Venango sits at the western end of Perkins County, close to the Colorado line and, like the rest of the county, on Mountain Time. The Lincoln Land Company platted the townsite in May 1887 and the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad reached it that summer, which set off a rapid first burst of building. The name was probably taken from Venango County, Pennsylvania.
That first boom, helped along by unusually wet years, ended with the drought and financial panic of the 1890s, when many settlers and businesses left and the town had to start over. Rain returned after 1900 and the population had recovered to 183 by 1904. The village incorporated in 1916, peaked at 287 residents in 1930, and counted 157 in the 2020 census.
Winter wheat still sets the rhythm of the year, and Venango has long described itself as the buckle of the wheat belt. The grain elevator remains the tallest thing for miles. Early businesses included a general store, a drug store, a state bank and two newspapers, the Venango Argus and The Venango News. The village marked its centennial in 1987 with festivities and a large turnout of former residents.
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Venango was platted in May 1887 by the Lincoln Land Company, with the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad arriving that same summer, and was likely named for Venango County, Pennsylvania — downtown Venango still has a Pennsylvania Avenue. Formally incorporated in 1916, the village calls itself the "buckle of the wheat belt," reflecting its winter-wheat farming economy, and celebrated its centennial in 1987. Early settler families drawn by the Homestead Act of 1862 included the Steinke, Watkins, Busch, Hopkins, Morton, Grothman, Strack, Wostenberg, and Fulscher families, and the Mette-Reed American Legion Post was organized here in 1920.
Venango, platted in 1887 and likely named for Venango County, Pennsylvania, calls itself the "buckle of the wheat belt."
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Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
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