Cherry County, Nebraska

Listings in Cherry County Nebraska

Cherry County, Nebraska

County seat: Valentine · Created: February 23, 1883; organized April 4, 1883 · Named for: Lt. Samuel A. Cherry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, of Fort Niobrara · License plates: prefix 66 · Population: 5,455 (2020 census); peak 11,753 in 1920 · Area: about 5,960 sq mi of land, the largest county in Nebraska · Time zones: Central (east, including Valentine) and Mountain (west, including Merriman and Cody)

About Cherry County

Cherry County is Nebraska’s largest county, bigger than Connecticut, and almost all of it is Sandhills ranch country. The Niobrara River cuts across the north, past Valentine, the county seat and only city; the Snake River, Merritt Reservoir and the North Loup lie to the south, and thousands of small lakes and marshes dot the hills. US 20 runs along the north through Valentine, Crookston, Kilgore, Nenzel, Cody and Merriman, with Wood Lake to the southeast. The time line between Central and Mountain runs north–south about 19 miles west of Valentine. The county borders Bennett, Todd, Tripp and Oglala Lakota counties in South Dakota on the north, and Keya Paha, Brown, Blaine, Thomas, Hooker, Grant and Sheridan counties in Nebraska.

Fort Niobrara was established near present Valentine in 1880, and Lt. Samuel A. Cherry, an officer stationed there, was killed in 1881. The Legislature created the county on February 23, 1883, and Gov. James W. Dawes proclaimed it organized on April 4; the railroad reached Valentine that spring and pushed west through the 1880s. Ranchers had learned by 1879 that cattle could winter in the Sandhills, and the 1904 Kinkaid Act brought a wave of 640-acre homesteaders, among them the Black families of DeWitty. The population peaked at 11,753 in 1920; a 1911 proposal to split the county failed by more than three to one. The Chicago & North Western abandoned the line in 1992, and the Cowboy Trail now runs from Valentine 195 miles east to Norfolk. Valentine has always been the county seat; the 1901 courthouse is on the National Register.

Towns of Cherry County

Travel Corridors

US 20 — east–west across the north, from Wood Lake through Valentine to Merriman. US 20 Corridor →

US 83 — north–south through Valentine, south past Valentine NWR to Thedford. US 83 Corridor → NE 12 — the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway, from Valentine past Fort Niobrara and Sparks to Springview. Highway 12 Corridor →

NE 97 — from Valentine south past Merritt Reservoir to Mullen. NE 61 — north from Hyannis through Merriman to South Dakota. Spur 16F — south from Nenzel into the McKelvie National Forest. The Cowboy Trail starts in Valentine.

Cameras: View Cherry County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Things to See

In Valentine, the courthouse, Centennial Hall, the Cherry County Historical Society Museum with the DeWitty marker, and the Sand Hills Museum; Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge and its bison; Smith Falls, Nebraska’s tallest waterfall; Snake River Falls; Bowring Ranch State Historical Park near Merriman; Niobrara Valley Vineyards near Nenzel; the student-run Circle C Market in Cody; and the 1888 store at Sparks.

Outdoors

The Niobrara National Scenic River runs 76 miles east from Valentine; the 26 miles from Fort Niobrara to Rocky Ford are among the most popular canoe, kayak and tube floats in the Plains, with outfitters in Valentine and Sparks. Merritt Reservoir (about 3,000 acres, 44 miles of shoreline) is an International Dark Sky Park with campgrounds and the Nebraska Star Party. The Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (71,516 acres of lakes and marshes; no camping) is 27 miles south on US 83. The Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest (about 116,000 acres) has Steer Creek Campground. Cottonwood Lake near Merriman and wildlife areas such as Big Alkali Lake, Ballards Marsh and Borman Bridge offer fishing and hunting. Golf at Frederick Peak in Valentine and The Prairie Club on NE 97.

Cherry County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Valentine · Cody · Merriman · Sparks · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Bennett, Todd and Oglala Lakota counties, South Dakota (north) · Tripp County, South Dakota (northeast) · Keya Paha County and Brown County (east) · Blaine County (southeast) · Thomas County, Hooker County and Grant County (south) · Sheridan County (west).

Events

Each year: Valentine’s Day, when the post office stamps cards mailed through “Cupid’s Mailbox” (P.O. Box 201, Valentine, NE 69201; arrive by Feb. 3); the Nebraska Cowboy Poetry Gathering & Old West Days in Valentine in late April; the Cherry County Fair and rodeo in Valentine in early August; and Circle C Day in Cody.

Cherry County at a Glance

Cherry County, Nebraska — the state’s largest county and the heart of the Sandhills. County seat Valentine. 242 listings across 23 towns. Central Time in the east, Mountain Time in the west.

Getting there: US 20 east–west across the north; US 83 north–south through Valentine; NE 12, NE 97 and NE 61.

For visitors: the Niobrara National Scenic River, Fort Niobrara and Valentine wildlife refuges, Smith Falls, Merritt Reservoir and the Cowboy Trail. Hospital in Valentine.