DEUEL COUNTY

ORGANIZATION OF DEUEL COUNTY

Deuel county, one of the smallest in the state and the most southeasterly county in the Panhandle of Nebraska, lies in the most southerly tier of counties and in the third east from the western boundary of Nebraska. At the present time it is bounded on the north by Garden county, on the east by Keith county, on the south by Colorado and on the west by Cheyenne county. Like all the rest of Nebraska, the early inhabitants of this county were the roving bands of Indians that inhabited the plains before the white man came and before the territory in which Deuel county lies was known to the whites who settled the continent. Like the rest of Nebraska this land belonged to Spain, France, and then became a part of the United States.

For a number of years after Nebraska Territory was created, and the western part of the state laid out in counties, called Lyon. Taylor, and Monroe. Deuel county territory was then principally in Lyon county. After Nebraska became a state, Deuel county was comprised in old Cheyenne county, and much of the early history of that county is a part of Deuel county's history. Many of the early events of Deuel county are to be found in the history of "Old Cheyenne." By the election of 1888, the eastern third of Cheyenne county was erected as Deuel county and later the northern portion of

Deuel county became Garden county. In the early history and general treatment of the Panhandle, will be found stories of Deuel county, long before Nebraska became a state. Also reference will be found to the ranch life in this section when the cowman held it as a range. The county was named after a man who was connected with the building of the Union Pacific railroad.