BlockFrom the record
7 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Harlan County, Nebraska
25 topographic sheets cover 9 settlements here, and 7 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 118 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 7 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 4 buildings and 3 structures.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 9 populated places in this county; 9 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
7Every 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma Carnegie Library | building | 2021 | 100007149 | |
 | Alma City Auditorium and Sale Barn | building | 2014 | 14000395 |
| Cordelia Bennett Preston Memorial Library | building | 2021 | 100006192 | |
| Hotel Orleans | building | 2021 | 100006193 | |
 | Prairie Dog Creek Bridge | structure | 1992 | 92000712 |
 | Sappa Creek Bridge | structure | 1992 | 92000713 |
 | Turkey Creek Bridge | structure | 1992 | 92000711 |
Wildfire, 2007 to 2020
64 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 64 of them, burning about 499 acres. 3 started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 20 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 19 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 March 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 155 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 15 March 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 32 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 9 March 2009 | Debris and open burning | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 7 September 2013 | Equipment and vehicle use | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 7 September 2007 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 2 April 2011 | Debris and open burning | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 15 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 April 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 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 329 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 329 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 1 injury and about $10,617,060 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 191 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 88 |
| Tornado | 26 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 |
| Flash Flood | 8 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $2,000,000 | The line of thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts up near 80 MPH continued into Harlan County. Damage was reported in the Alma, Republican City and Harlan County Dam areas. Large tree limbs near 8 to 12 inches in diameter were downed. On the south side of Harlan County Lake near Patterson Harbor, a shelter and dock for multiple boats were damaged and at least 4 boats were rammed onto the shore. A camping trailer was blown over onto a vehicle. In Republican City, another trailer with a pontoon boat was blown onto its side. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Stamford | $1,000,000 | A cluster of thunderstorms sliding east just north of the Nebraska-Kansas state line produced widespread severe weather across central and southern portions of Harlan County. Hail generally up to the size of golf balls was reported across this area, though isolated larger hail also likely fell. Wind gusts were estimated to be anywhere from 60 to 70 MPH, resulting in numerous reports of tree damage, including whole trees snapped and larger limbs downed. A farm machine shed was destroyed between Stamford and Orleans. The wind-driven large hail resulted in widespread damage to crops, siding, windows, and vehicles. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stamford | $1,000,000 | A cluster of thunderstorms sliding east just north of the Nebraska-Kansas state line produced widespread severe weather across central and southern portions of Harlan County. Hail generally up to the size of golf balls was reported across this area, though isolated larger hail also likely fell. Wind gusts were estimated to be anywhere from 60 to 80 MPH, resulting in numerous reports of tree damage, including whole trees snapped and larger limbs downed. Outbuilding damage was reported near Alma. The wind-driven large hail resulted in widespread damage to crops, siding, windows, and vehicles. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | Ragan | $600,000 | This weak and somewhat intermittent tornado touched down near the intersection of Highway 183 and Highway 4, then moved northeast. Damage was limited to trees, pivots, and a a few power poles along its roughly seven mile track. The estimated peak wind was 85 MPH. The tornado lifted just north of the Harlan and Phelps County line between T Road and U Road. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Orleans | $350,000 | The emergency manager reported damage to a farmstead near this mesonet site. Damage included blown down power poles, building damage, uprooted trees, overturned pivots, windows blown out of a home and vehicles. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oxford | $250,000 | Wind gusts were estimated to be as high as 85 MPH. |
| June 2011 | Tornado (EF1) | Stamford | $250,000 | This tornado skipped along a path which started approximately 8 miles south of Stamford and ended approximately 4 miles north of Stamford. It was noted that this tornado was stationary and multi-vortex early on in its life, and as it shifted to the north destroyed an outbuilding, quonset, and grain bin. Numerous tree limbs were also knocked down. The maximum wind speed of this tornado was estimated to be 95 MPH. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Republican City | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Stamford | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oxford | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stamford | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1991 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1974 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Orleans | $230,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Stamford | $150,000 | A tornado set down briefly in far southwest Franklin county near Stamford and damaged a mobile home and upset several irrigation systems. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Republican City | $150,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Orleans | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $150,000 | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Ragan | $100,000 | Hail ranging anywhere in size from ping pong balls up to three inches in diameter was reported in this area. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Ragan | $100,000 | Hail ranging in size from quarters to golf balls was reported in the area. |
