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History · Morse Bluff Township

Morse Bluff Township dates to 1887, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1900.

1887founded
1on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Morse Bluff Township began, and where its name came from

When was Morse Bluff Township founded?

1887

Morse Bluff Township dates its founding to 1887 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 177 in 19002020 census: 352139 years

How did Morse Bluff Township get its name?

Morse Bluff Township was named for Chester Morse, the original owner of the town site.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1888. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Morse Bluff Township’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 Morse Bluff Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1982. Watch Morse Bluff Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 215 in 1920; 117 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Morse Bluff Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Morse Bluff Township’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

Morse Bluff Township on the map, 1899 to 1982

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

Morse Bluff Township on the 1899 USGS mapMorse Bluff Township on the 1968 USGS mapMorse Bluff Township on the 1982 USGS map1899Wahoo 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 Morse Bluff Township.

People over time

Morse Bluff Township, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 215

Peaked at 215 in 1920; 117 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Morse Bluff Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Morse Bluff Township.

Read it all →

Morse Bluff was platted in 1887 when the Chicago & North Western Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Chester Morse, the original owner of the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Morse Bluff Township, 1887 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887
    FoundingMorse Bluff Township is established
  3. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 215
By decade

Morse Bluff Township, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Morse Bluff, Nebraska post office2011Morse Bluff, Nebraska post officeMorse Bluff, Nebraska downtown 32011Morse Bluff, Nebraska downtown 3Morse Bluff, Nebraska downtown 22011Morse Bluff, Nebraska downtown 2Morse Bluff, Nebraska downtown 12011Morse Bluff, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Morse Bluff2005NEMap-doton-Morse Bluff
On the National Register

1 historic place in Morse Bluff Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cotterell TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth Cedar TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBohemia TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDouglas TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Morse Bluff Township’s history

What year was Morse Bluff Township founded?

In 1887, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Morse Bluff Township’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1900 counted 177 people here.

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 (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.