Fairbury (Nebraska)

Jefferson County

31-16410

Fairbury is a city and the county seat ( county seat ) of Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Nebraska.

History

Fairbury was in the 19th century part of the Oregon Trail. The Settlers James B. Mattingly and Woodford G. McDowell used each of their 80 warranted by the Homestead Act 160 acres of land and built a city. They suspected that at their site the railway line would run along. It eventually became an intermediate station of the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad. Since McDowell came from Fairbury, Illinois, a name was found in 1869 in the foundation quickly. School was still held in Mattinglys hut in the founding year. 1870, the first hotel was built and there was with the Fairbury Gazette, the first newspaper. In 1874 Fairbury had 600 inhabitants, a bank and 44 shops. The Chicago Rock Iceland & Pacific Railway was built in 1887 in Fairbury, a 18- pronged round house and employed up to 500 employees. The population rose to 6500 in 1935. As with the introduction of the diesel fuel a round house lost its meaning, many people wandered off again. Around 1952, the house was closed.

Geography

Fairbury is located in southeastern Nebraska on U.S. Highway 136 and at the Nebraska State Route 15, about 15 km from the border with the state of Kansas.

Demography

According to United States Census 2000 Fairbury has 4,262 inhabitants, of whom 1,982 men and 2,280 women.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Kerry Strayer (1956-2013), jazz musician