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History · Morrill

Morrill’s post office opened in 1901, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1910.

1901first post office
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Morrill began

When was Morrill founded?

1901

The Morrill post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Collins (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 346 in 19102020 census: 934125 years
Founding year: the first Morrill post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Morrill’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 Morrill are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Morrill change.Old housesHalf of Morrill’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Morrill’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Morrill’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

Morrill on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Morrill on the 1898 USGS mapMorrill on the 1963 USGS mapMorrill on the 1985 USGS map1898Scotts Bluff 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 Morrill.

The story

How Morrill came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Morrill.

Read it all →

In 1886, settlers from the vicinity of Fort Collins, Colorado found a fertile valley at the mouth of the Sheep Creek draw about a mile north of present-day Morrill. There, they established a settlement to which they gave the name of Collins.

In the early 1900s, the impending arrival of the Burlington Railroad in the vicinity prompted the relocation of the town. Spurred by the rumor that a depot would be built in the area, Charles Henry Morrill, president of the Lincoln Land Company, platted the new townsite about a mile from Collins. The new settlement, which bore Morrill's name, was incorporated in 1907.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Morrill, 1889 to 1901

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889Post officeThe Collins post office opens
  3. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1901Post officeThe Collins post office closes
  6. 1901Post officeThe Morrill post office opens
By decade

Morrill, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Scotts Bluff County Road Map2015Scotts Bluff County Road MapMapMorrill, Nebraska downtown 32012Morrill, Nebraska downtown 3Morrill, Nebraska downtown 22012Morrill, Nebraska downtown 2Morrill, Nebraska downtown 12012Morrill, Nebraska downtown 1
People over time

Morrill, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,097

Between 346 and 1,097 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Morrill

Nobody well known was born in Morrill itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Randy MeisnerAmerican musician and founding member of the Ea… · b. 1946
Adrian SmithAmerican politician · b. 1970
Frank HopkinsAmerican horseman · b. 1865
William Kent KruegerAmerican author and novelist · b. 1950
Michael PunkeAmerican jurist and lawyer · b. 1964
Stephanie A. BurnsAmerican organosilicon chemist and businesswoman · b. 1955
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Morrill’s post office has been open since 1901. Another post office, Collins, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Collins
1889–1901
Morrill
1901–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Morrill Mobile Home Estates

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

Questions about Morrill’s history

What year was Morrill founded?

The Morrill post office opened in 1901, 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 →
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 (4), 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.