Box Butte

Formed January 1, 1886 (78^th county)

Box Butte County (10,841), Alliance (8,165)

The tan brick Classical Revival courthouse, on a square surrounded by Box Butte, 5^th, Niobrara, and 6^th streets, was built in 1913.  Nebraska State Highway 2 passes two blocks south of the site.  Rose and Peterson were the building architects.  The building features faux columns and the grounds have veteran memorials.  A wooden courthouse was moved from Hemingford to Alliance in 1899.  Nonpareil (1886), Hemingford (1890), and Alliance (1899) have all served as the county seat.  The county was formed on January 1, 1886 from Dawes County as the 78^th county.  The county is named for local buttes.  Alliance is named for Alliance, Ohio. 

Box Butte County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Four District Court Judges and Five County Court Judges serve Box Butte, Banner, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan and Sioux counties.  Northwestern Nebraska is the location of the county.  Scottsbluff, Nebraska is southwest and Rapid City, South Dakota is north of the county.  The county center is 16 miles Northwest of Alliance nearer Berea.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Dawes, Sheridan, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, and Sioux counties. 

The area of the county is 1075 square miles.  It is 13 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 22 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 10.1 persons per square mile making it 44 out of 93 in the state.  Box Butte County has 82.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 385 crosses the county from north to south from Dawes County to Morrill County.  The county is a rectangle with a jug to the east on the southern eighth of the county.  Alliance is in the southeast corner of the county.  Alliance is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 75.3% of the county population.