Custer

Formed February 17, 1877 (64^th county)

Custer County (10,543), Broken Bow (3,505)                

The 1911 brown brick Classical Revival facility is sited on a square at 10^th Avenue, D Street, 11^th Avenue, and E Street.  Nebraska State Highway 92 is E Street in the town.  John Latenser is the architect.  The structure features columns.  There were 1878 and 1889 versions earlier.  Custer County was established on February 17, 1877 from Native American Territory as the 64^th county.  It is named for Calvary General George Custer.  Callaway was the first county seat until 1882 when Broken Bow became the seat.  The county seat is named for a settler’s discovery of nearby Native American burial grounds. 

Custer County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors.  Two District Court Judges and Three County Court Judges serve Custer, Blaine, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Garfield, Greeley, Holt, Howard, Keya Paha, Loup, Rock, Sherman, Valley and Wheeler counties.  Custer County is in central Nebraska.  The geographical center of Nebraska is 10 miles northwest of Broken Bow in the county.  Grand Island, Nebraska is southeast and Scottsbluff, Nebraska is northwest.  The county center is 1.5 miles North-Northwest of Broken Bow.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Loup, Garfield, Valley, Sherman, Buffalo, Dawson, Lincoln, Logan, and Blaine counties. 

The area of the county is 2576 square miles.  It is 2 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 25 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 4.1 persons per square mile making it 66 out of 93 in the state.  Custer County has 61.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 183 travels north to south in the county from Loup County to Buffalo County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Broken Bow is slightly east of center in the county.  Broken Bow is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 33.2% of the county population.