The Hazard Home Page
Hazard, Nebraska 68844
Pictures of Hazard, Nebraska

Photo of a winter scene in downtown Hazard, Nebraska Welcome to Hazard, NE, USA, located at the junction of Hwy 2 and 10. Hazard is home to the Hazard Post Office, the Hazard Café, and best of all —our friendly Hazard residents. Our village is one of five mid Nebraska communities in Sherman County, in the heart of America's Great Plains.

Hazard's population by decade:
 1920-167 | 1930-148 | 1940-241 | 1950-152 | 1960-104 | 1970-72 | 1980-75 | 1990-78 | 2000-66

The History of Hazard
Reprinted from The Custer Courier, June, 1957 by Mrs. Alfred Reinertson

   John Brewer, Edward Munn, and the Fisher brothers were the first settlers to settle on the grassy plains of southwestern Sherman County. They came here about 1878, only eleven years after Nebraska had been admitted to the Union, and five years after Sherman County was proclaimed by Governor Furnas. John Boecking and U. J. McNeal arrived a year later, and other families were those of Hans Peterson, James Spangsburg, Jacob Benson, Henry Capellen, A.E. Dallgren, Reinert Reinertson, and Carl de la Motte. These pioneers drove in lumber wagons thirty miles to Kearney to procure supplies. Small stores were operated, however, in the neighboring vicinities of Bentora by John R. Davidson, and by Mr. Byers of Sweetwater. Mail was brought to Sweetwater by stage route from the Buffalo County Seat.
   When the C.B.&Q. Railroad was built through the Beaver Creek Valley in 1886, Mr. Davidson moved his merchandise store from Bentora and set up his store near the railroad. That was the beginning of the village of Hazard. There was soon a frame post office operated by Mr. Munn who, himself, lived in a soddie. Mr. Skinner was the recognized blacksmith of the community and Mr. Hobart made wagons. The Fullers opened the a store and quite rapidly the cornfield in which some of the buildings were located was pushed away as the village grew.
   It is believed that the village was named after a conversation when someone noticed that within the town site there was a dangerous hole which may have been a washout or a pit dug by a falling meteorite. "That’s a hazard," is the legendary comment. Perhaps that unique word for a title was just what was awaited. Thus the new town was named Hazard.

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The Hazard Home Page first posted 2-16-99. All Content © Copyright 1999-2006