| |
Tucked away in the southwest corner of Chase County Nebraska
is a little piece of paradise known as the Village of Wauneta.
It’s situated between Highway 6 and the Frenchman River, some
265 miles east of Denver and 363 miles west of Omaha.
Rich in history, Wauneta has been known as a “working man’s
town” since the day of its inception.
Originally formed by the proclamation of Governor Dawes on April
12, 1886, Wauneta came alive to become one of the three voting
districts in Chase County; although the area had been inhabited
for many years prior to that.
As history tells us, Wauneta was first settled as a cattle camp
by George Rowley and his family in 1877. Years prior to that,
trappers and Native Americans lived throughout the area and took
advantage of the abundant wild life and fresh water that the
Frenchman River provided.
It’s said that during the early years of Wauneta cowboys would
travel as much as thirty miles on horseback just to hear Sarah
Rowley, George’s wife, play her piano and sing, in the sod house
that the Rowley family built. One of Sarah’s favorite songs
was—Juanita.
As far as we know, the name “Wauneta” was altered from the name
“Juanita” when postal service needed to be officially
established. The residents first petitioned for the spelling to
be “Juanita” but there was already a town in Nebraska with a
similar name, so to save confusion it was suggested to use the
name “Wauneta” and so the little village began to grow.
Mail was delivered on horseback, from Culbertson, until 1892
when Burlington Railroad completed its line to Imperial. When
the train first pulled through Wauneta on January 28th, 1892 all
it carried was the Burlington officials, but there was still a
crowd that came out to great them.
There’s more to life in Wauneta than farming and ranching. They
have an immense loyalty to the public school and providing
activities for its citizens.
The Wauneta Public School that exists today sits on the very
spot that the first village school occupied back in 1887.
Wauneta has a strong tradition of dedication to its school and
all the programs it offers.
Besides school, the kids in town as well as the adults can
always find something to do. There is a large public library and
a 20-acre park with a baseball field, outdoor swimming pool,
tennis courts, paved walking path, 2 large children’s play areas
and covered picnic tables. There are meeting facilities, movies
on the weekends and bingo at the Senior Center almost every
Thursday night.
Even though ranching and farming has been the economic engine
that drives the communities in this area, there is so much more
to it. It’s the strong family bonds and good sense of community
that keep it all on track.
Throughout Wauneta’s history, its citizens have lived through a
gamut of natural disasters and many other hard-ships, but their
loyalty to their families and to the community has kept them
strong, and in this they find their vision of the future.
(2004 Wauneta Comprehensive Development Plan) |
|
|
