Bradshaw

The storm struck about 8:20 in the evening, and the news reached York only after midnight, carried by a rider on horseback. By the school district's local history, nearly every house in the village was damaged and most were demolished, and all three churches were destroyed. A stock car was blown eight miles down the track to York. Money and supplies came from across Nebraska, and the next Sunday free trains from Omaha brought so many sightseers that two were needed. The school was rebuilt in 1891, and in 1998 Bradshaw joined Henderson to form Heartland Community School.

What the plaque says

Bradshaw After 1861 an important variant of the overland trails system, the Nebraska City-Fort Kearny Cutoff, passed nearby, over which freight was transported from the Missouri River to western forts and mining camps. The region's first settle- ments were road ranches supplying trail travelers. Permanent towns and villages sprang up in the late 1860s and early 1870s as farmers came to claim land under the Homestead Act of 1862. In 1880 the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad extended its line from York to Grand Island, platting Bradshaw on land purchased from Jesse and Mary Bradshaw Richards and giving the village Mary Richards's maiden name. A major event in Bradshaw's history was the June 3, 1890, tornado that destroyed the village, killing twelve and injuring sixty. By 1900 Bradshaw had been rebuilt and tallied a population of 365. In that year 354 railcars of cattle and hogs and 672 railcars of grain were shipped from Bradshaw. In the twenty-first century agriculture remained the economic mainstay for Bradshaw and the surrounding region. Michael Breiner, M.D. Class of 1952, BHS Nebraska State Historical Society

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Porcupine Ranch — 4.1 mi
• Nebraska City-Fort Kearny Cut-Off — 7.0 mi
• Youst Cemetery, Hampton, Nebraska — 7.3 mi
• Henderson Mennonite Centennial 1874-1974 — 7.4 mi