Estel, Nebraska

Estel, which appears in the records as Estell and Estelle as well, was a settlement on Stinking Water Creek in southwestern Hayes County, about fifteen miles from Hayes Center.

History

The post office was established in 1881 and discontinued in December 1891. By 1885 the county history describes a little town with a post office and general store, a blacksmith shop, a harness shop and a mill. Its promoters meant it to be a resort town and dammed the Stinking Water to make a lake, but the dam went out in a flood, and the settlement lost the county seat election to Hayes Center by about two votes.

Two stone buildings put up by J. M. Daniel survive and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, as the J. M. Daniel House and School. The house served as the Estelle post office and store. It is now in private hands.

Location and Access

Southwestern Hayes County on Stinking Water Creek, with the surviving stone buildings a mile or two north of Hamlet.

Navigate & Explore Estel

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