Niobrara (Nebraska)
| Niobrara | |
|---|---|
 Niobrara, Nebraska |
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| Location in Nebraska | |
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| Basic data | |
| Foundation : | 1856 |
| State : | United States |
| State : | Nebraska |
| County : | Knox County |
| Coordinates : | 42 ° 45 ′ N , 98 ° 2 ′ W |
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) |
| Residents : | 370 (as of 2010) |
| Population density : | 195.8 inhabitants per km 2 |
| Area : | 1.89 km 2 (approx. 1 mi 2 ) of which 1.89 km 2 (approx. 1 mi 2 ) is land |
| Postal code : | 68760 |
| Area code : | +1 402 |
| FIPS : | 31-34370 |
| GNIS ID : | 831636 |
Niobrara is a municipality in Knox County , in the US state of Nebraska . According to a 2010 census, the parish had 370 permanent residents. Niobrara is on the south bank of the Missouri on the border with South Dakota and is the administrative seat of the Santee Sioux Reservation , although the community is outside the reservation area. The reserve is several kilometers east of it. Niobrara was founded in 1856 as a fort to protect white settlers from Indian raids. The community was named after the Niobrara River, a tributary of the Missouri. Originally the area of the parish was inhabited by Ponca Indians .
history
Niobrara was founded in 1857 by white settlers 1½ kilometers southeast of the confluence of the Niobrara in the Missouri. The location was chosen so that steam ships could easily reach the place. On June 28, 1857, the Omaha landed with a load of wood. The residents were very optimistic about the future of the settlement and built a three-story hotel for $ 10,000, the most expensive and largest hotel of its time in Nebraska. In 1880 the community had 850 residents. In the winter of 1881 the area of the Niobrara estuary was flooded. A natural ice wall kept the water away from the settlement. On March 28, 1881, this dam broke and the settlement was flooded. The water was up to 1.50 meters in the houses. After 2 days the water level started to drop again and the residents started cleaning up. On March 31, however, a message came by telegraph that another, larger flood was imminent. Most of the residents then moved their belongings to safety on higher ground. Only a group of 13 men, called Stickers , spent the second flood in the settlement, on the second floor of a commercial building. Niobrara was flooded three more times in April 1881, the infrastructure such as bridges and roads were destroyed. The residents decided to move the village to higher ground. All buildings including the church, the school building, 5 hotels and many shops were relocated to higher ground. The buildings were transported on wagons to their new location about 1 kilometer away. Now Niobrara no longer had direct access to the steamers, but the village was flood-proof. The move cost $ 40,000 and is unique in the history of Nebraska. With the construction of Gavins Point Dam in 1956, water became a problem again. The Missouri should be dammed up to Lewis and Clark Lake . Again the town should be flooded. On July 4th 1977 the new Niobrara was founded on higher ground. The entire community with 400 residents moved in 1981/82. 200 residents had previously moved away. This time the move cost $ 14.5 million. With these moves, Niobrara is also one of the oldest settlements in Nebraska and one of the youngest.