Our Story

Republican City has called Harlan County home for more than 150 years. The community's story began in 1871, when some of the area's earliest settlers arrived in the Republican River Valley. Dr. John McPherson of Brownville, Nebraska, and his son Charles were among those who established the town near the mouth of Mill Creek. The new community was named for the Republican River, which would become an important part of its story for generations to come.
 

Republican City grew quickly during its early years. Homes and businesses appeared alongside schools, churches and local newspapers as families established themselves in the growing community. By the late 1870s, Republican City was described as a thriving village, and an 1882 history recorded a population of approximately 500 people.
 

Life along the Republican River brought both opportunity and hardship. Flooding was a recurring danger throughout the valley, including the devastating Republican River flood of 1935. In the years that followed, plans developed for a major flood-control project that would eventually become Harlan County Dam and Reservoir. Construction began in 1946, bringing enormous change to the area surrounding Republican City.
 

The original townsite stood within the area that would be affected by the new reservoir. As the project moved forward, Republican City faced an extraordinary challenge: the community would have to move. Homes, businesses and community life were relocated to higher ground as residents prepared to leave the original town behind. The reservoir began filling in 1952, forever changing the landscape of the Republican River Valley.

But Republican City's story did not end with the old town.
 

The community rebuilt near what is now Harlan County Lake, carrying with it its name, traditions, memories and sense of home. Generations of residents continued building the community that exists today.
 

More than 150 years after its beginning, Republican City remains a small Nebraska town with a remarkable past...a community shaped by the river that gave it its name, the lake that changed its landscape, and generations of people who have called it home.
 

And our story continues.