VERDIGRE's HISTORY

Located in Knox County in Northeast Nebraska, Verdigre was established by Bohemian settlers in the beautiful Verdigris Valley. Verdigre was platted on July 12, 1887 by George Quimby. Some of the first establishments included two saloons, a post office, & a hotel or restaurant. Among the first settlers was "Old Jules" Sandoz, father of the famous author Mari Sandoz The first school was reported to have operated during the year of 1888

-89, and in 1889 a schoolhouse was put up. In 1892 a catastrophic fire started by an attempt to blast open a safe burned the south half of Main Street on the west side. Many businesses were destroyed. Fires continued to plague Verdigre in its early years.

With the coming of the railroad in the early 1900's Verdigre prospered and began to grow rapidly and soon reached a size of 200. In the next decade Verdigre doubled its size. The 1910 census showed a population of 400. By this time telephone & electrical poles and wires were becoming a part of the scene. Soon automobiles started to replace the horse & buggy creating

the need for better roads. In 1912 a much needed fire department was formed, and Verdigre boasted of two hotels, two hardware stores, one furniture store, an undertaking establishment, one millinery store, one drug store, two physicians, one dentist, two implement dealers, two lumberyards, one harness shop, one blacksmith shop, one meat market, two pool halls, a racket store, an ice cream parlor, one opera house, two elevators, four saloons, two barbershops, an art studio, one newspaper, a lawyer, a tailor, two livery barns, a flour mill, one ice cream manufacturing plant, several real estate dealers, two lunch rooms, a cigar shop, a cement works, one church, two telephone systems, two good banks and a good natural park.

Blizzards, tornadoes, drought, fires, floods, and other acts of nature seemed to continually ravage in the area. In 1914 and again in 1935, Verdigre withstood terrible floods. In 1917 World War I had its effect on Verdigre. Soldiers and horses had to be fed well, the production of grain was up and sales abroad increased. It was one of the most prosperous periods in Nebraska agriculture. Farmers were buying more land and cars. New barns and houses were being built. . Because of a food shortage in 1918 the U.S. Food Administration decreed Mondays and Wednesdays as “wheatless” days, with Tuesday being a meatless day. . Spanish influenza, spread throughout military training camps & barracks., As a result, all public meeting places in Verdigre were closed, including school, churches, theater, public halls, and other gathering places. The Park offered a dance pavilion, swimming and a large artificial lake for boating. The 1930 census showed 618 residents in Verdigre. The drought, depression, and grasshoppers began to take their toll. Anthrax was reported east and west of Verdigre. Both Verdigre banks failed. Food & grain drives were the order of the day. Temperatures reached 120 degrees with entire months of over 100 degree days reported. Wells dried up and dust storms plagued the area. This was the scene throughout the 30's. In 1933 it was reported that 1,133 unemployed individuals in Knox County had enrolled in the Civilian Works Administration (CWA) program. A blizzard in 1937 piled snow twelve feet high in places.

Draft calls for World War II began in 1940. Rationing of tires, gasoline, and sugar, among other things was again in effect. Scrap collections of rubber, metal, and burlap took place for the war effort. So many young men were taken for military purposes that school children, older men, and townspeople went out to shock grain & pick corn. Bus service for rural high school students began in 1944. The late 40's saw a lot of attention given to the electrification of the county and many farms were finally becoming mechanized. In November 1948 a two day blizzard hit leaving 18 inches of snow that didn't melt until spring. It was one of the worst winter storms since 1915. More snow came week after week. Some roads remained closed for 2 weeks. Food was delivered to farmers by plane and helicopter. It was considered to be the worst disaster in the area since the drought.

Television swept the community in the 1950's, changing entertainment patterns, if not lives. A sewer project was started in 1954. Highway 14 was relocated east of town, having run through Main Street until 1955.

The Verdigre Public Elementary School building, a dental clinic, Alpine Village Retirement Home, a six -unit apartment complex, and a three building/ eight unit apartment complex were all built in the 1970's. Dr. Carlson donated 70 acres of land southeast of Verdigre for a park and Wildwood Acres came to be in 1972. Verdigre received the "All America City Award" in 1973 and the " Tree City USA" award 12 times. In November of 1975 a paralyzing blizzard raged through the area leaving about 23 inches of snow. Drifts were 8 to 10 feet high, even as high as 20 feet in the country. School was dismissed on the 19 th of Novemberand didn’t reopen until December 1st. Old timers compared it to the blizzard of '48.

The 1980's brought an onslaught of hard times. Bank failures, drought & hail, recession, inflation, high interest rates, low livestock and grain prices countered by rising land values made it necessary for many area farmers to sell. Those who managed to hold onto their farms were in dire straits. After the closing of the Bank of Verdigre many loans were held by the FDIC. Farmers were required to secure the permission of the FDIC to sell and the FDIC was to be listed as co-seller on any commission checks issued. Herds and flocks were seized. Farmers no longer had money with which to , feed their animals, buy groceries or pay utility and medical bills. A food pantry and grain pantry were established to help those in need.

The bridge south of Verdigre crossing the Verdigre Creek was dismantled in 1984. In 1993 & 1994 the middle and north bridges crossing the Verdigre Creek to Verdigre were replaced. The old north bridge which had some historical value was sold and now spans the Niobrara River as a walk bridge at Smith Falls near Valentine, Nebraska.