Marsland is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in southwestern

Dawes County Dawes County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 9,182. Its county seat is Chadron. The county was formed in 1885; it was named for James W. Dawes, the Nebraska Governor at the time ...

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 southwe ...

, United States. It lies on the

Niobrara River The Niobrara River (; oma, Ní Ubthátha khe, , literally "water spread-out horizontal-the" or "The Wide-Spreading Water") is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Many early settlers, such as Mari Sando ...

along Nebraska Highways 2 and 71, 18 miles south of Crawford, and southwest of the city of Chadron, 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 st ...

of Dawes County. Its elevation is 4,160 feet (1,298 m), and its ZIP code is 69354.

History

Marsland was founded on August 28, 1889. The town was one of many that was located along the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. Aptly, it was named after Thomas Marsland, who was the railroad's general freight manager at the time. The post office at Corbin was moved into Marsland about the same time.
1925 edition
is available for download a
University of Nebraska—Lincoln Digital Commons.
/ref> Originally, the town's economy depended upon the construction of the Belmont Tunnel, located some miles north of Marsland near Belmont. The tunnel was finished in 1890, the year that many new businesses were established in Marsland, including a

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

, grocery store, and blacksmith shop. In 1895 a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

was built in the downtown district, and the year after, two churches were established. Several economies that kept the community's workforce employed over the years included a flour mill and ice production. Marsland's population peaked at 200 in 1910. In the years immediately following, a number of fires consumed a large portion of the town's business district. Over the next several decades, many families left because of drought and financial hardships, moving their houses with them. Today, only a minimal number of houses and several commercial building remain. Although it is still occupied by a small number of residents, Marsland is largely considered a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

Education

The first school in Marsland was built in 1890. A new two-story school with a basement was built in 1915 of brick fabricated by a local Mr. Bell. Both floors had two large rooms separated by a hallway. The school served children in both primary and secondary grades from Marsland and the surrounding rural area. In 1947 the school was condemned, as the building shook whenever the wind blew. Thus, the second story was removed and the remaining structure renovated. The institution stopped offering high school classes in 1951, and the elementary school was closed in 1992, when Marsland's student body was consolidated into the Hemingford school district. The building still stands and is under private ownership.

References

{{Dawes County, Nebraska Unincorporated communities in Dawes County, Nebraska Unincorporated communities in Nebraska