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History · Bertrand

Bertrand dates to 1884, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1890.

1884founded
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Bertrand began, and where its name came from

When was Bertrand founded?

1884

Bertrand dates its founding to 1884 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 265 in 18902020 census: 709142 years

How did Bertrand get its name?

Bertrand was named for a railroad official.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1879. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bertrand’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bertrand are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18963 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1985. Watch Bertrand change.Old housesHalf of Bertrand’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bertrand’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bertrand’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Bertrand on the map, 1896 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bertrand. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bertrand on the 1896 USGS mapBertrand on the 1971 USGS mapBertrand on the 1985 USGS map1896Lexington sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bertrand.

The story

How Bertrand came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bertrand.

Read it all →

Bertrand was established in 1884 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for a railroad official. Bertrand was incorporated as a village in 1885.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bertrand, 1879 to 1896

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879Post officeThe Whitewater post office opens
  3. 1884
    FoundingBertrand is established
  4. 1885Post officeThe Whitewater post office closes
  5. 1885Post officeThe Bertrand post office opens
  6. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bertrand, decade by decade

Today5 recent
2022-09-11 15 55 35 Aerial view southward across western Phelps County, Nebraska, centered just south of the village of20222022-09-11 15 55 35 Aerial view southward across west…Bertrand, Nebraska downtown 32010Bertrand, Nebraska downtown 3Bertrand, Nebraska downtown 22010Bertrand, Nebraska downtown 2Bertrand, Nebraska downtown 12010Bertrand, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Bertrand2005NEMap-doton-Bertrand
People over time

Bertrand, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 786

Between 265 and 786 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bertrand’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Bertrand’s post office has been open since 1885. Another post office, Whitewater, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Whitewater
1879–1885
Bertrand
1885–today
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Bertrand’s history

What year was Bertrand founded?

In 1884, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bertrand’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1890 counted 265 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.