Merriman Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Village · Cherry County · Population 87 (2020 census) · ZIP 69218 · Founded 1885 · Peak population 362 (1930)

About Merriman

Merriman is a village of 87 (2020) in western Cherry County, at about 3,261 feet in the Sandhills where NE 61 crosses US 20. NE 61 runs north past Bowring Ranch State Historical Park to South Dakota and south to Hyannis. Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area is about a mile east of town. Merriman is on Mountain Time; Valentine, 58 miles east, is on Central.

History

Merriman was founded in 1885 when the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad, later the Chicago & North Western, built west toward Chadron. It was named for John Merriman, the train master in charge of the construction trains; the name was first spelled Merryman. By 1890 it had about 200 people, a general store, a grain dealer and livestock dealers. Arthur Bowring settled north of town in 1894 and lived in a sod house until 1908; his widow, Eve Bowring, appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1954, ran the ranch until her death in 1985 and left it to the state. The population peaked at 362 in 1930. When the Chicago & North Western quit in 1992, Merriman became the east end of the Nebkota Railway to Chadron, which was abandoned in 2006. Nobel physicist Val Fitch was born in Merriman.

Highways and trails through Merriman

Route	One way	Other way
US 20Through the village	East to Eli, Cody and Valentine	West to Gordon
NE 61Runs with US 20 briefly in town	North past Bowring Ranch to South Dakota	South to Hyannis

Nearby towns

Leat	about 7 mi west-southwest	US 20
Eli	about 11 mi east	US 20
Irwin	about 13 mi west-southwest	US 20
Cody	about 23 mi east	US 20
Gordon	about 27 mi west-southwest	US 20
Nenzel	about 30 mi east	US 20
Valentine	about 58 mi east	US 20
Hyannis	about 64 mi south	NE 61

Things to see

Bowring Ranch State Historical Park, about 3 miles north-northeast on NE 61: the Bowring ranch house, a replica sod house and the Eve Bowring Visitor Center (May 21 to Sept. 30, Wed.–Sun. 10–4 MT; grounds 9–5 year-round) · Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area, a 60-acre lake with 30 campsites, a boat ramp and fishing for bass, bluegill, crappie, perch and pike · free camping with showers in Merriman City Park

Schools and health care

Schools: Nearest schools: Cody-Kilgore Public Schools in Cody, about 23 mi east

Health care: Nearest hospitals: Gordon Memorial in Gordon, about 27 mi west, and Cherry County Hospital in Valentine, about 58 mi east

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Who's Who in Nebraska, Cherry County (1940); NEGenWeb Cherry County; Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names; Nebraska Blue Books (1920, 1926); History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations; 49 CFR 71.7 (time-zone boundary); National Park Service (Niobrara National Scenic River); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation; FAA via AirNav; FCC; Cherry County; City of Valentine; Valentine Community Schools; Cody-Kilgore Public Schools; Cherry County Hospital; Visit Nebraska; Nebraska Arts Council; Flatwater Free Press; Nebraska Examiner; Rural Radio Network. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.