Visitor & Travel Categories
Business & Economic Categories
Smithfield is one of Gosper County’s smallest communities, with a population of roughly 57 to 60 residents in recent estimates, down from a peak of 229 in 1920. It was platted in 1890 on land owned by the Smith family — sources differ on whether the namesakes were Elbert and Nancy Smith or E.B. Smith of Lexington — and served as a shipping point on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
Documented history for Smithfield is sparse beyond its founding. The area predates the railroad era, having once been crossed by the historic Tracyville Stagecoach Trail (1871–1885), which ran between Arapahoe, Plum Creek, and Fort Kearny; a historical marker commemorating the trail was rededicated in 2013. The Smithfield Enterprise newspaper operated in town around 1908. No major landmarks or National Register listings are documented for Smithfield today.
Smithfield (pop. ~57), platted in 1890 as a Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad shipping point, is one of Gosper County’s smallest communities. The area was once crossed by the historic Tracyville Stagecoach Trail, commemorated with a rededicated marker in 2013.