Nebraska's Last Dry County

The $700 beer was poured on Friday, July 9, 2004, at the Iron Horse Saloon in Tryon, whose owner, Cliff Hendrix, had spent $200,000 renovating it. Getting liquor by the drink approved had taken the county board and the community about six months. Denny Isabell of North Platte called the auction, and the winning bidder was Fred Jalass, an organizer of the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska. When bidding reached $650, Isabell announced that the money would fund a scholarship for a 2005 graduate of McPherson County High School.

What the plaque says

Nebraska's Last Dry County McPherson County was Nebraska's last "dry" county. No alcohol was sold legally from the county's founding in 1890 until 2004. Federal Prohibition began in 1920 with the 18th Amendment. Supporters believed Prohibition would decrease crime and homelessness, while increasing moral virtue, but bootlegging, organized crime, and political corruption thrived nationwide during the "Roaring '20s." The 21st Amendment repealed Federal Prohibition in 1933. The first beer sold in the county was auctioned for $700. The proceeds went to an educational scholarship. Nebraska State Historical Society, 2018

Where it stands