Chase County, Nebraska

Chase County, Nebraska

County seat: Imperial · Created: February 27, 1873; organized 1886 · Named for: Champion S. Chase, Nebraska's first attorney general · License plates: prefix 72 · Population: 3,893 (2020 census); peak 5,484 in 1930 · Area: 897 sq mi · Time zone: Mountain

About Chase County

Chase County lies on the high plains of southwestern Nebraska, against the Colorado line. Frenchman Creek (also called the Frenchman River) crosses it from west to southeast, past Champion, Enders Reservoir and Wauneta, on its way to the Republican. Texas cattle herds watered at Stinking Water Creek on the trail north to Ogallala, and two walls of a stone corral built about 1876 survive on NE 61 north of Imperial. The Legislature created the county on February 27, 1873, from unorganized land, and named it for Champion S. Chase, Nebraska's first attorney general (1867–69). Chase was elected mayor of Omaha four times between 1874 and 1883; in June 1884 the city council removed him for drunkenness and neglect of duty, and he later won a lawsuit over his lost salary. Until it organized, the county was attached to Hayes County for court purposes.

Homesteaders arrived in the mid-1880s. Governor Dawes's proclamation of April 12, 1886, organized the county with Imperial as its seat, and Imperial kept the seat in a June 24, 1886, election against Hamilton (now Champion) and Eldridge, near the later town of Chase. Thomas Scott began the water-powered mill at Champion that fall. A Burlington branch from Culbertson reached Wauneta on January 28, 1892, and Imperial that August, and never went farther; the Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway still runs it. The present courthouse in Imperial was occupied in 1912, after the first one burned in 1910, and the Bureau of Reclamation built Enders Dam in 1947–51. The population peaked at 5,484 in 1930. In November 2024 the village of Lamar voted to unincorporate.

Towns of Chase County

Travel Corridors

US 6 — east–west from Holyoke, Colorado, through Imperial, Enders and Wauneta toward McCook. US 6 Corridor →

State highways — NE 61 from Benkelman north to Enders, then with US 6 into Imperial and north to Grant; spur S-15A, 6.7 miles from Imperial to Champion and Champion Mill.

Cameras: View Chase County cameras (US 6 near Enders) → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Things to See

In Imperial, the 1912 Chase County Courthouse and the Balcony House, both on the National Register, with Pinkie's Corner and the Texas Trail Stone Corral nearby. In Champion, Champion Mill, probably the oldest working water-powered mill in Nebraska, and the Chase County Historical Museum. In Wauneta, the 1925 Wauneta Roller Mills and the Little Grand Canyon overlook. Seven county sites are on the National Register, including the Lovett Site, a Dismal River archaeological site whose location is restricted.

Outdoors

Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area, south of Enders, has about 1,700 acres of water, three campgrounds, two boat ramps and fishing for walleye, white bass, wipers and crappie; the Enders Reservoir WMA covers 4,359 acres around it. The small Wanamaker WMA is about 2 miles northwest of Imperial. Champion Lake, the mill pond at Champion, has six electric campsites and free tent camping, and Imperial has a 9-hole golf course.

Chase County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Imperial · Wauneta · Champion · Enders · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Perkins County (north) · Hayes County (east, on Central Time) · Dundy County (south) · Phillips County, Colorado (west) · Yuma County, Colorado (southwest).

Events

2026 dates: the Chase County Fair & Expo in Imperial, August 9–15, billed as "Western Nebraska's State Fair," with a carnival, 4-H shows, a ranch rodeo, a tractor pull and concerts; Wauneta's Harvest Festival, usually the last weekend of July; and summer weekend hours at Champion Mill.

Chase County at a Glance

Chase County, Nebraska — high plains on the Colorado line, along Frenchman Creek. County seat Imperial; Mountain Time.

Getting there: US 6 from Holyoke, Colorado, and McCook; NE 61 from Grant and Benkelman.

For visitors: the courthouse in Imperial, Champion Mill and the county museum in Champion, the Wauneta Roller Mills, and Enders Reservoir. Hospital: Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial.