BlockFrom the record
4 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Chase County, Nebraska
16 topographic sheets cover 7 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 51 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 4 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 3 buildings and 1 district.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 7 populated places in this county; 7 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
4Every 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Balcony House | building | 2000 | 00000767 |
 | Champion Mill | district | 1988 | 88000913 |
 | Chase County Courthouse | building | 1990 | 89002222 |
 | Wauneta Roller Mills | building | 2008 | 08000169 |
Wildfire, 2003 to 2020
74 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 74 of them, burning about 4,095 acres. 12 started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 25 |
| Natural | 12 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 |
| Debris and open burning | 12 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 November 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,570 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 14 March 2016 | Debris and open burning | 800 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 16 July 2020 | Natural | 170 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 25 March 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 95 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 January 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 16 October 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 54 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 July 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 30 May 2012 | Natural | 43 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1951 to 2025
60 of 574 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 574 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 5 injuries and about $30,800,030 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 343 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 181 |
| Tornado | 31 |
| Flash Flood | 11 |
| Lightning | 2 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 |
| Flood | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1960 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 3 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Lightning | Wauneta | 2 hurt | Lightning struck two teenage boys as they corralled cattle. One boy was struck and then the lightning bolt branched off striking the other boy. Both were knocked unconscious. The first boy that was struck was treated for 2nd degree burns on his legs, chest, and bottoms of feet and 3rd degree burns on his arms. The second boy that was struck only received minor injuries. |
| June 1990 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Hail | Imperial | $1,000,000 | Hail ranging in size from peas to tennis balls along with winds in excess of 60 mph damaged growing corn and personal property. |
| August 1997 | Hail | Imperial | $1,000,000 | Large hail and damaging winds estimated at 100 mph broke windows and tree limbs and damaged crops in the area. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Champion | $500,000 | A supercell storm that produced several tornadoes also produced up to tennis ball size hail from Champion to approximately 3 miles south of Champion. The hail broke out hundreds of windows in homes and vehicles, tore holes in metal siding on homes, severely damaged roofs on buildings and vehicle bodies, and destroyed wheat and corn crops. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Champion | $450,000 | Nearly stationary thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall of 4 to 10 inches causing water to flow over roadways. The flood waters over-topped the dam at Champion Lake. Water flowed across Highway 6 west of Imperial near Sand Creek and across numerous secondary roads. Highways were closed and travel was discouraged for much of the county. Many secondary roads were washed out. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Imperial | $250,000 | Thunderstorm wind blew down power lines and damaged trees. |
| May 2019 | Tornado (EF1) | Imperial | $200,000 | The tornado touched down 7 miles northwest of Imperial and moved northeast 10 miles before dissipating northeast of Imperial. The tornado was intermittently on the ground, where it overturned or destroyed several center pivot irrigation systems in its path. The tornado was rated an EF1. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lamar | $120,000 | Strong outflow winds from thunderstorms broke off 18 power poles, overturned 10 center pivot irrigation systems, and snapped trees. |
| May 2023 | Flood | (Iml)Imperial Arpt | $100,000 | Highway 6 southeast of Imperial is closed with water over the roadway. |
| July 2011 | Lightning | Imperial | $100,000 | Lightning struck the Imperial substation where major damage occurred to one of the eight reclosers, or breakers in the substation. A lightning strike hit the city shop taking out the city's $8,000 load management system as well. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Wauneta | $100,000 | Thunderstorms with prolonged heavy rain falling on already saturated ground caused low land flooding along the Stinking Water Creek in eastern Chase County. Water was flowing over several county roads. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Imperial | $100,000 | A supercell storm that produced several tornadoes south and west of Champion also produced large hail at Imperial. The hail damaged several roofs of homes and numerous vehicle bodies. |
| May 1996 | Hail | Champion | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Champion | $95,000 | A supercell tornado touched down and overturned 3 pivot irrigation systems, broke off trees and 3 power poles as it moved northeast for less than a mile. The supercell also produced 3 other tornadoes in Chase County. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Enders | $90,000 | A metal roof was torn off a building in Wauneta, center pivot irrigation systems were overturned, and mature trees were snapped off. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lamar | $75,000 | Emergency management reports a center pivot system was overturned at this location. Winds estimated at 70 MPH. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Champion | $70,000 | A trained storm spotter reported baseball size hail. The hail broke numerous north facing windows and damaged the siding on homes. The hail also severely damaged soybean, corn, and wheat crops southeast of Champion. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Imperial | $70,000 | Thunderstorm outflow winds ripped a patio roof off a home, destroyed one grain bin and damaged 3 others, broke off mature trees, and destroyed an electrical transformer cabinet. In addition, the wind picked up produce conveyor belts and threw them into employee's vehicles at a potato plant. |
| October 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Imperial | $60,000 | Cooperative observer at Imperial reported extensive tree damage, an overturned pivot, hay bales blown across the highway and a power outage in downtown Imperial. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Imperial | $50,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 80 MPH snapped power poles with building damage being reported in Imperial. |
