ne incorrect map led to more than a decade of
confusion regarding six nonexistent counties in
western Nebraska. How did such a mistake happen,
and why did it take so long to fix it?
The mystery has been solved by Brian Croft of Scottsbluff,
an English instructor at Western Nebraska Community
College and avid map collector. Croft's research shows not
only how maps were compiled in the frontier days, but also
how little known the Panhandle was to mapmakers, and even
to many Nebraskans.
The story begins in 1855, when Nebraska's first territorial
legislature began organizing counties. Nebraska's original
eight counties grew to 40 by 1861. County creation slowed
during the Civil War, then picked up again when Nebraska
became a state in 1867. During this time commercial
mapmakers strove to keep up with all the changes.
In mid-1867, the well-known Colton mapmaking company
of New York published Colton's Township Map of the State
of Nebraska, which showed the counties of Lyon, Taylor,
Monroe, Harrison, Jackson and Grant. Collectively, the six
counties covered almost one-fifth of the state's land. There
was just one problem: the counties didn't actually exist.
Most people didn't know that. Even Nebraska's genuine
boundaries were new, and many people had only a vague
idea of what was actually out there. General Land Office
A Brief History
Western Nebraska's "Ghost" Counties
By Joy Carey and David Bristow, Nebraska State
Historical Society
O
One of the many maps that copied the mistake, New Rail Road and Township Map of Nebraska shows the nonexistent Lyon, Taylor,
Monroe, Harrison, Jackson and Grant counties, and mistakenly places Julesberg, Colorado, inside Nebraska. Croft Collection.
12 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2016