Valentine Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Cherry County · County seat · Population 2,633 (2020 census) · ZIP 69201 · Founded 1882 · Peak population 2,875 (1960)

About Valentine

Valentine is a city of 2,633 (2020) and the seat of Cherry County, Nebraska's largest county, at about 2,579 feet on Minnechaduza Creek just above the Niobrara River. US 20 (C Street) meets US 83 (Main Street) here; NE 12, the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway, begins in town and runs northeast past Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, and NE 97 heads south to Merritt Reservoir and Mullen. Valentine is the base for floating the Niobrara National Scenic River, with a dozen canoe, kayak and tube outfitters, and the western trailhead of the Cowboy Trail, which crosses the Niobrara east of town on a bridge 148 feet high. The neon heart on the canyon wall at the north end of Main Street turns into a star at Christmas. Valentine is on Central Time; the line to Mountain Time runs about 19 miles west.

History

Building began in the fall of 1882, and the post office opened on December 4, 1882, with D. Y. Mears as postmaster. The railroad, built west by the Sioux City & Pacific and the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley (later the Chicago & North Western), reached Thacher east of the Niobrara in 1882 and Valentine in the spring of 1883. The town was incorporated as a village on January 8, 1884, and was named for Congressman Edward K. Valentine of West Point. Fort Niobrara, established in 1880 four miles east, drove its early growth; the African American 9th Cavalry served there at times, the garrison left in 1906, and the land became a wildlife refuge in 1912. Valentine has always been the county seat; the courthouse was built in 1901, and the 1897 high school, now Centennial Hall, is a museum.

Until 1967 the line between Central and Mountain Time ran down the middle of Main Street. Since 1941, when postmaster Margarete Clare Phelps started it, the post office has stamped valentines sent through town with a special cachet. The population peaked at 2,875 in 1960. Passenger trains stopped in 1958 and the Chicago & North Western abandoned the line in 1992; the Cowboy Trail now follows it 195 miles east to Norfolk.

Highways and trails through Valentine

Route	One way	Other way
US 20C Street through town; runs with US 83 for about 5 miles	West to Crookston, Kilgore, Merriman and Gordon	East to Wood Lake, Ainsworth and Norfolk
US 83Main Street	North to Mission, South Dakota	South past Valentine NWR to Thedford and North Platte
NE 12The Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway; begins at US 83	Northeast past Fort Niobrara to Sparks and Springview	West end in Valentine
NE 97Begins at US 20	South past Merritt Reservoir to Mullen	North end in Valentine

Nearby towns

Thatcher	about 6 mi southeast	US 20 and county roads
Crookston	about 11 mi west-northwest	US 20
Arabia	about 13 mi southeast	US 20
Sparks	about 16 mi east-northeast	NE 12
Kilgore	about 21 mi west-northwest	US 20
Wood Lake	about 23 mi southeast	US 20
Nenzel	about 28 mi west	US 20
Mission, South Dakota	about 31 mi north	US 83
Springview	about 41 mi east	NE 12
Ainsworth	about 41 mi east-southeast	US 20

Things to see

the Cherry County Courthouse, 365 N. Main St. (1901, National Register), and the post office at 348 N. Main St. (National Register) · Centennial Hall Museum, the 1897 high school at 3rd and Macomb Sts. (National Register) · the Cherry County Historical Society Museum on S. Main St. at US 20 (Memorial Day to Sept. 15, Thu.–Sat. 1–5), with the 1882 Mears Cabin and the DeWitty marker · the Sand Hills Museum on US 20, four blocks west of Main St. (by appointment) · floating the Niobrara with outfitters such as Little Outlaw, Brewer's Canoers & Tubers and Graham Canoe Outfitters · Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, about 4 miles east, with about 350 bison and the Fort Falls trail (visitor center Mon.–Fri. 9–4) · the Cowboy Trail bridge on the Niobrara east of town and the 1932 Bryan Bridge · Frederick Peak Golf Club, the 10-hole city course at 1000 Dowden St., and The Prairie Club, about 20 miles southwest · Smith Falls State Park (12 miles east), Merritt Reservoir (about 25 miles southwest), Snake River Falls (about 22 miles south) and Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (27 miles south)

Events in Valentine

Cherry County Fair
Cherry County Fair, a county fair in Valentine, Nebraska.
Old West Days & Nebraska Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Old West Days & Nebraska Cowboy Poetry Gathering is held in Valentine, Nebraska, in late April (Thursday to Sunday).
Valentine Rodeo
Valentine Rodeo, a rodeo in Valentine, Nebraska.

More about this event: Valentine Rodeo

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Schools and health care

Schools: Valentine Community Schools, 431 N. Green St., (402) 376-1780: Valentine High School (9–12), 431 N. Green St.; Valentine Middle School (5–8), 239 N. Wood St., (402) 376-3367; Valentine Elementary (PK–4), 615 E. 5th St., (402) 376-3237; rural K–8 schools at Simeon and Cutcomb Lake. Zion Lutheran School (PK–8), 224 N. Government St., and Grace Lutheran School (PK–8) on W. 3rd St.

Health care: Cherry County Hospital, 510 N. Green St., (402) 376-2525, with emergency care, surgery, labor and delivery, and dialysis; Cherry County Clinic, 512 N. Green St., (402) 376-3770

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.