Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
“Courthouse and Jail Rocks are two rock formations located near Bridgeport in the Nebraska Panhandle.”
Wikipedia article Courthouse and Jail Rocks, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 5 National Register listings published here for Morrill County · listed in 1973 · category: Site.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Courthouse and Jail House Rocks between 2007 and 2018, burning about 4 acres in total. 2 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August 2018 | Natural | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 July 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 25 March 2017 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 17 February 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 1 January 2007 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bridgeport, the town this property stands in, in 128 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 78 hail, 27 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 6 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2008 | Hail | Bridgeport | $750,000 | Hail from 3/4 inch to around 2 inches in diameter fell over and around Bridgeport, Nebraska, with large hail reported to have fallen in Bridgeport for almost one half hour. The hail damaged cars and windows. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $300,000 | Two 70 foot tall grain bins blown off and away from their foundations. A 100 foot tall radion tower blown over. Two to three foot diameter trees blown over and snapped off. Power poles snapped off, primarily in the center of town. |
| April 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Bridgeport | $300,000 | A tornado moved in a northwesterly direction primarily over open country, but did severely damage or destroy a house and outbuildings along county road 78 west of U.S. Highway 385. |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $50,000 | High winds damaged roofs and irrigation equipment in and near Bridgeport, NE. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $40,000 | Wind-driven hail event with widespread damage across the Bridgeport area. Broken windows, crops stripped, large trees and power poles downed. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $30,000 | Wind gusts up to 65 mph damaged trees and blew down power lines in Bridgeport, NE. |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Bridgeport | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Bridgeport | $10,000 | Three to four feet of water over steets in south part of town. Water entering homes, primarily due to poor storm darianage. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Bridgeport | $5,000 | The following roads were reported flooded and closed, CR94, CR98, CR100, CR101, 104 and 106. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Bridgeport | $5,000 | A storm produced baseball size hail 8 miles southwest of Bridgeport. |
| July 1994 | Hail | Bridgeport | $5,000 | Large hail and strong thunderstorm winds damaged the siding and roof of a home and broke numerous windows in vehicles. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $5,000 | Large hail and strong thunderstorm winds damaged the siding and roof of a home and broke numerous windows in vehicles. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Bridgeport | $2,000 | Emergency manager reported the North Platte River at Bridgeport Bridge was overflowing its banks and there was massive flooding at the Bridgeport Dam and bridge. |
| August 1997 | Hail | Bridgeport | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Bridgeport | $1,000 | Flash flooding reported on County Road 106. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Bridgeport | $1,000 | County Road 104 north of Bridgeport flooded along with low lying areas of Dugout Creek. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | $500 | A 5 inch diameter tree blown over. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Public reported hail in excess of 2 inches. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Trained spotters reported quarter sized hail from 5 miles south of Bridgeport. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Social media report of tennis ball sized hail stones. Damage to car windshield occurred. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Twitter report of 1.5 inch hail 5 miles north of Bridgeport. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Twitter report of 1.5 inch hail. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | One inch of hail accumulation on the ground. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Penny to quarter sized hail falling. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Multiple trees uprooted at Bridgeport Cemetery. |
| August 2019 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Hail accumulated to over one inch deep. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Thunderstorm winds measured by a KNEB automated weather station. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Minor tree damaged was produced by the thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Estimated wind gusts of 60 mph were observed southwest of Bridgeport. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Wind gusts estimated at 60 mph were observed south of Bridgeport. |
| August 2017 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Ping pong ball size hail was observed north of Bridgeport. |
| August 2017 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Quarter size hail was observed northeast of Bridgeport. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Estimated wind gusts of 60 mph were reported north of Bridgeport. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Baseball size hail was reported six miles south of Bridgeport. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Tennis ball size hail was reported eight miles southwest of Bridgeport. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Tennis ball size hail was reported six miles southwest of Bridgeport. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | The UPR sensor at Bridgeport measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Three inch diameter hail was reported six miles southeast of Bridgeport. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Estimated wind gusts of 70 to 75 mph were reported at Bridgeport. Numerous trees were down. |
| August 2016 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Quarter to golf ball size hail was reported at Bridgeport. |
| August 2016 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Ping pong ball size hail was reported a mile west of Bridgeport. |
| August 2016 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Quarter size hail damaged a trailer and house in Bridgeport. |
| July 2015 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Golf ball size hail was observed three miles east-northeast of Bridgeport. |
| August 2015 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Ping pong ball size hail was observed seven miles northeast of Bridgeport. |
| May 2015 | Flood | Bridgeport | - | Two inches of rain from a slow moving thunderstorm produced flooding in Bridgeport. Water was running over the curbs. Highway 385 was blocked by high water with traffic detoured. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Golf ball size hail damaged vehicles in Bridgeport. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Quarter to half dollar size hail was observed in Bridgeport. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Wind tossed a picnic table 20 feet and destroyed it. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Golf ball size hail was observed four miles west of Bridgeport. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Quarter inch hail was observed 12 miles south-southwest of Bridgeport. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgeport | - | Estimated wind gusts of 60 mph were observed southeast of Bridgeport. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Quarter size hail was reported three miles east of the intersection of County Road 62A and US Highway 385. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Ping pong ball size hail was observed six miles north of Bridgeport. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Hen egg size hail was observed three miles north of Bridgeport. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Bridgeport | - | Three and nine-tenths inches of rain was reported. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Bridgeport | - | Three and three-quarters inches of rain was reported. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Bridgeport | - | A spotter measured 2.45 inches of rain. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Bridgeport | - | Quarter size hail was observed in Bridgeport. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Morrill County Courthouse | 4.7 miles | 1990 |
 | Camp Clarke Bridge Site | 7.0 miles | 1974 |
 | Schuetz Log Cabin | 7.0 miles | 2011 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 73001067 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Morrill County | All 5 listed properties in this county. |
Block