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History · Broadwater

Broadwater’s post office opened in 1900, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1920.

1900first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Broadwater began, and where its name came from

When was Broadwater founded?

1900

The Broadwater post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 364 in 19202020 census: 95126 years

How did Broadwater get its name?

Broadwater was named for one General Broadwater, the friend of a railroad official.

Founding year: the first Broadwater post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Broadwater’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 Broadwater 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 Broadwater change.Old housesHalf of Broadwater’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Broadwater’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Broadwater’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

Broadwater on the map, 1896 to 1985

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

Broadwater on the 1896 USGS mapBroadwater on the 1965 USGS mapBroadwater on the 1985 USGS map1896Browns Creek 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 Broadwater.

The story

How Broadwater came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Broadwater.

Read it all →

The Battle of Rush Creek between the U.S. army and warriors of the Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux, and Arapaho Indian tribes took place in 1865, 4 miles (6 km) southeast of present-day Broadwater, where Cedar Creek enters the North Platte River.

Broadwater got its start in 1909 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for one General Broadwater, the friend of a railroad official.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Broadwater, decade by decade

Today12 recent
A very, very old, long-abandoned motel whose colorful facade remains strikingly visible (if fading), in the tiny villag…2021A very, very old, long-abandoned motel whose colorful…A very, very old, long-abandoned motel whose colorful facade remains strikingly visible (if fading), in the tiny villag…2021A very, very old, long-abandoned motel whose colorful…A very, very old, long-abandoned motel whose colorful facade remains strikingly visible (if fading), in the tiny villag…2021A very, very old, long-abandoned motel whose colorful…In this scene in the tiny village of Broadwater, Nebraska, invoking stories of westward-bound pioneers, the wagon, some…2021In this scene in the tiny village of Broadwater, Nebr…This old gasoline station (its pumps are long gone) in the tiny village of Broadwater, Nebraska (population just over 1…2021This old gasoline station (its pumps are long gone) i…This section of the tiny village of Broadwater, Nebraska (population just over 100), has seen better days2021This section of the tiny village of Broadwater, Nebra…Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 42010Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 4Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 32010Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 3Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 22010Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 2Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 12010Broadwater, Nebraska downtown 1Broadwater- The Rapture of Spring P71701912007Broadwater- The Rapture of Spring P7170191NEMap-doton-Broadwater2005NEMap-doton-Broadwater
People over time

Broadwater, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 368

Between 95 and 368 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Questions about Broadwater’s history

What year was Broadwater founded?

The Broadwater post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (6), the Library of Congress (6), 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.