Cheyenne County

Overview

• Cheyenne County is located in the southern half of the Nebraska Panhandle. It is one of the more historically colorful counties in the state and was organized in 1870.
• Sidney, Nebraska is the county seat.

Historical Note

• The County has a rich historical background relating to the Pony Express, the Union Pacific Railroad, pioneers on the Oregon Trail and the Indians.
• The County, named after the Cheyenne Indians, was officially organized three years after the Union Pacific Railroad first crossed the area. It was mostly inhabited by Indians at the time.
• Fort Sidney was formed as "Sidney Barracks" in 1867 to protect the Union Pacific employees. It remained a fort until 1894 when it was abandoned. The Pony Express had three stations located in the county
• Kimball, Banner, Scotts Bluff, Deuel, Morrill and Garden counties were all formed out of the original area encompassing Cheyenne County, 7,460 square miles.
• Today the county consists of 1,196 square miles and has a population of 10,000. Peak population was in 1960 at 14,828.