| March 2019 | Hail | Stamford | $100,000 | Hail along this path ranged from quarter to tennis ball size. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Stamford | $100,000 | Numerous county roads across the area were impacted by heavy rainfall and the flooding of the Prairie Dog Creek. Bridges crossing the creek were under water. Prairie Dog Creek rising into minor flood stage is rare. The last time Prairie Dog Creek flooded at the Woodruff gauge was September of 1977. For this event, Prairie Dog Creek crested at 22.1 feet (flood stage is 21 feet), and that was the 6th highest crest on record. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Orleans | $100,000 | Tennis ball to baseball size hail was reported. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Ragan | $100,000 | Hail reports ranged in size from ping pong balls to baseballs. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Stamford | $100,000 | Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported, causing damage to area windows and crops. |
| July 2019 | Flash Flood | Oxford | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Orleans | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ragan | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Tornado (EF0) | Oxford | $75,000 | This tornado touched down approximately 4 miles north-northeast of Oxford, crossing Highway 6 before dissipating approximately 5 miles north-northeast of Oxford. The only damage noted with this tornado was the destruction of a grain bin near Highway 6. The maximum wind speed was estimated at 65 mph. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Ragan | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Oxford | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Republican City | $75,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Republican City | $75,000 | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oxford | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $60,000 | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Huntley | $50,000 | Hail up to the size of golf balls was accompanied by wind gusts near 65 MPH. Tree damage was reported in Huntley, along with power outages. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Huntley | $50,000 | Hail up to the size of golf balls was accompanied by wind gusts near 65 MPH. Tree damage was reported in Huntley, along with power outages. |
| August 2021 | Flash Flood | Oxford | $50,000 | Radar estimates and local mesonet/CoCoRaHS stations confirmed a corridor of rainfall amounts from 4 to over 7 inches across this Flash Flood Warning area. The highest measured rainfall amount was 7.13 inches, recorded by a mesonet station located six miles east-southeast of Oxford, with most of this rain falling between 8-11 p.m. CDT. A resident located six miles north-northwest of Orleans reported that School Creek flooded and covered at least one gravel road during the early morning hours...with water getting within 50 feet of his home. The initially-issued Flash Flood Warning was replaced by an Areal Flood Warning that lasted several more hours, as water gradually receded through the morning. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $50,000 | Wind damage was reported in Alma, including downed tree limbs, some shingle and roof damage, power lines downed, and small outbuilding damage. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Ragan | $50,000 | Winds of 60 to 70 mph were reported at the time of the hail. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Ragan | $50,000 | Winds of 60 to 70 mph were reported at the time of the hail. |
| May 2011 | Flood | Oxford | $50,000 | Storm total rainfall totals reaching as high as 3 to 6 inches resulted in flooding across northwestern portions of the county. A few county roads were covered with water, and some road closures lasted well into the day on May 25th. |
| May 2008 | Flash Flood | Stamford | $50,000 | Numerous areas in Harlan County picked up 3 to 4 inches of rain. This caused many rural roads to flood. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Orleans | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Orleans | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oxford | $40,000 | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Orleans | $25,000 | Tree damage was reported on the north side of town. Wind gusts estimate based on nearby mesonet measurement. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Republican City | $25,000 | Power lines were blown over due to a rear flank downdraft. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $25,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated to be 60 to 70 mph in Alma, along with very heavy rain. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Ragan | $25,000 | no account filed |
| September 2015 | Hail | Harlan Co Res | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Republican City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Orleans | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Republican City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Ragan | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Republican City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Huntley | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Alma | $25,000 | no account filed |
Every populated place in the county
9Named 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.
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.