Formed February 27, 1873 (61st county)
Keith County (8,331), Ogallala (4,875)
The Modern brown brick and concrete building was the design of Hinde and Laurinat. It was built in 1963 to replace a classier 1888 courthouse. Veteran memorials are on the grounds. Keith County was formed on February 27, 1873 from Native American Territory as the 61st county with Ogallala as the only county seat. The building sits at Spruce and 5th streets, four blocks north of United States Highway 30. The county was named for Morrill C. Keith, grandfather of Governor Keith Neville. The county seat is named for a Native American tribe.
Keith County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners. Three District Court Judges and Five County Court Judges serve Keith, Arthur, Chase, Dawson, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hayes, Hitchcock, Hooker, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, Red Willow and Thomas counties. Keith County is in western Nebraska. Its southwest tip touches Colorado. The North Platte and South Platte rivers flow through the county. Scottsbluff, Nebraska is northwest and Grand Island, Nebraska is east of the county. The county center is 14.7 miles East-Northeast of Ogallala nearer Keystone. The county is surrounded clockwise by Arthur, McPherson, Lincoln, and Perkins counties and Colorado and Deuel and Garden counties.
The area of the county is 1061 square miles. It is 14 out of 93 in the state. It ranks 35 out of 93 in population in the state. It has a density of 7.9 persons per square mile making it 48 out of 93 in the state. Keith County has 68.6% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 80 crosses the county east to west from Lincoln County to Deuel County. United States Highway 26 originates and heads northwest into Garden County. United States Highway 30 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Lincoln to Deuel counties. The county is an overall rectangle. Ogallala is in the southern third of the county. Ogallala is the county seat and the largest city. It is 58.5% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced OE-GA-LA-LA.
Brule
Ogallala
Paxton
