Blue Hill Nebraska 68930

Blue Hill is a city in northern Webster County, situated between the Republican and Little Blue Rivers. Proprietor Solomon B. Rohrer of Hagerstown, Maryland, surveyed and platted the town in September 1878 at the junction of the Hastings branch of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad and the Nebraska and Colorado Railroad; the first train arrived that December, and the young town grew quickly, reaching a population of roughly 1,000 by early 1882. Sources differ on how Blue Hill got its name — the town's own history credits "the bluish atmosphere surrounding the hill on which the village is located," while an older scholarly compilation and a regional history instead trace it to the town's position near the Little Blue River. The town was briefly considered for the name "Belmont" before "Blue Hill" was settled on.

A major fire on June 24, 1890, destroyed the buildings along the north side of Main Street; arson was suspected but never confirmed, and the town rebuilt largely in brick, much of which still stands downtown today. Blue Hill and Red Cloud are Webster County's only two incorporated cities — every other municipality in the county is a village.

Blue Hill, platted in 1878 along the Burlington & Missouri and Nebraska and Colorado railroads, is one of only two incorporated cities in Webster County. Its name is variously explained as a reference to the bluish haze over its namesake hill or to its position near the Little Blue River; a 1890 fire led much of downtown to be rebuilt in brick.