Whitney Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Village · Dawes County · Population 62 (2020 census) · ZIP 69367 · Founded 1886 · Peak population 177 (1930)

About Whitney

Whitney is a village of 62 (2020) in Dawes County, on the White River just south of US 20, about 13 miles west-southwest of Chadron and 11 miles northeast of Crawford. Whitney Lake, the Whitney Irrigation District's reservoir of nearly 1,000 acres, lies just west of the village, with a public boat ramp. The Nebraska Northwestern Railroad still runs past town. Whitney is on Mountain Time.

History

The settlement was called Earth Lodge in 1884 and Dawes City in 1885. When the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley (later Chicago & North Western) built through in 1886, the station was renamed Whitney for Peter Whitney, a railroad official, and the village incorporated in 1888. The 1890 gazetteer estimated 250 people; the first census counts found are 177 in 1930 and 62 in 2020. The Whitney Irrigation District dammed the White River in the early 1920s to water about 6,000 acres north of the river. Settlers built a sod fort, later called Fort Useless, near Whitney during the scare of 1891; it stands on private land.

Highways and trails through Whitney

Route	One way	Other way
US 20Just north of the village	East to Chadron	West to Crawford and Fort Robinson

Nearby towns

Horn	about 10 mi west	US 20 and NE 2/71
Crawford	about 11 mi southwest	US 20
Chadron	about 13 mi east-northeast	US 20
Belmont	about 17 mi south-southwest	County roads
Bordeaux	about 22 mi east	US 20
Marsland	about 24 mi south	County roads

Things to see

Whitney Lake, with a boat ramp about 1½ mi west-northwest of the village; bass, walleye, crappie, perch, pike and catfish, and an ice-fishing tournament in winter · Whitney Lake Inlet WMA (7.6 acres) on the lake · the Butte Country marker on US 20 at Betson Road, about 5½ mi southwest, overlooking Crow Butte and the Red Cloud Buttes · the Whitney Cemetery

Schools and health care

Schools: Students attend Chadron or Crawford public schools, depending on district lines

Health care: Nearest hospital: Chadron Community Hospital, about 13 mi; clinic in Crawford

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Who's Who in Nebraska, Dawes County (1940); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); Nebraska Blue Book (1926); History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations; Nebraska Game and Parks; U.S. Forest Service (Nebraska National Forest, Pine Ridge Ranger District); University of Nebraska State Museum; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Nebraska Emergency Management Agency; Dawes County; City of Chadron; City of Crawford; Chadron State College; Chadron Public Schools; Crawford Public Schools; Chadron Community Hospital; Discover Northwest Nebraska; Visit Nebraska; KNOP; KRVN. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.