The Neligh Mills

The town began with a land deal. Touring the Elkhorn Valley in 1872, John D. Neligh bought 520 acres from the Omaha & Northwestern company, the deed signed by Herman Kountze, as A. T. Andreas put it in 1882, under a misapprehension as to the identity of the land. Neligh hurried home to West Point and sent Anton Psota back with the news. Neils Larson, surveyor of Cuming County, platted the town in February 1873 for Neligh, William B. Lambert and John B. Thomson. By about April 1875 Neligh had sold his interests to Lambert and W. C. Gallaway.

What the plaque says

The Neligh Mills The Neligh Mills, built from locally fired brick in 1873 by John D. Neligh, was the first business and industry in the then newly platted town. Later owners and operators of the mill included William C. Galloway, Stephen F. Gilman and J. W. Spirk. Milling operations began in 1874 with two runs of stone. Roller mills were added in 1878, and all new roller mills were installed in 1898. Flour from the Neligh Mills was widely sold throughout the Middle West. Better known brands produced here include Neligh Patent Flour, So-Lite Flour and Crescent brand feeds. A good mill was a major factor in the growth of Nebraska communities during the 1870's and 1880's. Mills turned locally grown grain into flour, cutting down on expensive long distance shipping. Mills with an ample water supply and situated on main rail lines were able to produce quantities in excess of local needs, and sometimes received lucrative government contracts with the Army and Indian Bureau or for overseas export. In 1969 the Legislature authorized the Nebraska State Historical Society to acquire and preserve this mill as a symbol of our agricultural history. Its importance was also recognized in 1969 by entry on the National Register of Historic Places. Nebraska State Historical Society

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Neligh Mill State Historic Site — steps away
  A brick flour mill on the Elkhorn, begun in 1873, that sold its flour as Gold Medal until 1940, ground until 1969, and still has its original 1880s equipment in place.
• Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park — 21 mi
  A watering hole in Antelope County where ash from an eruption in Idaho buried rhinoceroses and horses about twelve million years ago, now uncovered in place under the Hubbard Rhino Barn.

More markers nearby

• The Neligh Mill Bridge — steps away
• Ponca Trail of Tears - White Buffalo Girl — 1.0 mi
• Meadow Grove — 17 mi
• The Savidge Brothers, Aviation Pioneers — 18 mi