BlockFrom the record
4 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Perkins County, Nebraska
18 topographic sheets cover 6 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 42 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 4 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 2 buildings, 1 site and 1 district.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 6 populated places in this county; 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Grant City Park | site | 1996 | 96000066 |
 | Grant Commercial Historic District | district | 1996 | 96000025 |
 | Perkins County Courthouse | building | 1990 | 90000969 |
 | Venango Public School | building | 2018 | 100002170 |
Wildfire, 2003 to 2020
85 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 85 of them, burning about 1,490 acres. 11 started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 24 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 16 |
| Debris and open burning | 15 |
| Natural | 11 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 April 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 300 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 14 March 2008 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 210 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 July 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 180 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 31 August 2008 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 150 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 9 July 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 22 August 2007 | Natural | 60 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 8 November 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 60 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 13 March 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 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 2026
60 of 492 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 492 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 1 injury and about $8,447,250 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 329 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 |
| Tornado | 39 |
| Flash Flood | 11 |
| Lightning | 1 |
| Funnel Cloud | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Grant | 1 hurt, $700,000 | A tornado touched down 9 miles south southwest of Grant and lifted 1 mile south of Madrid. One man sustained minor injuries when his pickup was struck. The pickup was tossed and whirled around. The pickup was a total loss. Other damage included the destruction or damage to 30 center pivot irrigation systems and several barns, grain bins, and quonset buildings were damaged or destroyed. Damage to utilities included the loss of 82 power poles, 25 transformers, 10 high voltage transmission towers. |
| May 1991 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Tornado (EF2) | Grant | $1,200,000 | A large supercell thunderstorm originally spawned two tornadoes with the eastern tornado eventually taking over. The tornado touched down approximately 6 miles south-southwest of Grant and moved northeast for a few miles and then turned northwest to pass 3 miles west of Grant and continue northwest to near the Perkins and Keith County line approximately 12 miles north-northwest of Grant. The tornado encountered the first farm where it destroyed outbuildings and grain bins and damaged the roof of a metal storage building. Damage to the second farm included ripping off half the roof on the home. At the third farmstead, the tornado destroyed grain bins and a barn and ripped a hole in the roof of the home. The tornado also uprooted and snapped off numerous trees, broke off power poles, and overturned center pivot irrigation systems. |
| August 1997 | Hail | Grant | $800,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | East Portion | $500,000 | Roads and culverts were washed out by flooding associated with torrential rains. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Venango | $350,000 | Nearly stationary thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall of 4 to 10 inches causing water to flow over roadways mainly west and south of Grant. Water flowed across Highway 23 west of Grant and across numerous secondary roads. Highways were closed and travel was discouraged for much of the county. One home around the Grant Golf Course was inundated with water while many others were saved by sandbags. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F2) | to | $350,000 | A tornado touched down just to the northeast of Madrid and moved to the southeast at 15 miles an hour. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 15 minutes and caused damage to six pivot irrigation systems. A dozen light poles were taken out leaving Elsie without power for 12 hours. A barn, granaries, and other buildings were also severely damaged. |
| June 1969 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $185,000 | A public report of 101 mph winds and dime sized hail caused significant damage to irrigation pivots, grain bins, sheds/barns, and downed telephone poles, and large tree branches. There was total crop loss in the area. The area affected by the storm was 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Venango | $150,000 | Heavy rainfall occurred on already saturated ground causing additional flash flooding. Roads were washed out in the Kitty Heights area. The railroad tracks west of Grant were under water. Also, the county fairgrounds in Grant were under 2-4 feet of water. |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $150,000 | A thunderstorm producing up to 10 inches of rain caused widespread flooding in Perkins and Keith Counties. In Perkins County, the water washed out an aged bridge 9 miles north of Madrid and a culvert 3 miles southeast of Madrid. Flooding was also reported along the Keith-Perkins County line north of Madrid and Elsie. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brandon | $100,000 | Public reported 3 overturned pivots and four overturned grain bins at this location. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Madrid | $100,000 | A wet downburst caused damage to one business, destroyed a small greenhouse and rolled over a semi truck trailer. Two pickup trucks also sustained damage. The business had two tall garage doors destroyed with two windows broken and one side door damaged as well. |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Madrid | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $75,000 | Thunderstorm winds knocked over two center pivot irrigation systems and destroyed crops on the north side of Grant. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grainton | $70,000 | The outflow winds broke off large tree limbs, destroyed 2 grain bins, and severely damaged a grain storage facility. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Elsie | $60,000 | Wind driven hail destroyed wheat and corn crops and severely damaged center pivot irrigation systems. |
