Colfax County, Nebraska

Colfax County, Nebraska

County seat: Schuyler · Created: 1869, from Platte County · Named for: Schuyler Colfax, vice president under Grant · License plate prefix: 43 · Population: 10,582 (2020 census) · Area: 411 sq mi of land

About Colfax County

Colfax County lies on the north bank of the Platte River between Columbus and Fremont. The Mormon Trail and the overland roads followed the valley, the Union Pacific built through in 1866, and the Lincoln Highway, now US 30, came later. The legislature created the county out of Platte County in 1869, over Platte County's objections, and named both the county and its seat for Vice President Schuyler Colfax. Schuyler became Nebraska's first cow town in 1870, when 40,000 to 50,000 Texas cattle were shipped from its railhead in a single season.

Czech settlers filled the northern townships from the 1870s, leaving names such as Praha and Tabor, rural churches at Heun and Olean, and the Czech Days festival at Clarkson. The Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad founded Clarkson and Howells and moved Leigh to its tracks in 1886. The Renaissance Revival courthouse in Schuyler was built in 1921–22 and is on the National Register. Since the beef plant opened at Schuyler in 1968–69, the county seat has become one of Nebraska's most Hispanic communities, and the county population peaked at 11,624 in 1920.

Towns of Colfax County

Travel Corridors

US Highway 30 — the Lincoln Highway, along the Union Pacific through Richland, Schuyler and Rogers, from Columbus to North Bend and Fremont. US 30 Corridor →

NE 15 — north–south across the county, from David City over the Platte to Schuyler and north past Heun to NE 91 between Clarkson and Howells. NE 15 Corridor →

NE 91 and NE 57 — NE 91 crosses the north of the county past Leigh, Clarkson and Howells toward Dodge and Scribner; NE 57 runs north from Leigh to Stanton. NE 91 Corridor →

Cameras: View Colfax County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Outdoors

The county has no state park. Its main outdoor area is Maple Creek Recreation Area at Leigh, a Lower Elkhorn NRD lake of about 160 acres with a swimming beach, boat ramps, trails and 50 RV sites ($25 a night, reserved through the NRD). Whitetail Wildlife Management Area, about 216 acres on the Platte southwest of Schuyler, is open for hunting and fishing.

Camping: the Schuyler Campground by the city lake south of town, Centennial Park in Leigh, and city parks in Clarkson and Howells. Golf: Schuyler Golf Club and Club 91 in Leigh, both 9 holes.

Colfax County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Schuyler · Clarkson · Howells · Leigh · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Stanton County (north) · Cuming County (northeast) · Dodge County (east) · Butler County (south, across the Platte) · Platte County (west)

Events

Clarkson Czech Days fills the last weekend of June (June 26–28 in 2026) with polkas, a parade and the Miss Nebraska Czech-Slovak pageant. The Colfax County Fair runs at Leigh in mid-July (July 16–19 in 2026). Schuyler's Knights of Columbus spring festival in June brings polka bands to the Oak Ballroom.

Colfax County at a Glance

Colfax County, Nebraska — on the north bank of the Platte between Columbus and Fremont, created from Platte County in 1869. County seat Schuyler.

Getting there: US 30 along the Platte from Columbus and Fremont, NE 15 from David City, NE 91 across the north.

For visitors: the Oak Ballroom and courthouse in Schuyler, Clarkson Czech Days and the Z.C.B.J. Opera House, the rural Czech churches at Heun and Olean, Maple Creek Recreation Area and the county fair at Leigh. CHI Health Schuyler is the county's hospital.