BlockFrom the record
3 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Boyd County, Nebraska
26 topographic sheets cover 10 settlements here, and 3 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 98 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 3 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 1 structure, 1 building and 1 district.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 10 populated places in this county; 10 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
3Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponca Creek Bridge | structure | 1992 | 92000769 | |
 | SS Peter & Paul Catholic School | building | 1992 | 91001751 |
| White Horse Ranch | district | 1990 | 90000984 |
Wildfire, 2002 to 2020
44 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 44 of them, burning about 5,030 acres. 1 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 21 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 13 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,500 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | KAYLKOWSKI |
| 1 July 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 800 acres | Wagner Volunteer Fire Department | BIA-TRIBE-REINSCHMIDT LAND |
| 18 January 2013 | Debris and open burning | 700 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 26 March 2012 | Debris and open burning | 300 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 31 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 155 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 24 January 2015 | Debris and open burning | 125 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 5 April 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 29 October 2012 | Debris and open burning | 100 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1955 to 2025
60 of 248 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 248 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 8 injuries and about $23,407,400 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 165 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 56 |
| Tornado | 11 |
| Flash Flood | 10 |
| Flood | 5 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2019 | Flash Flood | Monowi | 1 killed, $12,000,000 | Heavy rain on top of frozen ground, rivers and streams led to historical runoff on the Niobrara River downstream of the Norden river crossing. At 6:46 AM CDT Holt County Dispatch reported the failure of Spencer Dam. A series of ice jams that developed upstream broke loose that led to a wall of water, large blocks of ice and debris that moved downstream to destroy the dam structure with flood waters to destroy the south bridge abutment on U.S. Highway 281 and the campground, bar and home immediately downstream of the dam. The flood caused one fatality. |
| May 1962 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 8 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 2019 | Flood | Lynch | $5,000,000 | Heavy rainfall led to high flows on Ponca Creek that produced extensive flooding and evacuations in Lynch. Homes and business along Ponca Creek sustained four feet or more of flood water damage, while several privately own bridges along Ponca Creek were destroyed. The flood waters eroded streets along and south of Highway 12. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Butte | $3,000,000 | The Highway 11 bridge across the Niobrara River about 5 miles south of Butte is closed due to flooding. An ice jam produced large ice blocks that remained at the time of NWS storm survey. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Naper | $1,000,000 | County road bridge 8 miles south of Naper along the Niobrara River reported destroyed by heavy rain and snow melt that led to ice jams that broke up and moved downstream. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Butte | $500,000 | The NDOR web site reported street flooding in Butte as well as along Highway 12 from 3 miles south of Butte. |
| June 1992 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1992 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1962 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Naper | $100,000 | Thunderstorms training over the same areas produced six to nine inches of rainfall in northern Holt and central Boyd counties. Several roads were closed due to water flowing across the roads to include Highway 12 between Bristow and Lynch, while numerous roads were washed out 9 to 12 miles north of Stuart. Spencer Dam authorities announced that the dam had reached capacity resulting in high releases of water downstream of the dam. |
| August 2008 | Flash Flood | Butte | $100,000 | Up to 5 inches of rain fell with strong thunderstorms causing rapid runoff and significant damage to secondary roads and crops. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Spencer | $75,000 | Thunderstorms with prolonged rain falling on already saturated ground caused widespread minor flooding along Ponca Creek in Boyd County. Power poles toppled due to errosion along the river bank. In addition, numerous rural roads were damaged due to the rain and flooding. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gross | $60,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 75 MPH destroyed a pole barn damaging a vehicle and a combine barked inside. A metal building sustained damage to one side of the building along with large tree limb damage at a farmstead east of Gross. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynch | $60,000 | Winds in excess of 60 mph blew down several power poles. A mobile home was also blown over and a hog confinement shed was destroyed. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | $50,000 | Severe storms with winds estimated at 70 MPH severely damaged two barns at a farmstead northeast of Spencer. In addition, a grain bin was destroyed as well as a grain auger along with numerous large tree branches being broken. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Anoka | $50,000 | Heavy rain from thunderstorms caused flash flooding along Ponca Creek in Boyd County. Up to 4 inches of rain fell with approximately 3 inches of it falling in 30 minutes. The water runoff washed over roadways near Spencer and inundated the commercial area of Bristow. Several secondary roads were completely or partially washed away. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Spencer | $50,000 | Hail ranging from nickel to golf ball size accumulated to 4 to 5 inches deep. Snowplows were needed to clear the roads. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | $50,000 | A thunderstorm producing large hail of unknown sized destroyed crops north of Spencer and north of Lynch. Damaging wind destroyed a shed and blew over a windmill. Extensive damage was sustained by trees and the wind bent a metal flagpole until it was parallel with the ground. |
| May 2016 | Flash Flood | Bristow | $30,000 | Law enforcement reports water over numerous county roads southeast of Spencer. Additional reports included 2 to 3 foot washout sections along gravel roads near Bristow with some roads completely water covered. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynch | $30,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 MPH, removed half of a roof off of a barn and destroyed a small shed at a farmstead north of Lynch. Large tree limb damage occurred at this location as well. |
| June 1975 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Flash Flood | Bristow | $15,000 | Several gravel roads around Bristow have two to three feet washouts in them with several county roads under water. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Naper | $15,000 | The hail broke windows and damaged the siding on a home. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Naper | $15,000 | Hail broke windows and piled up to 3 inches deep. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Spencer | $15,000 | Hail ranged from nickel to golfball size. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Naper | $15,000 | Two foot diameter trees were uprooted. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Anoka | $10,000 | The hail cracked windshields and dented bodies on vehicles. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Naper | $10,000 | Hail covered the ground. |
| July 1999 | Hail | Spencer | $10,000 | Softball sized hail did extensive damage to area crops. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Butte | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Lynch | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Butte | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Lynch | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Spencer | $8,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynch | $6,000 | Large tree branches were blown down by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Butte | $5,000 | The large hail broke out windows in a home. |
| July 1999 | Flash Flood | North Portion | $5,000 | Ponca Creek washed out part of a county road northeast of Naper. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bristow | $5,000 | Large tree limbs blown down |
| June 2009 | Hail | Naper | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Gross | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Lynch | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Hail | Lynch | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Hail | Bristow | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Hail | Lynch | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | $4,000 | Damaging thunderstorm wind overturned a semi-trailer rig. The wind caused extensive tree damage along the path of the storm. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Naper | $3,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Hail | Lynch | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 1974 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1960 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Bristow | $2,000 | Hail ranged in size from nickel to baseball. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Spencer | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Naper | $1,200 | A vehicle sustained hail damage. |
| May 2007 | Hail | Naper | $1,200 | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Flash Flood | Butte | $1,000 | A cooperative observer reported street flooding throughout Butte. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Anoka | $1,000 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynch | - | Thunderstorm wind gust of 58 MPH measured at this location. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Naper | - | Time was estimated from radar. |
| July 2024 | Hail | Bristow | - | Delayed report with time estimated from radar. |
| July 2024 | Hail | Spencer | - | Delayed report with time estimated from radar. |
| June 2023 | Flash Flood | Butte | - | Sheriff reported water over roadways in, and around Butte. Water was also reported over Highway 12 near Butte. |
Mines and quarries
1 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It still produces. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naper Pit and Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Every populated place in the county
10Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
-
Baker
Spencer township · 68777 · Spencer North quadrangle
9 sheets, 1955 to 1989
No longer a settlement
The vanished settlements of Boyd County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.