St. Paul Nebraska 68873

St. Paul is a city in south-central Nebraska and the county seat of Howard County. It was established in 1871 by brothers James N. and Nicholas J. Paul, surveyors who were taken with the Loup River valley and brought the county's first settlers there that March. A naming committee originally drew "Athens" from a hat of suggestions, but since that name was already in use elsewhere in Nebraska, Senator Phineas W. Hitchcock proposed "St. Paul" in honor of the Paul brothers instead. The town became the county seat in 1874 and incorporated in 1881.

St. Paul grew quickly as a frontier trade center, at one point reaching roughly 2,000 residents, and was home to flour mills, a brick factory, and a chicken hatchery over the decades. The 2020 census recorded 2,416 residents.

Baseball Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander was born nearby and later retired in St. Paul. The city is also the birthplace of Dorothy Lynch's famous salad dressing, a Nebraska staple invented locally. Howard County itself was organized in 1871 and named for Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard; the Middle and Upper Loup Rivers converge within the county to form the Loup River.

St. Paul, founded in 1871 by surveyor brothers James and Nicholas Paul and named in their honor, is the county seat of Howard County. Home to about 2,416 residents (2020 census), it grew into an important frontier trade hub. Baseball Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander was born nearby and retired there, and Dorothy Lynch's famous salad dressing was invented locally.