Garden County, Nebraska

Garden County, Nebraska

County seat: Oshkosh · Created: November 2, 1909, by popular vote from Deuel County · Named for: the “garden spot of the West” · License plates: prefix 77 · Population: 1,874 (2020 census); peak 5,099 in 1930 · Area: 1,731 sq mi (1,704 land) · Time zone: Mountain

About Garden County

Garden County has two landscapes: Sandhills lakes and dunes in the north, around Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and the North Platte valley in the south, where US 26 links Lisco, Oshkosh and Lewellen. It borders Sheridan County on the north, Grant and Arthur on the east, Keith on the southeast, Deuel on the south, Cheyenne on the southwest and Morrill on the west. Its seven National Register listings include Ash Hollow Cave, the Ash Hollow Historic District, the courthouse, the Oshkosh water tower, two steel river bridges and the Rackett Grange Hall.

The Oregon, California and Mormon trails met at Ash Hollow, and on September 3, 1855, Gen. William S. Harney’s troops attacked a Brulé Lakota camp on Blue Water Creek near present Lewellen. Red Cloud was born on that creek in 1821. Cattlemen founded Oshkosh in 1885, the Union Pacific branch came up the valley in 1906–09, and on November 2, 1909, voters split the county from Deuel, taking the name Oshkosh real-estate men J. T. and W. R. Twiford had promoted. The county peaked at 5,099 people in 1930. In March 2026 the Morrill Fire, the largest wildfire on record in Nebraska at about 643,000 acres, swept across the county, burned most of the Crescent Lake refuge, forced Lewellen’s evacuation and threatened Oshkosh.

Towns of Garden County

Travel Corridors

US 26 follows the North Platte through Lisco, Oshkosh and Lewellen, sharing the road with NE 92 from Broadwater to Lewellen, where NE 92 turns east along the north shore of Lake McConaughy. Highway 92 Corridor → NE 27 runs 27 miles north from I-80 at Exit 95 near Chappell to Oshkosh; north of Oshkosh a county road continues to Crescent Lake.

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

Refuge, Park and Outdoors

Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 28 miles north of Oshkosh on West 2nd Street, protects about 45,800 acres of Sandhills dunes and lakes, established in 1931, with about 200 bird species. Most of the refuge burned in the March 2026 Morrill Fire, and the Fish and Wildlife Service warns that its roads and trails may be impassable even with four-wheel drive. It is open sunrise to sunset; the office, 10630 Road 181, (308) 762-4893, is open weekdays 8–4:30. Camping and open fires are not allowed. Island, Crane, Smith and Blue lakes are open to fishing (electric motors only, except gas on Blue Lake), and hunting is open September 1 to March 15.

Ash Hollow State Historical Park, 4265 US 26 south of Lewellen, (308) 778-5651, has about 1,000 acres, nine miles of trails, the wagon-rut swales at Windlass Hill, Ash Hollow Cave (a National Historic Landmark) and a 1903 rock schoolhouse; the visitor center is open May 1–October 30, Thursday–Monday 10–4, and a park entry permit is required. Clear Creek WMA, where the North Platte enters Lake McConaughy, has more than 3,200 acres and ten pit blinds; its refuge area closes from the Monday before Thanksgiving to February 14 (HQ (308) 778-5486). RV camping: the Oregon Trail Campsite in Oshkosh and the Oregon Trail Trading Post and Hwy 26 RV Park in Lewellen.

Things to See

In Oshkosh: the 1921–22 courthouse, the 1920 water tower and the murals of Creative District 77. Near Lewellen: Ash Hollow and Windlass Hill, the Lewellen State Aid Bridge and the Rackett Grange Hall. At Lisco: the Lisco State Aid Bridge.

Garden County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Oshkosh · Lewellen · Lisco · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Sheridan County (north) · Grant County (northeast) · Arthur County (east) · Keith County (southeast) · Deuel County (south) · Cheyenne County (southwest) · Morrill County (west).

Events

The Garden County Fair runs in late July and early August; in 2026 it was July 28–August 2, ending with the livestock sale.

Garden County at a Glance

Garden County, Nebraska — 1,731 square miles of Sandhills lakes and North Platte valley with 1,874 people, county seat Oshkosh. 166 listings across 3 towns. Mountain Time.

Getting there: US 26 and NE 92 up the North Platte from Ogallala or down from Bridgeport; NE 27 from I-80 Exit 95 near Chappell.

For visitors: Ash Hollow and Windlass Hill on the Oregon Trail, Crescent Lake refuge (much of it burned in March 2026), Clear Creek WMA at the head of Lake McConaughy, and a hospital in Oshkosh.