Gordon, Nebraska

Gordon, Nebraska
City
Location of Gordon, Nebraska
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
County	Sheridan
Area
• Total	0.9 sq mi (2.4 km2)
• Land	0.9 sq mi (2.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	3,553 ft (1,083 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	1,756
• Density	1,881.0/sq mi (726.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	69343
Area code	308
FIPS code	31-19350Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0829591Template:GR

Gordon is a city in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,756 at the 2000 census.

Located at the northwest edge of the Sand Hills area of western Nebraska, Gordon is in many ways a typical small rural town with a population that has declined over the years along with similar declines in the farming and ranching economy. Gordon remains; however, a viable community with quality schools, businesses, and healthcare; numerous places of worship; and people of great integrity.

Basic economic activities in Gordon include farming, ranching, cattle feeding, retail and wholesale sales, public and professional services, manufacturing, and tourism.

Visitors will find prestine outdoor recreation, including world-class hunting and fishing, in Gordon's surrounding lakes and the Niobrara River. Annual events hosted in Gordon include the Sheridan County Fair and Rodeo (held the third week of August) and the Willow Tree Festival (held the second weekend in September). Other local attractions include the Mari Sandoz Room Museum, Scamahorn Museum, Tri State Old Time Cowboys Memorial Museum, and Bowring Ranch.

History

Gordon had its beginning when the Reverend John Scamahorn, a Methodist minister and Civil War veteran, led a colony of 104 settlers by railroad from Indiana to Valentine, Nebraska, and then on by covered wagon to Gordon. On May 12, 1884, he conducted the first religious service, mounting the tongue of his wagon for a pulpit near “the lone willow tree,” a landmark of the empty plains. The lone willow tree, just east of Gordon, was a landmark for government scouts, Indians, cowboys, and settlers. In fact, Gordon celebrates this landmark with the Willow Tree Festival, a community event held each year since 1984.

The name Gordon was chosen because of an incident that had occurred nearby. John Gordon’s wagon train, bound for the forbidden gold fields in the Black Hills, was burned by soldiers from Camp Sheridan in 1875.

The village of Gordon was incorporated on November 19, 1885. The fertile farmlands and rich sandhill grasslands proved an ideal location for the growth of a hardy town. The coming of the Chicago and North Western Railroad in 1886 brought new settlers.

In 1888 the streets were extended and widened, livestock was prohibited from running at large, and a Fourth of July celebration was staged. In 1889 more road and street improvements were accomplished. Sidewalks were laid and trees were planted.

Newman’s Ranch was the first of the huge ranches in the region, followed by an open-range ranch established by Dave and Bob Hunter. Both ranches ran from 30,000 to 50,000 head of cattle on land that was mostly public domain. “Doc” Middleton, an early character of many questionable talents, operated a saloon for a time in Gordon. When he was made county deputy sheriff, the rate of horse stealing declined markedly.

Gordon was the home of the late Mari Sandoz, famous author of early historical novels depicting life in the days of the early settlers and plains Indians. Among her many successful books are Old Jules (the biography of her pioneer father), Crazy Horse, Cheyenne Autumn, Battle of the Little Big Horn, and many others. Mari is buried south of town overlooking one of the beautiful sandhill valleys of the original family homestead ranch. A small museum in Gordon contains many of the personal items belonging to Mari. Her books are available for sale and tours can be arranged. Other notable residents of Gordon are Val Fitch, 1980 Nobel Prize winner in the field of physics and Dwight Griswold, past Governor of Nebraska and Ambassador.

Gordon serves a large portion of the sandhills and is a shopping center for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Museums

Mari Sandoz Room Museum: This small museum on Gordon's Main Street is rich in pioneer history, which is documented by a native author, Mari Sandoz. The Tourism Information Center, located at 117 North Main, houses the Mari Sandoz Room which offers her books and a wealth of information about her and the area. Tours are available throughout the summer.

Scamahorn Museum: Located on West 5th Street in Wayland Park, the Scamahorn Museum is the 1884 original church structure dedicated as the First Methodist Episcopal Society in northwest Nebraska. Quilts sewn by women from the Scamahorn Colony are on display and the resource center contains catalogued factual stories and obituaries dating back to the settlement of the area. Museum hours are 1:30 -4 p.m., on Thursdays and Saturdays. Groups may visit by appointment during the closed season, which is June through September.

The Tri State Old Time Cowboys Memorial Museum: Located in Whiship Park, the 40 foot by 80 foot log building was constructed in 1969 as a testimonial to the rugged western life of the old time cowboys who worked as ranch hands and performed at the Sheridan County Rodeo. Exhibits include an early chuck wagon, old saddles, chaps, spurs, tools and gear used from early ranches of the late 1880s to modern times, as well as many other artifacts and relics pertaining to ranching and cowboys. The museum is open every afternoon from June 1 through September 15, and by request at any time. Admission is free.

Bowring Ranch: A historical museum about Arthur and Eva Bowring, who both served in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is located 30 miles east of Gordon, just north of Merriman. This working ranch lies in a sandhills valley rich in Nebraska history. A newly constructed visitors center houses artifacts and memorabilia of early day ranching and the Bowring's political careers. The ranch is open for tours of the original Bowring home which is filled with antique china and glassware. A visit to the furnished sod house dating back to the 1800s is a step back in time. Owned and operated by the Nebraska State Parks and Game Commission, the tours begin in May and close September 1.

Geography

Gordon is located at 42°48′25″N 102°12′14″W (42.806956, -102.203812)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,756 people, 733 households, and 467 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,881.0 people per square mile (729.0/km²). There were 825 housing units at an average density of 883.7/sq mi (342.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.35% White, 15.43% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.

There were 733 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,896, and the median income for a family was $35,139. Males had a median income of $27,656 versus $16,927 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,105. About 13.4% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Val Fitch, 1980 winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics and 1940 graduate of Gordon High School.
• Dwight Griswold, governor of Nebraska from 1940 to 1946 and editor and publisher of the Gordon Journal from 1922 to 1940.
• Mari Sandoz, a novelist, biographer, lecturer, and teacher who wrote extensively about pioneer life and the Plains Indians.
• James Dahlman, eight-term Omaha mayor from 1906 to 1930, was a cow punch on the Newman Ranch near Gordon in the 1880s.
• Lawrence Bixby, owner of the Spade Ranch, south of Gordon.

External links

• Gordon Chamber of Commerce
• City of Gordon