| May 2016 | Tornado (EF0) | Enders Res | $50,000 | At 2006 MST a tornado touched down in a field, flipping over an empty pivot irrigation system before lifting and dissipating. Estimated maximum winds were estimated at 70 mph to produce an EF-0 rating. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wauneta | $50,000 | Damaging winds in excess of 60 mph caused extensive large tree damage in Wauneta. Structural damage occurred to a home by a fallen tree with a center pivot irrigation system was overturned. |
| June 1999 | Hail | Imperial | $50,000 | The hailstorm began in northwest Chase County just north of Lamar and travelled through the county to Wauneta, passing along the south edge of Imperial. According to newspaper reports, damage estimates included 10,000 acres of wheat and 50,000 acres of corn. The wheat was a total loss while losses in corn were estimated to be 11 to 16 percent production decreases. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wauneta | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds in excess of 60 mph caused significant damage to a farm house and barn. |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Chase | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lamar | $40,000 | Emergency management reports thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 MPH. This resulted in 8-10 power poles snapped and two center pivot irrigation systems overturned. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Champion | $40,000 | Large tree limbs were broken, a center pivot irrigation system was overturned, and a house roof was damaged from the intense winds. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Imperial | $40,000 | A thunderstorm moving along the Perkins County line destroyed a mobile home and a grain bin northwest and north of Imperial. It also caused some damage to about 16,000 acres of soybeans. The crop loss is estimated to be 10 to 20 percent.. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Imperial | $35,000 | Only a few of the hailstones were baseball size. The hail dented cars and damaged a few roofs. One hailstone actually went through the roof of a home on the northwest side of Imperial. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Champion | $30,000 | A supercell spawned a brief tornado touchdown that overturned a pivot irrigation system. This same supercell produced 3 other brief tornadoes in Chase County. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | (Iml)Imperial Arpt | $30,000 | Very heavy rain from thunderstorms produced flash flooding across much of southwest Chase County. Two to three inches of rain fell in less than an hour causing flooding of streets in Imperial and Champion and lowland flooding along Highway 61 near Imperial. |
| March 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wauneta | $30,000 | Thunderstorm outflow winds destroyed a milk barn at a farmstead. |
| March 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wauneta | $30,000 | Thunderstorm outflow winds lifted the metal roof off the Frenchman Valley Coop building and deposited it in the road with some pieces breaking windows in nearby businesses. Harchelroad Motors also sustained roof damage to their business and had windows broken out of several vehicles. Other vehicles were lifted and turned. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Wauneta | $25,000 | Hail up to 3 inches in diameter was reported along with numerous car windows broken out in Wauneta. |
| May 2023 | Flash Flood | Enders Res | $25,000 | Highway 61 south of US Highway 6 is closed due to flash flooding. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Champion | $25,000 | A supercell spawned a brief tornado touchdown which destroyed small outbuildings, tore the roof of a garage off and slammed it into the west side of the house, broke a skylight on the house, and damaged the roof of the house. Baseball size hail accompanying the tornado tore holes in the metal siding on the house. This same supercell produced 3 other brief tornadoes in Chase County. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Enders | $25,000 | The hail damaged roofs, tore holes in the siding of homes, and damaged vehicle bodies. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Imperial | $25,000 | Heavy rainfall occurred on already saturated ground causing additional flash flooding. Streets in Imperial were under water as approximately 2-3 more inches of rain fell in 4 hours. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Champion | $25,000 | Hail extensively damaged corn crops and property. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Imperial | $25,000 | Golfball size hail caused damage to roofs, siding, windows, and gutters on homes in Imperial. A few vehicles also sustained minor body damage. The northwest section of town was the hardest hit. |
| June 1991 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1984 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1978 | Tornado | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lamar | $20,000 | Marble size hail driven by the extreme winds destroyed corn and bean crops. In addition, the hail damaged roofs, broke out windows, and broke out yard lights. The Nebraska Department of Roads snow plow was needed to clear the accumulated hail from Highway 6. |
| May 2019 | Tornado (EF0) | Imperial | $15,000 | Tornado briefly touched down, overturning a center pivot irrigation system. |
| May 2019 | Tornado (EF0) | (Iml)Imperial Arpt | $15,000 | Brief touchdown with a center pivot irrigation system overturned. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Imperial | $15,000 | Marble to golfball size hail fell for 10 minutes. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Imperial | $15,000 | The large hail broke windows, poked holes in vinyl siding on homes, and destroyed gardens on the south side of Imperial. It also destroyed a half circle of potatoes and a field of corn to the southwest of Imperial. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Enders Res | $15,000 | Hail along with 60 mph winds broke out windows of a farm house and destroyed corn and wheat crops. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Enders Res | $15,000 | The large hail damaged vehicles, broke windows, and destroyed corn and wheat crops. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Enders | $15,000 | Vehicles, and corn and wheat crops were damaged by the hail. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Imperial | $15,000 | Large tree limbs were broken and numerous business signs were damaged. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Imperial | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Wauneta | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Hail | Imperial | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Champion | $12,000 | Thunderstorm wind blew down several 12 inch diameter trees and several sheds. |
| September 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Enders Res | $11,000 | Two semi trailers blown over and a power pole downed at this location. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Imperial | $10,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts, estimated at 60 MPH, damaged a metal roof and an outbuilding. |
Mines and quarries
2 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 2 workings inside this county. All of them still produce. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal Cement Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ideal Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Every populated place in the county
7Named 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.
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Champion
Champion-Lamar precinct · 69023 · On Davidson Branch · Champion quadrangle
7 sheets, 1954 to 1979
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.