Republican City Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Harlan County · Population 134 (2020 census) · ZIP 68971 · Founded 1871 · Peak population 580 (1950)

About Republican City

Republican City is a village of 134 on US 136 in eastern Harlan County, on the bluffs about a mile northwest of Harlan County Dam. It is the gateway to the east end of Harlan County Lake: the Corps of Engineers project office, Hunter Cove, Gremlin Cove, the outlet parks below the dam, and the North Shore and Patterson Harbor marinas.

History

In the spring of 1871 Dr. John McPherson of Brownville and his son Charles laid out a town on the river bottom at the mouth of Mill Creek, opposite Prairie Dog Creek, and named it for the Republican River. McPherson built the first store and moved his mills here in 1872; the county's first school district was organized here on August 8, 1872, and its first church, a Methodist class, on February 15, 1874. Republican City was on the ballot in the 1872 county-seat election and sued in 1873, but Judge Gantt ruled for Alma. The News, started here in 1875, moved to Alma in 1881. The Burlington arrived on January 25, 1880, and a branch up Prairie Dog Creek to Oberlin, Kansas, opened in 1885, making the town a junction. McPherson Normal College operated here from 1884 to about 1891.

The 1935 flood swept the south side of town. When the Corps of Engineers planned Harlan County Dam, the reservoir would cover the old town, and about 350 residents voted to accept federal help to move. In 1951–52 houses were moved, three at a time, about 2 miles north and east to higher ground on the former John Lutjeharms farm, and the dam was dedicated on June 10, 1952. The census counted 580 people in 1950, during construction. Foundations of the old town, about 2½ miles west of the dam, show when the lake is low.

Highways and trails through Republican City

Route	One way	Other way
US 136Through the village, on its present alignment since 1951	East to Naponee and Franklin County	West to Alma (about 8 mi)
Corps Road ASouth from the village	To the project office and Harlan County Dam	North end at US 136

Nearby towns

Naponee	about 4.7 mi east-southeast	US 136 and S-31C
Alma	about 8 mi west	US 136
Huntley	about 9 mi north-northwest	US 136, US 183 and S-42A
Bloomington	about 10 mi east	US 136
Orleans	about 12 mi west	US 136
Franklin	about 14 mi east	US 136
Ragan	about 15 mi north-northwest	US 183 and NE 4

Things to see

Harlan County Dam and the Corps of Engineers project office, 70788 Corps Road A (308-799-2105), with free summer dam tours in past years · Hunter Cove, a shaded Corps campground with more than 120 sites, May–September · Gremlin Cove, day use with a reservable shelter · the North and South Outlet parks below the dam, with the River's Edge Nature Trail · the Cedar Run ATV Trail, 470 acres southeast of the dam · North Shore Marina and Patterson Harbor Marina · the Lighthouse Museum, 103 Berrigan Rd., summer weekends (call ahead) · Republican City United Methodist Church, whose first class in 1874 was the county's first church · in October 2026 the lake was about 13 ft below normal and some ramps were closed; check with the Corps

Schools and health care

Schools: Republican City students attend Alma Public Schools (515 Jewell St., Alma) or Franklin Public Schools, depending on where they live

Health care: No clinic in the village; nearest: Harlan County Health System, 717 N. Brown St., Alma, (308) 928-2151, a 19-bed critical access hospital, about 8 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Johnson's History of Nebraska (1880); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); Who's Who in Nebraska, Harlan County (1940); Harlan County history (Rogers, 1967) and NEGenWeb Harlan County; Harlan County and City of Alma websites; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Recreation.gov; National Register of Historic Places; History Nebraska; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Nebraska Department of Revenue; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Extension; school, hospital and library websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.