Holt

Formed January 1, 1862 (37^th county)

Holt County (10,137), O’Neill (3,576)                

A 1936 tan brick Art Deco facility serves Holt County.  It sits at 4^th, Benton, 5^th, and Clay streets.  United States Highway 20 is one block south of the location.  John W. Latenser and Sons are the building architects.  A Liberty Bell replica and veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Holt County was founded on January 1, 1862 from Native American Territory as the 37^th county.  Paddock was the first county seat until 1880 when O’Neill became the seat.  The county is named for United States Secretary of War Joseph Holt.  The county seat is named for founder John O’Neill.  There was an 1885 courthouse previously. 

Holt County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two District Court Judges and Three County Court Judges serve Holt, Blaine, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Custer, Garfield, Greeley, Howard, Keya Paha, Loup, Rock, Sherman, Valley and Wheeler counties (judicial.)  Holt County is in northern Nebraska.  Grand Island, Nebraska is south and Omaha, Nebraska is southeast of the county.  The county center is 6.1 miles Northwest of O’Neill nearer Emmet.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Boyd, Knox, Antelope, Wheeler, Garfield, Loup, Rock, and Keya Paha counties. 

The area of the county is 2413 square miles.  It is 5 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 26 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 4.2 persons per square mile making it 63 out of 93 in the state.  Holt County has 62.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 20 crosses east to west through the county from Antelope County to Rock County.  United States Highway 275 enters from Antelope County and terminates.  United States Highway 281 passes north to south from Boyd County to Wheeler County.  The county looks like a bowl of popcorn with the northeast corner eaten away.  O’Neill is southeast of center in the county.  O’Neill is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 35.3% of the county population.