West Point Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

West Point Area Cameras

US-275 north of West Point

US-275 north of West Point (NW view)

City · Cuming County · County seat · Population 3,504 (2020 census) · ZIP 68788 · Founded 1857 · Peak population 3,660 (2000)

About West Point

West Point is the county seat of Cuming County, a city of 3,504 on the east bank of the Elkhorn River, where US 275 meets NE 32 and NE 9 begins. It has the Franciscan Healthcare hospital, the Cuming County Courthouse, West Point-Beemer and Guardian Angels Central Catholic schools, the John A. Stahl Library, the Nielsen Community Center, two motels and the Neligh Park campground. The Cuming County Fair is held here each August.

History

The Nebraska Settlement Association formed in Omaha in March 1857, and A. J. Bruner surveyed the townsite that summer. First called New Philadelphia, it was renamed West Point as the westernmost settled point in the Elkhorn Valley. John D. Neligh and the first settlers arrived in March 1858, the post office opened that year, and on October 12, 1858, the county's first election chose West Point over DeWitt as county seat, 12 votes to 7. The Pawnee scare of June 1859 sent most settlers to Fontanelle for a time. The Bruner & Neligh mill on the Elkhorn, finished in 1868, drew trade from 50 miles and more.

West Point incorporated in 1869 and became a city in 1872. The railroad arrived on November 25, 1870, and German settlers made it the center of a largely German county; German-language papers were printed here into the 1910s. A brick courthouse was finished in 1874; the present one at 200 S. Lincoln St. was dedicated on July 21, 1955. The Franciscan Sisters arrived in 1905 and opened the town's first hospital in 1923. Rail service ended in 1982, and the Tyson beef plant closed in 2006. The population peaked at 3,660 in 2000. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, theologian Martin E. Marty and Karl Timmermann, the first American officer across the Rhine bridge at Remagen in 1945, were born in West Point.

Highways and trails through West Point

Route	One way	Other way
US 275Lincoln Street, north–south through town	Northwest to Beemer (about 9 mi), Wisner (about 16 mi) and Norfolk	South to Scribner (about 15 mi) and Fremont (about 36 mi)
NE 32Runs with US 275 through town	West past Aloys (about 10 mi) toward Stanton	East to Oakland (about 14 mi) and Tekamah
NE 9Begins at US 275 just north of town	North to NE 51 and Pender (about 19 mi)	Begins at US 275

Nearby towns

Beemer	about 9 mi northwest	US 275
Aloys	about 10 mi west	NE 32
Oakland	about 14 mi east	NE 32
Scribner	about 15 mi south	US 275
Wisner	about 16 mi northwest	US 275
Bancroft	about 19 mi northeast	NE 9 and NE 51
Pender	about 19 mi north	NE 9
St. Charles	about 4 mi southwest	County roads
DeWitt	about 5 mi north-northwest	US 275
Monterey	about 6 mi west-southwest	NE 32 and county roads

Things to see

West Point City Auditorium (Nebraskan Theatre), 237 N. Main St., built 1911 (National Register) · Cuming County Historical Society Museum Complex at the fairgrounds: depot, school, church, tractors and the Big Red Barn (open during the fair and by request; 402-372-3401) · Neligh Park, 530 W. Bridge St.: fishing lake, campground and dog park · the Rattlesnake Creek Bridge (1903, National Register), moved to a West Point trail in 2019 · DeWitt historical marker on US 275, about 4 mi northwest · Cooper's Chase Distillery · Native 32 Winery

Events in West Point

Cuming County Fair
Cuming County Fair, a county fair in West Point, Nebraska.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: West Point-Beemer Public Schools: elementary, middle and high school, 1200 E. Washington St.; Guardian Angels Central Catholic (pre-K–12), 419 E. Decatur St.; St. Paul Lutheran School (pre-K–8), 325 N. Colfax St.

Health care: Franciscan Healthcare, 430 N. Monitor St. (25-bed critical access hospital with emergency care); Franciscan Healthcare West Point Clinic, 500 E. Decatur St.

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