Ponca Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Travel corridor: NE 12 Corridor →

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City · Dixon County · County seat · Population 907 (2020 census) · ZIP 68770 · Founded 1856 · Peak population 1,062 (2000)

About Ponca

Ponca is the county seat of Dixon County, a city of 907 on NE 12 in the Aowa Creek valley about 2 miles from the Missouri River. Ponca State Park is about 2 miles north on Spur S-26E. Ponca has Ponca Public Schools, the Sanford Vermillion Ponca Clinic, the Oak Trail Inn, the Ponca Carnegie Library and Highland Oaks Golf Course.

History

Frank West and a man named Carson reached the site in August 1856, and West platted 24 blocks that October, naming the town for the Ponca tribe; Dr. Solomon B. Stough is credited as co-planner. Ponca won the county seat at the first county election in December 1858 and kept it through removal elections in 1875, 1884 (when it beat Martinsburg 779 to 605) and 1920. The Stough brothers' flour mill opened in 1858.

A narrow-gauge railroad from Covington (now South Sioux City) reached Ponca in September 1876; it later became part of the Omaha Road, which extended it to Newcastle in 1893. The courthouse was finished in 1883 and enlarged with a WPA addition in 1939–40. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the downtown, listed as the Ponca Historic District in 1979. The population peaked at 1,062 in 2000. The county plans a new courthouse on the edge of town, projected for 2028.

Highways and trails through Ponca

Route	One way	Other way
NE 12East–west through Ponca	West to Newcastle (about 11 mi) and Maskell	Southeast to US 20 near Jackson (about 7 mi) and Sioux City (about 21 mi)
NE 9Ends at NE 12 just south of town	South to Martinsburg (about 8 mi), Allen (about 15 mi) and Wakefield	Ends at NE 12
Spur S-26ENebraska Street north to the state park	North to Ponca State Park (2.2 mi)	Ends at NE 12

Nearby towns

Martinsburg	about 8 mi south	NE 9
Waterbury	about 9 mi southwest	County roads
Newcastle	about 11 mi west	NE 12
Allen	about 15 mi south	NE 9
South Sioux City	about 18 mi southeast	NE 12 and US 20
Sioux City, Iowa	about 21 mi southeast	NE 12 and US 20

Things to see

Ponca State Park, about 2 mi north: 2,100 acres with cabins, three campgrounds, 22 miles of trails and the Three State Overlook · Missouri National Recreational River Resource and Education Center in the park · Dixon County Courthouse, 3rd and Iowa Sts. (National Register) · Cook Blacksmith Shop, 204 3rd St. (National Register) · Ponca Carnegie Library, 200 W. 2nd St. · Highland Oaks Golf Course

Events in Ponca

Days of ’56 PRCA Rodeo
Days of '56 PRCA Rodeo is held in Ponca, Nebraska, on the last full weekend of June (Friday and Saturday nights).

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Ponca Public Schools: Ponca Elementary School and Ponca High School, 505 W. 3rd St.

Health care: Sanford Vermillion Ponca Clinic, 111 E. 2nd St. (weekdays 8–5); nearest hospitals in Sioux City (about 21 mi) and Sanford Vermillion Medical Center, Vermillion, S.D. (about 25 mi)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Huse, History of Dixon County (1896); National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.