Soapweed
Well-known member
CHERRY COUNTY PRIDE
By Steve Moreland – June 21, 2019
Cherry County is wonderful cattle country in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills, and has more mother cows than any other county in the nation. This has always been a source of pride for those of us who live here. Bovine residents number approximately 166,000 mother cows along with their offspring and the bulls necessary to make the offspring possible.
Cherry County was named after Lieutenant Samuel A. Cherry, an Army officer who was stationed at Fort Niobrara and killed by a drunken soldier in 1881. Cherry County is one of the biggest counties in the nation, being approximately 96 miles east to west, and 63 miles north to south. Land area encompasses 6,009 square miles, or about 3,845,000 acres. It is by far Nebraska's biggest county in land area, and is larger than the state of Connecticut, or the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
As of the 2010 United States Census, the population in Cherry County was 5,713 residents. Valentine (population 2,737) is the county seat, so nearly half of the people of the county live in this town. Putting facts into perspective, there is more than one square mile per person in the county, and if you don't consider Valentine proper, there is two square miles of land per person. We are indeed fortunate to have an abundance of fresh air, pure water, and plenty of "elbow room." All of these attributes are in short supply world-wide, and we are truly blessed.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Cherry County is represented by the prefix "66." In 2014, the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles started selling new specialty plates, featuring a herd of white-faced cattle grazing amid green hills and the words "The Beef State." These are nice, and cost a premium for those who wish to have them. However, for those of us living in Cherry County who have always possessed "66" plates, pride in our cattle country identity is already firmly established. That is as good as it gets.
Back quite a few years ago, Washabaugh County was a county in South Dakota. It was named after Frank J. Washabaugh, a prominent South Dakota politician of the time. It was first established in 1883 as a county in Dakota Territory, and continued on after South Dakota became a state in 1889. Washabaugh remained an unorganized county, attached to various other counties for judicial purposes, until it merged with Jackson County in 1983. In the South Dakota license plate system, Washabaugh County was number 66.
A rancher from north of the state line had pulled into Valentine one day. As he parked and emerged from his car, a local rancher standing nearby observed intently. He walked completely around the visiting vehicle, carefully studied both the front and back license plates, and drawled his words to the newcomer, "Well, I didn't know there was a Cherry County, South Dakota."
Cherry County pride coming through!
By Steve Moreland – June 21, 2019
Cherry County is wonderful cattle country in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills, and has more mother cows than any other county in the nation. This has always been a source of pride for those of us who live here. Bovine residents number approximately 166,000 mother cows along with their offspring and the bulls necessary to make the offspring possible.
Cherry County was named after Lieutenant Samuel A. Cherry, an Army officer who was stationed at Fort Niobrara and killed by a drunken soldier in 1881. Cherry County is one of the biggest counties in the nation, being approximately 96 miles east to west, and 63 miles north to south. Land area encompasses 6,009 square miles, or about 3,845,000 acres. It is by far Nebraska's biggest county in land area, and is larger than the state of Connecticut, or the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
As of the 2010 United States Census, the population in Cherry County was 5,713 residents. Valentine (population 2,737) is the county seat, so nearly half of the people of the county live in this town. Putting facts into perspective, there is more than one square mile per person in the county, and if you don't consider Valentine proper, there is two square miles of land per person. We are indeed fortunate to have an abundance of fresh air, pure water, and plenty of "elbow room." All of these attributes are in short supply world-wide, and we are truly blessed.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Cherry County is represented by the prefix "66." In 2014, the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles started selling new specialty plates, featuring a herd of white-faced cattle grazing amid green hills and the words "The Beef State." These are nice, and cost a premium for those who wish to have them. However, for those of us living in Cherry County who have always possessed "66" plates, pride in our cattle country identity is already firmly established. That is as good as it gets.
Back quite a few years ago, Washabaugh County was a county in South Dakota. It was named after Frank J. Washabaugh, a prominent South Dakota politician of the time. It was first established in 1883 as a county in Dakota Territory, and continued on after South Dakota became a state in 1889. Washabaugh remained an unorganized county, attached to various other counties for judicial purposes, until it merged with Jackson County in 1983. In the South Dakota license plate system, Washabaugh County was number 66.
A rancher from north of the state line had pulled into Valentine one day. As he parked and emerged from his car, a local rancher standing nearby observed intently. He walked completely around the visiting vehicle, carefully studied both the front and back license plates, and drawled his words to the newcomer, "Well, I didn't know there was a Cherry County, South Dakota."
Cherry County pride coming through!