Harrison Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Village · Sioux County · County seat · Population 239 (2020 census) · ZIP 69346 · Founded 1886 · Peak population 500 (1940)

About Harrison

Harrison is a village of 239 (2020), the seat of Sioux County and its only incorporated town, on the high tableland of the Pine Ridge country about 10 miles east of the Wyoming line. At about 4,876 feet it is billed as Nebraska's highest town ("Nebraska's Top Town"), a few feet above Bushnell. US 20, the Bridges to Buttes Byway, runs through town, and NE 29 starts here and runs south on Main Street to Agate Fossil Beds and Mitchell. The nearest hospitals are in Lusk, Wyoming, and Chadron. Harrison is on Mountain Time.

History

A railroad camp here was called Summit for its height. When the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad, later the Chicago & North Western's "Cowboy Line," arrived in June 1886, a tent town named Bowen was platted, and on August 15, 1886, rancher Charles F. Coffee shipped the first trainload of cattle from here to Chicago. Bowen won the county-seat election of January 1887 over Bodarc, Andrews, Montrose and the S-E Ranch. Because Nebraska already had a Bowen, the town was renamed Harrison on June 20, 1887, and it incorporated on April 7, 1888. Water had to be hauled from Sowbelly Canyon until a town well was dug.

The present courthouse was built in 1930, with the original 1888 jail behind it, and the population peaked at 500 in 1940. Dwight P. Griswold, governor of Nebraska from 1941 to 1947 and later a U.S. senator, was born here in 1893. The railroad through town has been abandoned; a loading dock of the depot remains on First Street.

Highways and trails through Harrison

Route	One way	Other way
US 20The Bridges to Buttes Byway, through town	East across the Pine Ridge to Fort Robinson, Crawford and Chadron	West to Van Tassell and Lusk, Wyoming
NE 29Starts at US 20; south on Main Street	South to Agate Fossil Beds and Mitchell	Ends at US 20

Nearby towns

Coffee Siding	about 8 mi west	US 20
Andrews	about 9 mi east-southeast	County roads
Bodarc	about 9 mi northeast	Pants Butte Road
Glen	about 16 mi east-southeast	US 20
Story	about 17 mi north	Monroe Canyon Road
Montrose	about 18 mi north-northeast	County roads
Agate	about 19 mi south-southeast	NE 29
Crawford	about 24 mi east	US 20
Lusk, Wyoming	about 29 mi west	US 20

Things to see

the 1930 Sioux County Courthouse, Main and 3rd Sts. (National Register), with the 1888 jail behind it · the Sioux County Historical Museum on the east side of South Main St., with the 1924 Harrison Sun building, the 1903 post office and a log school (open late May to mid-September; free) · the Village of Harrison state marker at US 20 and Kate St. · Harrison City Park, with free RV pads, and the Sage Motel & Campground · the Longhorn Saloon & Grill, 168 Main St. · the Sioux County Public Library, 182 W. 3rd St. · Gilbert-Baker WMA, 4–6 mi north on Monroe Canyon Road, with free primitive camping and a trout stream · Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, about 22 mi south on NE 29 (no fee) · the Sioux County Fair in late July and early August

Events in Harrison

Sioux County Fair
Sioux County Fair, a county fair in Harrison, Nebraska.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Sioux County Public Schools, 435 Kate St., (308) 668-2415: Sioux County High School (9–12), 435 Kate St.; Harrison Grade School (PK–8), 240 W. 3rd St.; and the rural Chalk Butte and Pink schools

Health care: No clinic in the county; nearest hospitals are Niobrara Community Hospital in Lusk, Wyoming, about 29 mi, and Chadron Community Hospital, about 46 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Who's Who in Nebraska, Sioux County (1940); Lilian L. Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (1925); Nebraska Blue Book (1926); History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations; National Park Service (Agate Fossil Beds); U.S. Forest Service (Oglala National Grassland); Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Sioux County; Northwest Nebraska tourism; Sioux County Public Schools data (NCES); Find a Grave; HMdb; KOLN; Star-Herald. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.