Bow Valley Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Unincorporated · Cedar County · Population 95 (2020 census) · ZIP 68739 · Founded 1871

About Bow Valley

Bow Valley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place of 95 in northern Cedar County, a mile east of NE 57 and a mile south of NE 12, about 7 miles north of Hartington. It is built around the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church complex and East and West Catholic Elementary School.

History

Bow Valley is named for the valley of West Bow Creek; postmaster Conrad Wisner named the post office, which opened on December 11, 1871 and closed in the early 1900s. The first Catholic church was dedicated on November 1, 1875, and from 1877 St. Joseph at Constance was a mission of Bow Valley.

The present Late Gothic Revival church was built in 1903–04 to the design of Josef Schwartz, followed by a rectory in 1926 and the Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima in 1952. The church, rectory, school, cemetery and grotto were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Since 2000 the church has been part of Holy Family Parish with Wynot and St. Helena, and in 2020 East Catholic in Bow Valley and West Catholic in Fordyce merged into East and West Catholic Elementary, based here.

Highways and trails through Bow Valley

Route	One way	Other way
NE 57One mile west of Bow Valley	North to NE 12 (1 mi)	South to Hartington (about 6 mi)

Nearby towns

Hartington	about 7 mi south	NE 57
Wynot	about 6–7 mi east	County roads
St. James	about 7–8 mi east	NE 12
Fordyce	about 8 mi west	County roads
St. Helena	about 8 mi north	NE 12 and Spur S-14H
Crofton	about 13 mi west	NE 12

Things to see

Sts. Peter and Paul Church complex, 106 W. 889th Rd. (National Register) · Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery

Schools and health care

Schools: East and West Catholic Elementary School (pre-K–6), 108 W. 889 Rd.

Health care: Avera Medical Group Hartington (about 7 mi)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; NEGenWeb Cedar County post offices; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.