Cody Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Village · Cherry County · Population 168 (2020 census) · ZIP 69211 · Founded 1886 · Peak population 428 (1920)

About Cody

Cody is a village of 168 (2020) on US 20 in western Cherry County, at about 3,097 feet, 36 miles west of Valentine. It is home to the middle and high school of Cody-Kilgore Public Schools and to the Circle C Market, a grocery in a straw-bale building run by the school's students. The city park has RV sites with hookups for a suggested donation. Nenzel is about 7 miles east, and the McKelvie National Forest lies to the south. Cody is on Mountain Time.

History

Cody was platted in 1886 as the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad, later the Chicago & North Western, built west. It was named for Thomas Cody of Iowa, foreman of the crew that built the railroad's water supply in 1885, not for Buffalo Bill. By 1890 it had about 125 people, three general stores, an eating house, a livery and a drugstore. The population peaked at 428 in 1920. The railroad was abandoned in the 1990s. In 2013 students and the community opened the Circle C Market, built with student labor; Gov. Dave Heineman cut the ribbon that May. In 2024 district voters approved a bond for a new school.

Highways and trails through Cody

Route	One way	Other way
US 20Through the village	East to Nenzel, Kilgore and Valentine	West to Eli and Merriman

Nearby towns

Nenzel	about 7 mi east	US 20
Eli	about 12 mi west	US 20
Kilgore	about 15 mi east	US 20
Doughboy	about 22 mi south	County roads
Merriman	about 23 mi west	US 20
Crookston	about 25 mi east	US 20
Valentine	about 36 mi east	US 20

Things to see

the Circle C Market, off US 20, open six days a week · RV camping in the Cody City Park on Cherry St. ($20 suggested donation in 2024; village clerk (402) 823-4118) · the Cody Hub, 107 E. Nebraska Ave., for senior meals · Steer Creek Campground and the McKelvie National Forest, south of Nenzel · Circle C Day in the summer

Events in Cody

Circle C Day- Cody, Nebraska
Circle C Day- Cody, Nebraska, a local celebration in Cody, Nebraska.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Cody-Kilgore Public Schools, 360 W. 4th St.: Cody-Kilgore High School (9–12), (402) 823-4190, and Cody-Kilgore Middle School (6–8), (402) 823-4117; the elementary school is in Kilgore

Health care: Nearest hospital: Cherry County Hospital in Valentine, about 36 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.