Lodgepole Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Cheyenne County · Population 312 (2020 census) · ZIP 69149 · Founded 1867 · Peak population 555 (1950)

About Lodgepole

Lodgepole is a village of 312 (2020) in eastern Cheyenne County, on Lodgepole Creek and the Union Pacific main line at 3,832 feet. US 30 and US 385 run through town together on their shared route from Chappell to Sidney, and I-80 exit 76 is about 2 miles south by Link 17F. Lodgepole is part of Creek Valley Schools, whose schools are in Chappell, and is on Mountain Time.

History

Union Pacific track layers reached the site on July 7, 1867, and the station took the name of the creek, said to have supplied lodge poles to the Plains tribes; soldiers from Sidney Barracks camped here to guard the line. The Pony Express had passed this way in 1860–61, with its Pole Creek No. 2 station a few miles east. The town was platted in 1884 and had about 200 people by 1886; outside Sidney it had the county's first newspaper, bank, store and post office. The post office spelled the name "Lodge Pole" until 1895.

Lodgepole incorporated in 1901. Frank Isenberger built the opera house in 1911, and it served for plays, basketball and community events; it was listed on the National Register in 1988. The village celebrated its first Old Settlers Days in 1924 and its 100th in 2024. The population peaked at 555 in 1950. The 1887 depot, used until 1968, was preserved in 1971 and is now a museum. Lodgepole and Chappell schools combined as Creek Valley, and the Lodgepole middle school closed in 2017; the village bought the building in 2020.

Highways and trails through Lodgepole

Route	One way	Other way
US 30The Lincoln Highway, shared with US 385 through town	West to Sunol and Sidney	East to Chappell
US 385Runs with US 30 between Chappell and Sidney	West to Sidney, then north to Bridgeport	East to Chappell, then south to Julesburg, Colorado
I-80Exit 76, about 2 mi south by Link 17F	East to Chappell and Big Springs	West to Sidney

Nearby towns

Sunol	about 6 mi west	US 30
Chappell	about 10 mi east-southeast	US 30 or I-80
Colton	about 11 mi west	US 30
Weyerts	about 13 mi north-northwest	County roads
Sidney	about 17 mi west	US 30 or I-80
Oshkosh	about 23 mi northeast	County roads and NE 27

Things to see

the Lodgepole Depot Museum, 722 McCall St., in the 1887 depot (open during Old Settlers Days and by appointment, 308-483-5517) · the "Lodgepole and the Union Pacific Railroad" marker on McCall St. · the 1911 Lodgepole Opera House, Oberfelder St. at Front St. (National Register) · the Nancy Fawcett Memorial Library · Wildeflour Baking Co., 832 Sheldon St. · Sullivan Hills Camp, a Lutheran camp with a lake and ropes course north of town · Old Settlers Days, held every Labor Day weekend since 1924

Events in Lodgepole

Lodgepole Old Settlers Days
Lodgepole's Labor Day weekend celebration, held since 1924, with a parade, softball, a tractor pull, a car show and a Sunday service in South Park.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Creek Valley Schools, (308) 874-3310; all of its schools are in Chappell

Health care: Nearest hospital: Sidney Regional Medical Center, about 18 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; A. T. Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Grant L. Shumway, History of Western Nebraska and Its People (1921); Lilian L. Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (1925); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; NEGenWeb Cheyenne County; History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations; FortWiki; National Weather Service; Nebraska Department of Transportation; City of Sidney; Cheyenne County; Sidney Sun-Telegraph; KNEB; school, library and village sources; Visit Nebraska. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.