| July 2011 | Flash Flood | Venango | $50,000 | Heavy rain resulted in three feet of water covering some streets in Venango. Law enforcement reports damage to some residences. |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Perkins | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Venango | $40,000 | Wind damage caused numerous trees down. Tree also down on car. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elsie | $35,000 | Strong winds overturned center pivot irrigation systems and damaged crops. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $30,000 | A large cottonwood tree was snapped in half along the 300 block of Logan Street and an empty cargo trailer was rolled into the street in the 400 block of Hancock Street. Several garage doors on metal buildings were blown in and an awning was lifted and damaged at the fairgrounds. The damage was consistent with winds between 80 and 90 MPH. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $30,000 | Wind gusts estimated 70 mph that downed power poles. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $25,000 | A Thunderstorm outflow boundary produced several gustnadoes that did damage at the Wilson feedlot. The gustnadoes destroyed a raised, open faced storage building, moved a scale house building approximately two inches off it's foundation, and damaged the foundation to a third storage building. Also destroyed was an empty 1200 pound grain bin. |
| September 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $25,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew out the wall of a warehouse scattering debris for 200 yards. |
| June 1991 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1988 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1958 | Tornado | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1951 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grainton | $20,000 | Winds overturned an outbuilding and several center irrigation pivot systems. |
| July 2002 | Flash Flood | North Portion | $20,000 | A tropical-like system moved into Southwest Nebraska late Friday night and then became stationary through Saturday morning. Heavy rainfall continued over many hours with storm total rainfall from 5 to 8 inches. Large areas of corn fields and pastures were under water from the Keith/Perkins County line to near Grant. Flood water was over roads in many locations. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Venango | $15,000 | Law enforcement reports numerous power lines down just north of Venango. A quonset was also damaged just north of Venango. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Madrid | $15,000 | Thunderstorm winds flipped a pivot onto its side and damaged a grain bin. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $15,000 | Two gustnadoes were spotted in gust front winds. One of the gustnadoes, 2.75 miles south of Grant, damaged a center pivot irrigation system as it passed. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Grant | $15,000 | Hail covered the ground. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Grant | $15,000 | Heavy rainfall from a nearly stationary thunderstorm produced flash flooding. City streets around Grant were under water. |
| March 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Brandon | $15,000 | A large supercell thunderstorm originally spawned two tornadoes with the eastern tornado eventually taking over. This western tornado moved northeast and broke off power poles before dissipating. The eastern tornado went on to produce extensive damage through Perkins County. |
| September 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Venango | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated at 60 MPH damaged siding and roof on a a house as well as crop damage reported at this location. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grant | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds uprooted two 70 ft pine trees. The wind combined with 1 inch hail also damaged some roofs. |
| March 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Brandon | $10,000 | A supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado in Chase County that continued into Perkins County. The tornado broke some power poles along the path. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Madrid | $10,000 | The outflow winds from a strong thunderstorm downed trees and powers poles. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brandon | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed an unoccupied mobile home and also damaged a center pivot. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Madrid | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Hail | Brandon | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Elsie | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Madrid | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Grant | $8,000 | Golf ball size hail broke out the window of a storm spotter vehicle. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Grant | $8,000 | Law enforcement reported hail along Highway 61. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Venango | $8,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Grant | $8,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Venango | $8,000 | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Madrid | $8,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Madrid | $7,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Venango | $5,000 | A powerline was reported down in Venango. Winds estimated at 70 MPH. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Brandon | $5,000 | Strong winds accompanied the hail. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Venango | $5,000 | The hail was accompanied by strong winds and damaged many trees. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brandon | $5,000 | The strong winds were accompanied by large hail producing extensive damage to crops. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Grant | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Brandon | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Grant | $5,000 | no account filed |
Every populated place in the county
6Named 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.