McPherson County, Nebraska

McPherson County, Nebraska

County seat: Tryon · Created: March 31, 1887; organized 1890 · Named for: Gen. James B. McPherson · License plates: prefix 90 · Population: 399 (2020 census), the fewest of any Nebraska county; peak 2,470 in 1910 · Area: 860 sq mi · Time zone: Central

About McPherson County

McPherson County is open Sandhills ranch country in west-central Nebraska, the least populous county in the state and the fifth least populous in the United States. It has no incorporated towns: Tryon, the county seat, is a census-designated place, and Ringgold and Flats are rural communities. It borders Hooker County on the north, Thomas at the northeast corner, Logan on the east, Lincoln on the southeast, Keith on the southwest and Arthur on the west. It is the westernmost Nebraska county on Central Time, and it is part of the North Platte micropolitan area.

The Legislature created the county on March 31, 1887, from land then under Logan County, and named it for Gen. James B. McPherson, killed at the Battle of Atlanta in 1864; it was organized in 1890, with a sod courthouse at Tryon. Cattlemen used the range from the 1870s, but homesteaders arrived in force only after the Kinkaid Act of 1904 offered 640-acre claims, and the population jumped from 517 in 1900 to 2,470 in 1910. At one time the county had about 20 post offices, five towns and 63 school districts. The area that became Arthur County was run as part of McPherson from 1892 until it organized in 1913, after disputes over the distance to Tryon, county spending and a failed bid to move the seat to Flats. No railroad was ever built, and the population fell steadily after 1910. The 1925–26 brick courthouse, on the National Register from 1990, was wrecked by a storm in the early 2000s and replaced in 2005–06.

Towns of McPherson County

Travel Corridors

NE 92 — east–west through Ringgold and Tryon, from Stapleton to Arthur. Highway 92 Corridor → NE 97 runs north–south through Tryon, from US 83 just north of North Platte to Mullen and on to Valentine; the two highways share about 4½ miles through Tryon. No U.S. highway or Interstate enters the county; I-80 is about 28 miles south at Hershey and Sutherland.

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

Visiting

In Tryon: the courthouse and the McPherson County Historical Society, with a historic bank, a sod house and pioneer artifacts, open by appointment. Services are few: there is no clinic, campground or lodging confirmed in the county, so plan to stay in North Platte, Stapleton or Mullen. Bandleader Glenn Miller’s family homesteaded near Tryon from 1907.

McPherson County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Tryon · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Hooker County (north) · Thomas County (northeast) · Logan County (east) · Lincoln County (southeast) · Keith County (southwest) · Arthur County (west).

Events

The McPherson County Fair, run with 4-H and Nebraska Extension, is held in Tryon in summer.

McPherson County at a Glance

McPherson County, Nebraska — 860 square miles of Sandhills ranch country with 399 people, the fewest of any county in the state, and no incorporated town. County seat Tryon. 25 listings across 2 towns. Central Time.

Getting there: NE 97 from North Platte (about 35 road miles) or Mullen; NE 92 from Stapleton or Arthur.

For visitors: bring what you need — Tryon has the courthouse, school and post office, and the nearest hospital is in North Platte.