Tobias Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Tobias Area Cameras

Village · Saline County · Population 114 (2020 census) · ZIP 68453 · Founded 1884 · Peak population 672 (1900)

About Tobias

Tobias is a village of 114 in the southwest corner of Saline County on NE 74, near the Fillmore County line. The Willard L. Meyer Recreation Area is about 5 miles northeast, and students attend Meridian Public Schools.

History

In 1884 the Lincoln Land Company platted a town named Castor on the new Burlington line west of DeWitt, passing by the older post office of Atlanta. Postal officials refused the name as too close to Custer, so railroad right-of-way man Tobias Castor offered his first name, approved on March 17, 1884. By 1886 Main Street had as many as 60 businesses, and about 500 people lived here in 1887.

A fire in 1891 destroyed 22 buildings, and the business district was rebuilt in brick and stone. The population peaked at 672 in 1900; the fire department followed in 1905 and a brick K–12 school in 1914. Drought, the Depression and the automobile took their toll, and both banks closed. In 1967 Tobias joined Daykin and Alexandria in the Meridian school district.

Highways and trails through Tobias

Route	One way	Other way
NE 74Through the village	East to its end at NE 15	West into Fillmore County

Nearby towns

Ohiowa	about 6 mi west	NE 74
Milligan	about 6 mi north-northwest	County roads
Daykin	about 7 mi south-southeast	County roads
Western	about 7 mi east-southeast	NE 74 and NE 15
Swanton	about 14 mi east-southeast	County roads
Geneva	about 16 mi west-northwest	County roads

Things to see

The Willard L. Meyer Recreation Area (Swan Lake), about 3 mi east and 2 mi north: a lake of about 95 acres with electric campsites, a beach, a fishing pier and trails · Lone Star Recreation Area (Little Blue NRD), about 2 mi west in Fillmore County · the Tobias Community Historical Society · Swan Creek WMA, about 8 mi northeast · St. Joseph Catholic Church and Zion Lutheran Church

Schools and health care

Schools: Meridian Public Schools: Meridian Elementary (PK–6) and Meridian High School (7–12), one campus at 72380 560th Ave., west of Daykin in Jefferson County

Health care: No clinic in Tobias; nearest hospitals: Friend Community Healthcare System (Warren Memorial Hospital), 905 2nd St., Friend, 402-947-2541, a rural emergency hospital with a 24-hour emergency room and outpatient care; or Jefferson Community Health & Life, Fairbury

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Saline County and NEGenWeb Saline County histories; History Nebraska and its historical markers; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Lower Big Blue NRD; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Bryan Health; city, village, school, museum and hospital websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.