	NE 22 and US 281
Loup City	about 23 mi south	NE 70 and NE 58
Sargent	about 24 mi west	County roads
Grand Island	about 55 mi south-southeast	NE 11

Things to see

the 1919–21 Valley County Courthouse (National Register) on the downtown square, 125 S. 15th St. · Scratchtown Brewing, 141 S. 16th St., on the square since 2013 · the Valley County Museum, 117 S. 16th St. · Bussell Park at 24th and G streets: pool, disc golf, Auble’s Pond with a paved trail, and the campground · the Ord Golf Club, nine holes laid out in 1915 along Dane Creek, 324 N. 27th St. · Evelyn Sharp Field and the Evelyn Sharp marker, 2 miles northwest · Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park, about 9 miles northwest, just past Elyria · the Valley County Fair at the fairgrounds, 801 S St., in late July

Events in Ord

Father’s Day Rod Run
Father's Day Rod Run is held in Ord, Nebraska, on Father's Day weekend.
Nebraska’s Junk Jaunt
Nebraska's Junk Jaunt is held in Ord, Nebraska, on the last full weekend of September.
Valley County Fair
Valley County Fair, a county fair in Ord, Nebraska.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Ord Public Schools, 320 N. 19th St., (308) 728-5013: Ord Elementary (PK–6), 820 S. 16th St., and Ord Junior-Senior High (7–12), 320 N. 19th St.

Health care: Valley County Health System, 2707 L St., Ord, (308) 728-4200: 16-bed critical access hospital and VCHS Medical Clinic

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.