Springview Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

NIOBRARA WEATHER

Village · Keya Paha County · County seat · Population 238 (2020 census) · ZIP 68778 · Founded 1885 · Peak population 354 (1920)

About Springview

Springview is a village of 238 (2020) and the seat of Keya Paha County, at about 2,448 feet on the high tableland north of the Niobrara River canyon. NE 12, the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway, runs through town. Since August 10, 2026, US 183 comes north from Bassett on the road that used to be NE 7, runs east with NE 12 for 5 miles and then turns north to South Dakota; NE 7 now ends at US 183 a few miles south of town. Springview has the county courthouse, Keya Paha County Schools, the weekly Springview Herald and a bank, but no clinic; the nearest hospitals are about 20 miles south in Ainsworth and Bassett. Springview is on Central Time.

History

Four landowners, J. F. Carr, Dave Wiseman, Ed Fleming and his mother, gave 40 acres each for the townsite after the county was formed from Brown County in 1884. In the election of March 24, 1885, Springview beat Burton for the county seat, helped by its central location, and its post office opened on July 21, 1885. The name came from a spring on the townsite that has since dried up. By 1890 the town claimed 400 people, two banks, three physicians, two hotels and a newspaper, the Springview Republican. County business was first done in David Heiges's home; a first courthouse followed in 1886, and the present courthouse was built in 1914–15 for $55,000 to the design of O. E. Shipley. No railroad ever reached the county; in 1890 the nearest station was Ainsworth, about 25 miles away.

The 1915–16 high school, where the last class graduated in 1964, is now the county historical museum and is on the National Register. The population peaked at 354 in 1920. In 1998 the Nebraska Public Power District put up two wind turbines here, among the first in the state, an event the town celebrated with Wind Turbine Days; the site was repowered with two larger turbines after 2010. In July 2012 the Fairfield Creek fire burned across the Niobrara valley to just west of town.

Highways and trails through Springview

Route	One way	Other way
NE 12The Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway, through town	West to Norden, Sparks and Valentine	East to Burton and Naper
US 183Renumbered from NE 7 on Aug. 10, 2026; runs with NE 12 for 5 miles east of town	South across the Niobrara to Bassett	North to Colome and Winner, South Dakota

Nearby towns

Meadville	about 7 mi southwest	County roads
Burton	about 10 mi northeast	NE 12
Carns	about 15 mi east-southeast	US 183 and county roads
Norden	about 17 mi west	NE 12
Mills	about 18 mi east-northeast	NE 12 and county roads
Ainsworth	about 20 mi south-southwest	NE 7
Bassett	about 20 mi south-southeast	US 183
Long Pine	about 20 mi south	NE 7
Naper	about 35 mi east-northeast	NE 12
Valentine	about 41 mi west	NE 12

Things to see

the Keya Paha County Historical Society Museum in the 1915–16 high school, 305 Courthouse Dr. (National Register): military and school rooms, early post-office boxes, buggies and a log cabin moved in from the north of the county (Friday afternoons and by appointment; opens Memorial Day weekend) · the 1914–15 Keya Paha County Courthouse and the county war memorials on its grounds · the Springview Recreation Area on the northeast edge of town: six camper pads with electric hookups, a dump station, summer showers, ball fields and a roping arena, next to the 9-hole Springview Golf Club · Cub Creek Recreation Area, about 8 miles west on NE 12: free primitive camping and a 27-acre fishing lake · Thomas Creek WMA, south of town off US 183 · the Norden Dance Hall and the Niobrara Valley Preserve at Norden, about 17 miles west · the 1922 Lewis Bridge over the Keya Paha River on the South Dakota line, about 13 miles north-northeast

Schools and health care

Schools: Keya Paha County Schools, 101 Football Ave., (402) 497-3501: Keya Paha County High School (7–12) and Spring View Elementary (PK–6), (402) 497-2621

Health care: No clinic in the county; nearest hospitals: Brown County Hospital in Ainsworth and Rock County Hospital in Bassett, each about 20 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; NEGenWeb Keya Paha County (history and place names); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations; Nebraska Department of Transportation (2026 renumbering, Carns Bridge); National Park Service (Niobrara National Scenic River); The Nature Conservancy; Middle Niobrara NRD; Nebraska Game and Parks; Keya Paha County; Nebraska Secretary of State; Keya Paha County Schools; 10/11 NOW; Nebraska Farmer; KRVN. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.