MARSLAND
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MARSLAND |
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NAME: Marsland COUNTY: Dawes ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Snow in winter, warm summers BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring to Fall |
COMMENTS:
Few residences...Town is located 12 miles
west and 9 miles north of Hemingford along Highway 2. Also see Belmont a
few miles further north. Semi-Ghost. UPDATE: The Marsland State Bank has
been torn down along with a few other abandoned homes in an effort to clean-up
the location. Brian Garner REMAINS: Few buildings and homes |
| Marsland was named after Thomas Marsland, a general freight agent of the CB&Q Railroad. The first buildings were a post office, railroad station and Presbyterian church. The post office was established in 1886. The first school was opened in 1890 and later a large two story building with a basement was erected. In 1949 the second floor was removed due to the building shaking when the wind blew (In western Nebraska that is almost everyday). The population at one time was about 800 people. Potatoes were one of the main crops and cattle were driven to town to be shipped off by rail. There was also an ice harvesting business for ice blocks out of the Niobrara River during the winter. The blocks were stored in an icehouse and used to refridgerate boxcars for the railroad. Marsland was victim to many fires, as they swept through town in 1911, 1913, 1914, and 1928. The drought and grasshopper plaque took a heavy toll on the town. When the bank went broke during the depression and the potatoe business ceased to thrive, people began moving out. By 1943 at leat 35 houses were moved out. Passenger train serviced ended in August of 1969. The post office is the only business in operation now as only 9 people live there today.(Information was obtained from the following website: www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/ dawes/marsland/marsland.htm) Submitted by: Brian Garner/Michelle Gray |
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