Oconto Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Custer County · Population 138 (2020 census) · ZIP 68860 · Founded 1887 · Peak population 272 (1920)

About Oconto

Oconto is a village of 138 people (2020) in Wood River Township in southern Custer County, at about 2,566 feet. NE 21 and NE 40 cross here: NE 21 runs north to Broken Bow and south toward Cozad and I-80, and NE 40 runs northwest to Callaway and southeast toward Eddyville. Oconto has a library, a bank, a senior center, a fire hall and a community center; Pressey Wildlife Management Area is about 5 miles north on NE 21. Oconto is on Central Time.

History

Oconto was founded in 1887 as Olax and renamed because Olax was too close to nearby Lomax; it incorporated in 1906. The new name is often said to come from Oconto, Wisconsin, but no source confirms it. The village reached 272 people in 1920. On October 31, 2000, an F2 tornado destroyed the community center and several businesses and damaged about 40 homes; 19 children and 4 adults at a Halloween party rode it out in the basement unhurt, and a new center opened in 2003. Hundreds of visitors came to watch the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, here. In April 2026 the Pressey Fire burned about 9,100 acres north of town.

Highways and trails through Oconto

Route	One way	Other way
NE 21Crosses NE 40 here	North to Pressey WMA and Broken Bow	South toward Cozad and I-80
NE 40Crosses NE 21 here	Northwest to Callaway and Arnold	Southeast toward Eddyville

Nearby towns

Lodi	about 7 mi northwest	NE 40
Burr Oak	about 10 mi east	County roads
Eddyville	about 12 mi southeast	NE 40
Callaway	about 13 mi northwest	NE 40
Cumro	about 14 mi east	County roads
Broken Bow	about 19 mi north-northeast	NE 21
Ansley	about 22 mi east-northeast	County roads
Cozad	about 23 mi south-southwest	NE 21
Merna	about 24 mi north	NE 21 and NE 2
Lexington	about 25 mi south	NE 21 and US 283
Gothenburg	about 25 mi southwest	County roads
Arnold	about 30 mi northwest	NE 40

Things to see

the Charles Horn Sculpture Garden, 7th St. and Hwy 40, just west of the fire hall: scrap-metal animals and machines built by rancher Charles Horn · about 70 barn quilts in and around town, a project of the Oconto Social Study Club · Pressey Wildlife Management Area, about 5 miles north on NE 21: river frontage, a fishing pond, a shooting range and free camping; reopened August 1, 2026, after the fire · the Blowin’ the Doors Off BBQ for the fire department in June

Schools and health care

Schools: No school in the village; Callaway, Broken Bow and Eddyville-area districts are nearest

Health care: Nearest hospitals: Callaway District Hospital, 211 E. Kimball St., Callaway, about 13 mi, and Melham Memorial Medical Center in Broken Bow, about 19 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; NEGenWeb Custer County (place names); Custer County Tourism; Custer County Historical Society; History Nebraska (markers); National Register listings; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska DHHS hospital and clinic rosters; Nebraska 211; SchoolDigger; Nebraska Secretary of State; City of Broken Bow; Village of Callaway; VisitNebraska; NEBRASKAland; Geological Society of America abstracts; KRVN, KNOP, KOLN 10/11 and Custer County Chief reports. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.