City · Holt County · Population 1,306 (2020 census) · ZIP 68713 · Founded 1880
About Atkinson
Atkinson is a city of 1,306 in western Holt County, where US 20 meets NE 11, about 17 miles west of O'Neill. The Cowboy Trail runs through town, West Holt Memorial Hospital is a short walk from the trail, and Mill Race Park has camping.
History
Atkinson is named for Col. John Atkinson, a friend of General O'Neill, whose own platted townsite never got a building. Part of O'Neill's fourth colony, 71 men who came in 1877, later moved to the new town. Frank Bitney filed the townsite on August 7, 1880, offered the railroad 40 acres and had John O'D. Nightengale survey it. The Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad arrived in 1881. The post office dates from 1876 or 1878; the sources differ.
Atkinson was O'Neill's main rival. From 1883 to 1908 it led repeated efforts to split Holt County, and all of them failed. The Crystal Ballroom, a converted hay barn, once hosted Lawrence Welk. The city's population peaked at 1,521 in 1980.
Read the full History of Atkinson →
Highways and trails through Atkinson
| Route | One way | Other way |
|---|---|---|
| US 20East–west through town | East to Emmet (about 10 mi) and O'Neill (17 mi) | West to Stuart (about 9.5 mi) and Newport (19 mi) |
| NE 11Shares US 20 for half a mile in town | North to Butte, Boyd County (32 mi) | South to Amelia and NE 95 (23 mi) |
| Cowboy TrailCrushed-gravel rail trail | East: Emmet, 9.8 trail miles | West: Stuart, about 9.5 trail miles |
Nearby towns
| Stuart | about 9.5 mi west | US 20 |
| Emmet | about 10 mi east | US 20 |
| O'Neill | 17 mi east | US 20 |
| Newport | 19 mi west | US 20 |
| Amelia | 23 mi south | NE 11 |
| Butte | 32 mi north | NE 11 |
Things to see
Hay Days every August (ranch rodeo, parade and coronation) · the Sturdevant-McKee Museum in the 1887 Brantly Sturdevant House, on the National Register · the "After 3 Tries, Atkinson Started" marker in Railroad Park · Mill Race Park
Events in Atkinson
- Atkinson Hay Days
Atkinson Hay Days is on 3rd Weekend in August Atkinson Hay Days is a 3-to-4 day community celebration originally started in 1939 to celebrate near the ending of the… - Atkinson Rodeo
Atkinson Rodeo, a rodeo in Atkinson, Nebraska. - Elkhorn Valley Roping Club
Elkhorn Valley Roping Club is a rodeo and western sports organization in the Elkhorn Valley area of Holt County, Nebraska, providing team roping events and competiti…
More about this event: Atkinson Rodeo
Know of another event here? Tell us about it.
Schools and health care
Schools: West Holt Public Schools; St. Joseph Catholic School (preschool through grade 8)
Health care: West Holt Memorial Hospital, 406 W. Neely St., Atkinson
Sources: Yost, Before Today: A History of Holt County (1976); U.S. Census; Wikipedia; History Nebraska; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts; Cowboy Trail mileage chart.
Navigate & Explore Atkinson
Get directions to Atkinson: Waze → · Google Maps →
Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
Cameras: View Holt County Cameras →
Travel Corridor: US-281 Corridor → · NE-11 Corridor →
See something missing or out of date on this page? Help us keep Atkinson accurate — submit a correction or suggest a listing.
Atkinson NE Sign
Atkinson NE Sign
Atkinson Nebraska
Atkinson Nebraska
R F Goeke Atkinson NE
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Atkinson Fire and Rescue
Atkinson Fire and Rescue
Atkinson Businesses & Places
176 listings in Atkinson.
Click a category to see the businesses.
