Edgar 1872-1972

A. T. Andreas's 1882 history fills in the town's slow start. The first house on the site was Henry Gipe's sod house, and once he held title he deeded half his quarter-section to the townsite company, whose lots A. R. Butolph surveyed. Julia Pond taught the first village school in the fall and winter of 1873. Stores, shops and a lumber yard opened through 1873 and 1874, yet at the end of 1874 the town counted only about seventy-five people, because nearly everyone in business still lived on a claim in the country. By 1882 Edgar had about 800.

What the plaque says

1872 Edgar 1972 Edgar lies in the Little Blue River Valley just north of the old Oregon and California trails. The townsite was pre-empted in March 1872 by Henry Gipe with funds provided by the Nebraska Land and Town- site Company. The first post office was established in June of that year in a log cabin on the A. J. Ritterbush farm. One month later the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad completed tracks into the area and laid out the town of Eden, which later became Edgar. The town was surveyed in May 1873. Edgar was incorporated on March 15, 1875. The droughts and grasshopper plagues of the middle 1870's slowed the development of the community temporarily, but by 1880 the population had grown to nearly 600. The 1886 coming of the Nebraska and Colorado Railroad, part of the Burlington system assisted the community's rise as a manufacturing center. At its height Edgar had a creamery, a brick and tile company, a cannery, and several mills. The farm depression of the 1890's, however, signaled an end of growth for the town. Edgar today is a quiet community and remains a part of the great American agricultural heartland. Although its role as a service center for the area has declined, the people of Edgar carry the proud traditions and the rugged spirit of their pioneer ancestors. Edgar Community Club

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• 1864 Indian Raids — 3.0 mi
• Clay Center — 11 mi
• Spring Ranche — 11 mi
• Indian Captives — 12 mi