Harrison is a village in Sioux County,

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 sout ...

, United States. The population was 239 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Sioux County.

History

Harrison was originally called Bowen, and under that name 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 1886, when the Fremont, Elkhorn, & Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It was renamed Harrison in 1887, in honor of

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

. Harrison was incorporated in 1889.

Geography

Harrison is located at (42.687984, -103.882115), on the American

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, a ...

. 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. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the village has a total area of , all land. At , Harrison has the highest elevation of any town in Nebraska, prompting it to bill itself as "Nebraska's Top Town". The area around Harrison largely consists of grass-covered plains. Grasses and other flora present include little bluestem, prairie sandreed, blue grama, and needle and thread grass. Wildflowers in the area include

lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

spiderwort ''Tradescantia'' () is a genus of 85 species of herbaceous perennial wildflowers in the family Commelinaceae, native to the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina, including the West Indies. Members of the genus are known by many com ...

, western wallflower, and

sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), ...

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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 251 people, 134 households, and 69 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 186 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.4%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

and 1.6% 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 1.6% of the population. There were 134 households, of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% 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 ...

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.5% were non-families. 47.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age in the village was 50.7 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 28.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 279 people, 137 households, and 80 families residing in the village. The

was 905.5 people per square mile (347.5/km). There were 179 housing units at an average density of 580.9 per square mile (222.9/km). The racial makeup of the village was 98.92%

, 0.36% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population. There were 137 households, out of which 16.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were

living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 40.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.68. In the village, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 28.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $29,688. Males had a median income of $25,500 versus $21,250 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 $15,071. About 11.8% of families and 18.6% 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 33.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.8% of those 65 or over.

Climate

Harrison 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 ''Dfb''), with high diurnal temperature variation year round as a result of its high elevation and far inland location.

Area attractions

Entering Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. National Monument near Harrison, Nebraska. The main features of the monument are a valley of the Niobrara River and the fossils found on Carnegie Hill and University Hill. The area largely consists ...

, maintained by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

is 25 minutes south of Harrison on River Road, Nebraska State Route 29. The site is best known for the large number of well-preserved

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s on display, which date from about 20 million years ago, and are among some of the best specimens of Miocene mammals. The monument's museum collection also contains more than 500 items from the Cook Collection of Plains Indian artifacts, originally from the Agate Springs Ranch, a working cattle ranch, owned by Harold J. Cook. The Cook Homestead (Bone Cabin Complex) is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Highways

* - east–west route through Harrison (Bridges to Buttes Byway) * - route going south out of Harrison (Main Street)

Notable people

Dwight Griswold Dwight Palmer Griswold (November 27, 1893April 12, 1954) was an American publisher and politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. He served as the 25th List of governors of Nebraska, governor of Nebraska from 1941 to 1947, and in the United Sta ...

, Governor of Nebraska from 1940 to 1946, and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from 1952 to 1954, was born in Harrison.

References

External links

Sioux County
{{authority control Villages in Sioux County, Nebraska Villages in Nebraska County seats in Nebraska Populated places established in 1886 1886 establishments in Nebraska