Eat & Drink (7)
- Crush Pizza and Alehouse — Pizza Restaurant
- Flat Iron Bar & Grill — American Restaurant
- Juju Bean Coffee — Cafe / Coffee Shop
- Mighty MoJo Coffee Co — Cafe / Coffee Shop
- Someplace Else Bar — Bar & Grill
- Subway – 608 N Main St., Atkinson — Subway
- The Alley — Bar & Grill
Stay (2)
- Oregon Trail RV Park — RV Park
- Sandhills Guest House Motel — Motel
Outdoors & Recreation (5)
- Atkinson Mill Race Park — Campgrounds & RV Parks
- Atkinson-Stuart Country Club — Golf Course
- Briar Park RV Park — Campgrounds & RV Parks
- Oregon Trail RV Park — Campgrounds & RV Parks
- Whitetail Paradise LLC — Guides & Outfitters
Places to Visit (2)
- Railroad Park — City Parks
- STURDEVANT-MCKEE MUSEUM — Museum
Events & Venues (5)
- Atkinson Hay Days — Festivals & Celebrations
- Atkinson Rodeo — Rodeo
- Elkhorn Valley Roping Club — Rodeo
- Iron Valley Fitness Center — Gym
- Raider Lanes — Bowling Alley
Health & Emergency (11)
- Atkinson Community Hospital — Hospital
- Atkinson Veterinary Clinic — Mixed / General Practice
- Greater Sandhills Family Healthcare Pc — Medical Clinic
- Mathis Chiropractic — Chiropractor
- Midwest Family Dentistry — Dentist & Dental Office
- Plum Creek Veterinary Services — Mixed / General Practice
- Rathman Eye Center — Optometrist
- True Spine Chiropractic — Chiropractor
- West Holt Medical Clinic — Medical Clinic
- West Holt Medical Services - West Holt Memorial Hospital — Hospital
- West Holt Pharmacy — Pharmacy
Shopping & Gifts (15)
- Ace Hardware — Hardware Store
- Atkinson Market — Grocery
- Bar-D Western Wear — Western Wear & Outdoor Apparel
- Brauns Food Center — Grocery
- Carroll Olson Entprs Inc — Hardware Store
- Dollar General Atkinson — Dollar Store
- Kelly's Floral and Gifts — Florist
- Krotters - Atkinson, NE — Home Center
- Lynn's Hardware — Hardware Store
- Pam's Pretty Petals — Florist
- R F GOEKE VARIETY — Variety Store
- Something Special By Marilyn — Gift shop
- Viaero Wireless — Cell Phone Store
- Wettlaufer's Flower Shop — Florist
- Wettlaufer's Garden Center — Nursery & Garden Center
Trades & Construction (21)
- 7K Cabinets LLC — Cabinet Maker
- Agland Electric Motor Services — Electrical
- Atkinson Lumber Company — Lumber
- Floyd Welding — Welding & Fabrication
- Haskell's Electric — Electrical
- K and G Construction — General Contractor
- Keller's Electric — Electrical
- M&A INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION — Industrial & Millwright Construction
- Mabie Masonry — Masonry
- Midwest Electric — Electrical
- Osborne Construction Inc — Construction
- Raymond Schindler Construction — General Contractor
- Robertson Construction — General Contractor
- Schrunk Well Services, Inc. — Water Well Services
- Starr Electric — Electrical
- Tom Laetsch Construction — General Contractor
- Welsh Welding & Repair — Welding & Fabrication
- Welsh Well Service — Water Well Services
- Wettlaufer Landscapes — Lawncare
- Wettlaufer's Garden Center — Lawncare
- Ziska Construction — General Contractor
Professional Services (21)
- Cooksley Auction Co. — Auction Service
- Crossroads Insurance — Insurance
- Ed Torpin and Sons Auction — Auction Service
- Edward Jones — Financial Consultant
- Farm Bureau Financial Services — Insurance
- First National Bank — Banking
- Hollenbeck Insurance Agency — Insurance
- James Kokes Attorney — Attorney
- Janet Masar State Farm Insurance — Insurance
- Jeff Arp Attorney — Attorney
- Just Do It Cleaning — Services
- Kennelly and Company CPAs — Accountant
- Nebraska Bank — Banking
- Pinnacle Bank — Banking
- Sandhills Renewable Energy LLC — Business Consulting & Miscellaneous Services
- Sandhills State Bank — Banking
- Security First Bank — Banking
- Silver Star Photography — Marketing, Design & Photography Services
- Switzer and Associates Accounting — Accountant
- Tri-County Bank — Banking
- Waddell and Reed Inc. — Financial Consultant
Agriculture & Farm (19)
- 3D Aussies — Dog Breeder
- A and L Grain and Feed — Grain Elevator / Cooperative
- Agland Co-op — Grain Elevator / Cooperative
- Anson's Feed & Trucking — Animal Feed Store
- Atkinson Ag — Ag Consulting & Custom Services
- Atkinson Fertilizer Inc — Fertilizer Dealer
