Big Springs is a village in

Deuel County Deuel County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Deuel County, Nebraska: named for Harry Porter Deuel, a long time railroad official who resided in Omaha, NE * Deuel County, South Dakota: named for Jacob S. Deuel, a pioneer an ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

, United States. The population was 400 at the 2010 census.

History

The first name of the settlement was "Lone Tree", after a large cottonwood tree standing alone on the prairie near the town. It was believed to be over 100 years old at the time of first settlement and could be seen by riders on the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

and travelers on the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...

. Sam Bass's gang reportedly divided $60,000 in loot under the tree from an 1877 robbery of a Union Pacific train. The railroad named this stop "Big Springs" in 1867. Spring water from near the track was used by steam locomotives until 1950. Big Springs was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1884, and named for the stream that runs through town. The Big Springs post office, established in 1884, was officially called Bigspring until 1943. The village of Big Springs was incorporated in 1917. The county fair was held in Big Springs from 1889 to 1932. Chappell, the only other town in the county, became the county seat. In 1884, the first church services were held by the Rev. E. E. Mount in the Phelps Hotel. The first church in the county, called Prospect Church, was a sod building constructed north of town in 1887. In 1965,

Duane Earl Pope Duane Earl Pope (born February 8, 1943) is an American mass murderer and former fugitive serving a life sentence for the violent 1965 robbery of the Farmers State Bank in Big Springs, Nebraska, in which three people were murdered and one was lef ...

robbed the Farmers State Bank in Big Springs, killing 3 people.

Geography

Big Springs is located at (41.063399, -102.075111). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the village has a total area of , all land. Interstate 76 intersects

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

near the village.

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

, formerly known as the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...

, intersects

U.S. Route 138 U.S. Highway 138 (US 138), commissioned in 1926, is an east–west U.S. Highway in Colorado and Nebraska that travels predominantly northeast to southwest, paralleling the South Platte River and Interstate 76 (I-76). Similarly to th ...

approximately three miles to the north.

Climate

Big Springs has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfa''). The station being far inland means it is prone to vast temperature swings. On average between 1991 and 2020, the coldest day of the year had a high of and the warmest night had a low of . High

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak ...

is common year round. On average there are 173 air frosts but just 28 ice days.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 400 people, 186 households, and 119 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 217 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.5%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.8% Native American, 2.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population. There were 186 households, of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.65. The median age in the village was 50.1 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.6% were from 25 to 44; 37.1% were from 45 to 64; and 22% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.8% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 418 people, 187 households, and 124 families residing in the village. The

was 1,135.0 people per square mile (436.2/km²). There were 216 housing units at an average density of 586.5 per square mile (225.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.93%

, 0.48% Native American, 3.35% from

, and 0.24% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.26% of the population. There were 187 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.79. In the village, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $25,536 versus $15,962 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,319. About 5.4% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notes

References

{{authority control Villages in Deuel County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska