Walthill Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Walthill Area Cameras

Village · Thurston County · Population 682 (2020 census) · ZIP 68067 · Founded 1906 · Peak population 1,204 (1940)

About Walthill

Walthill is a village of 682 on NE 94 just west of US 77, within the Omaha Reservation. It has Walthill Public Schools, the Picotte Center in Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte's 1913 hospital, the Walthill Public Library, the Omaha Tribe's Lucky 77 Casino and the Omaha Nation Supermarket.

History

A store and post office called Quinton, opened in 1892, moved to the new Burlington rail line in 1905–06. The townsite lots were sold on May 22, 1906; the post office became Walthill on June 15, 1906, named for Walter Hill, son of railroad builder James J. Hill, and the village incorporated on December 10, 1906. The population peaked at 1,204 in 1940.

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, daughter of Omaha chief Joseph La Flesche, graduated from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1889, the first Native American to earn a medical degree. She moved to Walthill in 1906 and raised money privately to build a hospital, which opened in January 1913, the first on a reservation built without government funds. She died on September 18, 1915. The hospital was named a National Historic Landmark in 1993 and reopened in June 2025 as the Picotte Center, with museum space and workspace for artists and businesses. Her 1907 house at 100 S. Taft St. is also on the National Register.

Highways and trails through Walthill

Route	One way	Other way
NE 94Main Street	West to Pender (about 13 mi)	East to US 75 near Macy (about 5 mi)
US 77North–south just east of town	North to Winnebago (about 7 mi) and Sioux City	South to Rosalie (about 9 mi) and Lyons

Nearby towns

Macy	about 6.5 mi east	NE 94 and US 75
Winnebago	about 7 mi north	US 77
Rosalie	about 9.5 mi south	US 77 and Spur S-87B
Pender	about 13 mi west	NE 94
Lyons	about 15 mi south	US 77

Things to see

Picotte Center, 505 Matthewson St. (National Historic Landmark) · Susan La Flesche Picotte House, 100 S. Taft St. (National Register; private) · Walthill Public Library, 323 Main St. · Lucky 77 Casino, 200 Main St.

Schools and health care

Schools: Walthill Public Schools: elementary (pre-K–6) and high school (7–12), 602 Main St.

Health care: No hospital; Twelve Clans Unity Hospital, Winnebago (about 7 mi); UNMC specialty clinics for children meet quarterly at the Picotte Center

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Thurston County; Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska; Omaha Tribe of Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.