Elsmere, Nebraska

Elsmere is a small populated place in Cherry County, Nebraska, in the Goose Creek Election Precinct, a few miles from its neighbors Falter Place, Hartgraves Place, and Piercy Place in this remote stretch of the Nebraska Sandhills. Its name has a literary origin unusual for a Sandhills post office.

Store owner Robert Giles, who homesteaded the area in 1886, suggested the name Elsmere after the popular 1888 novel Robert Elsmere by Mrs. Humphry Ward. The post office he helped establish opened April 18, 1899.

History

Robert Giles homesteaded in this part of Cherry County in 1886 and later opened a store here. When the community needed a name for its post office, Giles suggested Elsmere, drawn from the title of Mrs. Humphry Ward's popular novel Robert Elsmere. The post office was established April 18, 1899, serving this remote ranch country for decades afterward.

Location & Access

County: Cherry County
Region: Nebraska Sandhills
Coordinates: approximately 42.165° N, 100.185° W
Designation: Populated place (former post office site)

Adjacent Counties

Cherry County borders Brown, Keya Paha, Blaine, Grant, Thomas, Hooker, and Sheridan Counties in Nebraska, along with Bennett, Todd, Tripp, and Oglala Lakota Counties in South Dakota -- more neighboring counties than any other county in Nebraska.

Nearby Towns

Falter Place (about 5 miles west-southwest) · Hartgraves Place (about 11 miles north-northwest) · Piercy Place (about 14 miles north-northwest) · Halsey (about 19 miles south-southwest) · Valentine (Cherry County's seat, to the north)

Points of Interest

• Namesake novel connection: Elsmere's name, drawn from an 1888 bestselling novel, is an unusual literary touch among the Sandhills' typically pioneer-named post offices.
• Nebraska Sandhills ranch country: Elsmere sits amid a cluster of small, closely spaced former post-office sites in this remote part of Cherry County.

Events

Community events for the Elsmere area are being added to the directory. Browse the Cherry County directory for current listings.

Education & Health

Schools: The Elsmere area is served by schools in Thedford and Valentine.
Health: Nearest hospital and clinic services are in Thedford and Valentine.