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History · Merriman

Merriman dates to 1885, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1910.

1885founded
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Merriman began, and where its name came from

When was Merriman founded?

1885

Merriman dates its founding to 1885 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 254 in 19102020 census: 87141 years

How did Merriman get its name?

Merriman was named for J. Merriman, a railroad official.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1886. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Merriman’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 Merriman are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 362 in 1930; 87 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Merriman’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Merriman’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Merriman, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 362

Peaked at 362 in 1930; 87 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Merriman came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Merriman.

Read it all →

Merriman was established in 1885 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for J. Merriman, a railroad official.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Merriman, 1885 to 1951

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885
    FoundingMerriman is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Merriman post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1923Born hereVal Logsdon Fitch is born here
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 362
  7. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Merriman, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Windmill on a desolate field in mid-December, near Merriman in Cherry County, Nebraska2021Windmill on a desolate field in mid-December, near Me…Remnants of a long-disused grain elevator still stand outside Merriman, Nebraska2021Remnants of a long-disused grain elevator still stand…Nebraska welcome sign at the border with South Dakota, near Merriman in Cherry County, Nebraska2021Nebraska welcome sign at the border with South Dakota…Merriman, Nebraska from S 12012Merriman, Nebraska from S 1Merriman, Nebraska Mills Street 22012Merriman, Nebraska Mills Street 2Merriman, Nebraska Mills Street 12012Merriman, Nebraska Mills Street 1Merriman, Nebraska2012Merriman, NebraskaMerriman, Nebraska2012Merriman, NebraskaNEMap-doton-Merriman2005NEMap-doton-Merriman
On the map

Merriman on the map, 1951 to 1990

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

Merriman on the 1951 USGS mapMerriman on the 1990 USGS map1951Merriman sheet · 1:62,500

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

Questions about Merriman’s history

What year was Merriman founded?

In 1885, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Merriman’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1910 counted 254 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 (6), the Library of Congress (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.