Roscoe Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Unincorporated community · Keith County · Population 44 (2020 census) · ZIP 69153 · Founded 1868

About Roscoe

Roscoe is an unincorporated community of 44 (2020) on US 30 (the Lincoln Highway) and the Union Pacific, about 7 miles east of Ogallala and 12 miles west of Paxton; Link 51B crosses the South Platte to I-80 exit 133. Its mail comes through Ogallala (ZIP 69153).

History

Roscoe began as a Union Pacific siding about 1868; its first office was a boxcar with a telegraph switch, and no one recorded where the name came from. Settlement grew after the John Peters family arrived in 1907, and John Quenton opened a store and post office in 1909. The Farmers Co-op bought the store in 1915, the road through town was graded in 1918, and a school and community hall followed in the 1920s. In 1934–35 the state built a seven-span steel bridge over the South Platte south of town, listed on the National Register in 1992.

About 3½ miles east, Alkali was a stage station on the Overland route from 1859 to 1867, a Pony Express station in 1860–61, a telegraph base and, during the Civil War, a fortified army post. The site is on the National Register (its location is restricted), and a History Nebraska marker stands on US 30.

Highways and trails through Roscoe

Route	One way	Other way
US 30The Lincoln Highway, through Roscoe	East to Paxton (about 12 mi)	West to Ogallala (about 7 mi)
I-80Exit 133, about 1 mi south by Link 51B	East to Paxton and North Platte	West to Ogallala

Nearby towns

Keystone	about 6 mi north	Keystone–Roscoe road
Ogallala	about 7 mi west	US 30
Paxton	about 12 mi east	US 30
Brule	about 16 mi west	US 30
Madrid	about 20 mi south	County roads

Things to see

The Alkali Station marker on US 30, about 3½ mi east · the Roscoe State Aid Bridge (1935; National Register) on Link 51B · the I-80 westbound rest area southwest of town, site of the Up/Over bicentennial sculpture (National Register 2026) · Cottonwood Grove RV park on the Keystone–Roscoe road

Schools and health care

Schools: Nearest schools: Ogallala Public Schools, 801 E. O St., Ogallala, (308) 284-4060: Prairie View School (PK–5), Ogallala Middle School (6–8) and Ogallala High School (9–12), about 7 mi

Health care: Nearest hospital: Ogallala Community Hospital (Banner Health), 2601 N. Spruce St., Ogallala, (308) 284-4011, an 18-bed critical access hospital, about 7 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Lilian L. Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (1925); Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890–91); Keith County and City of Ogallala history pages; NEGenWeb Keith County (Keystone history); Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations (Keystone Community Church, Brandhoefer Mansion, California Hill, Roscoe State Aid Bridge and others); Robert H. Mahnken, "Ogallala—Nebraska's Cowboy Capital" (Nebraska History, 1947); Andy Adams, The Log of a Cowboy (1903); Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Nebraska DHHS rosters; 2026 Keith County travel guide; news reports (KOLN, KSNB). Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.