- Atkinson Livestock Market — Livestock Market
- Atkinson Locker — Custom Meat Locker / Processing
- Flat Iron Bar & Grill — Animal Feed Store
- Frickel Well Services — Well Drilling
- Green Valley Irrigation — Valley Irrigation Dealer
- H and C Grain Services — Grain Elevator / Cooperative
- J.E. Meuret Grain Co. Inc. — Grain Elevator
- Kirschenman Enterprises — Ag Consulting & Custom Services
- M and J Agricultural Services — Ag Consulting & Custom Services
- Mitchell Equipment — Equipment Dealers
- Nebraskaland Pets — Dog Breeder
- Theisen Crop Services Inc. — Seed, Chemical & Agronomy Services
- Wettlaufer's Garden Center — Greenhouse
Automotive (19)
- Atkinson Motors — Car Dealership
- Atkinson Roadrunner — Fuel & Gas Station
- Atkinson Tire and Auto — Auto Repair
- B and B Repair — Auto Repair
- Big Red Stop — Fuel & Gas Station
- Casey's General Store — Casey's
- D and D Repair — Auto Repair
- Don's Auto Repair — Auto Repair
- Ernie's Body Shop — Auto Body Repair
- First Stop - Conoco — Conoco
- Galyen Auto Sales — Used Car Dealer
- Galyen Leasing — Used Car Dealer
- Larson Towing — Auto Repair
- Olson Repair — Auto Repair
- QuikTrip — QuikTrip
- Rons Small Engine And Auto Repair — Auto Repair
- Sandhills Washout — Car Wash
- Triple R Tire — Auto Repair
- White's Service — Auto Repair
Community & Faith (16)
- Abundant Grace Assembly of God — Pentecostal
- Anson Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Atkinson American Legion — American Legion
- Atkinson, First Presbyterian Church — Presbyterian Church
- Celia Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Faith Wesleyan Church — Wesleyan Church
- Immanuel Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church
- Phoenix Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Saint Joseph Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Southside Cemetery — Cemeteries
- St. John Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church
- St. Joseph Catholic Church Atkinson — Catholic Church
- Sunny View Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Wooden Shoe Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Woodlawn Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Ziska Children Cemetery — Cemeteries
Government & Resources (12)
- Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce — Chamber of Commerce
- Atkinson City Hall — City Hall
- Atkinson Fire Department — Fire Station
- Atkinson Good Samaritan Society — Assisted Living
- Atkinson Police Department — Police Station
- Atkinson Post Office — Post Office
- Atkinson Public Library — Libraries
- Atkinson/Stuart Food Pantry — Food Pantry
- Central Nebraska Economic Development District (CNEDD) — Economic development agency
- Community Human Resources Development — Developmental & Social Services
- Good Samaritan Atkinson — Assisted Living
- Senior Center — Senior Citizen Center
Personal Services (7)
- Connie's Cut & Curl — Beauty Salon
- Dale's Barber Shop — Barber shop
- Hair House — Beauty Salon
- Marge's Beauty Bar — Beauty Salon
- The Salty Blonde Salon — Beauty Salon
- Twisted Image — Beauty Salon
- Uptown Hair Design — Beauty Salon
Manufacturing & Industrial (5)
- AZZ Galvanizing - Nebraska — Metal Finisher
- Bob Kramer Trucking — Trucking Company
- J and J Transportation — Trucking Company
- McKillip Trucking — Trucking Company
- T and T Transport — Trucking Company
Education (4)
- Atkinson Elementary School — Elementary & Middle School
- West Holt High School — High School
- West Holt Little Paws Preschool — Elementary & Middle School
- West Holt Public Schools — School District (K-12 / General)
Utilities (3)
- Choice One Communications — Telephone & Internet Provider
- East Park Estates — Water Utility / District
- People's Natural Gas — Natural Gas Provider
Transportation (2)
- Holt County Handi Bus (Atkinson) — Public Transportation
- Stuart-Atkinson Municipal Airport — Municipal / General Aviation Airport
Land & Property Services (2)
- Niobrara Valley Tree Mulching — Land Clearing & Brush Removal
- Wettlaufer Landscapes — Landscape Design & Installation
Media (1)
- Atkinson Graphic — News Paper
Home Improvement & Repair (1)
- Classic Floors — Flooring