Gage County Cameras
Towns in Gage County Nebraska
County Seat: Beatrice
Founded: 1855
Named For: William D. Gage, a Methodist minister and early settler
License Plate Prefix: 3
Population: 21,616 (2020 census)
Area: 860 sq mi
History
Gage County was established in 1855 and named after Reverend William D. Gage, an early Methodist minister who helped organize settlement in the region. Beatrice, founded in 1857, became the county seat and grew into a major regional center for trade, education, and transportation. The county is home to the **Homestead National Historical Park**, commemorating the first claim filed under the Homestead Act of 1862 by Daniel Freeman. Wymore, Blue Springs, Adams, Cortland, and Pickrell developed as agricultural and rail‑supported communities, each contributing to the county’s cultural and economic identity.
The county’s history reflects pioneer migration, homesteading, and the growth of small towns that supported farming, milling, and early transportation routes across southeastern Nebraska.
Geography
Location: Southeastern Nebraska along the Kansas border
Landscape: Rolling prairie, fertile farmland, wooded creek valleys, and rural communities
Adjacent Counties:
- Lancaster County (north)
- Otoe County (northeast)
- Johnson County (east)
- Pawnee County (southeast)
- Jefferson County (west)
- Marshall County, Kansas (south)
Culture & Landmarks
- Homestead National Historical Park – A nationally significant site preserving the legacy of the Homestead Act.
- Beatrice Downtown Historic District – Architecture and landmarks reflecting 19th‑century development.
- Chautauqua Park – A long‑standing community gathering place with trails and recreation.
Notable Communities
- Beatrice – County seat and major regional commercial center.
- Wymore – Community with strong Welsh heritage.
- Adams – Growing town with deep agricultural roots.
- Cortland – Northern Gage County community with close ties to Lincoln.
- Blue Springs, Pickrell, Clatonia, Liberty, Filley – Small towns with strong rural identity.
Events & Attractions
- Homestead Days (Beatrice) – A major annual celebration honoring pioneer history.
- Gage County Fair – Livestock shows, rodeo events, and agricultural exhibits.
- Outdoor Recreation – Fishing, hiking, birdwatching, and scenic drives across prairie farmland.
Living in Gage County
Gage County blends homesteading heritage, agricultural strength, and small‑town life. Beatrice anchors county services and commerce, while Wymore, Adams, Cortland, and rural areas maintain long‑standing farming traditions. Residents value the area’s history, open landscapes, and strong community identity.
Gage County at a Glance
Gage County, Nebraska — created 16 March 1855 and organized in 1857 on land obtained through the 1854 treaty with the Otoe. Named for Rev. William D. Gage, a Methodist minister and the first chaplain of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature. County seat Beatrice, designated in 1857 and never moved — founded where the DeRoin Trail crossed the Big Blue River, and named for Julia Beatrice Kinney, the seventeen-year-old daughter of one of the founding association’s members. Locally it is said be-AT-riss. Population peaked at 36,344 in 1890 and fell 17 percent in the following decade when the land boom collapsed; it stands at 21,704 today. 303 listings across 15 towns.
Getting there: US-77 runs north to Lincoln, about forty miles, and south into Kansas; US-136 crosses east and west as Heritage Highway 136, a Nebraska scenic byway; plus NE-4, 8 and 41. Union Pacific and BNSF freight run through Beatrice and the old Wymore junction. Central Time.
Homestead National Historical Park is here, four miles west of Beatrice — the site of one of the very first claims filed under the Homestead Act of 1862, and the place the whole national story of homesteading is told. It is the county’s headline attraction and one of Nebraska’s few National Park Service units.
For visitors: the Big Blue River runs south-southeast through the middle of the county past Beatrice, Blue Springs, Wymore and Barneston — it is the largest tributary of the Kansas River. Around thirty National Register listings include the Beatrice Downtown Historic District, the 1891 courthouse, the 1909 Chautauqua Pavilion, the 1924 Paddock Hotel and the Elijah Filley Stone Barn of 1874, along with a remarkable set of early bridges from the 1890s and 1910s.
Two pieces of history worth knowing. The Beatrice Creamery Company was founded here in 1894 and grew into Beatrice Foods, one of the largest food companies in America — the name outlived the town’s connection to it. And the Beatrice Six: six people wrongly convicted in 1989 of a 1985 murder and exonerated by DNA evidence in 2009, the largest wrongful-conviction cluster in a single American case at the time. The federal judgment that followed forced a countywide property-tax levy to pay it.
Born here — an unusually rich list. Gene L. Coon (Beatrice, 1924), the Star Trek showrunner who created the Klingons, Khan and the Prime Directive and named the United Federation of Planets on screen. Robert Taylor (Filley, 1911), the MGM star of Camille and Waterloo Bridge. Oliver Kirk (Beatrice, 1884), the only boxer ever to win two gold medals in two weight classes at a single Olympics. Guy Chamberlin (Blue Springs, 1894), Pro Football Hall of Fame, who won four NFL titles in five years as a player-coach. And the poet Weldon Kees (Beatrice, 1914), whose car was found abandoned at the Golden Gate Bridge in 1955.
Gage County · Southeast · Highway 136 Corridor · Explore Nebraska
Vehicles registered in Gage County carry license plate number 3. See what every Nebraska county number means.
Gage County Businesses & Places
303 listings in Gage County.
Click a category to see the businesses.
Eat & Drink (21)
- Burger King - Beatrice (501 N 6th St) — Burger King, Beatrice
- Country Cookin' Cafe — Diner / Family Restaurant, Beatrice
- Dairy Queen Beatrice — Dairy Queen, Beatrice
- Domino's Pizza - Beatrice (1710 North 6th Street) — Domino's Pizza, Beatrice
- Godfather's Pizza — Pizza Restaurant, Beatrice
- Hardee's Beatrice — Hardee's, Beatrice
- Jimmy John's — Diner / Family Restaurant, Beatrice
- Kala's Savory Bites and Sifted Sweets — Cafe / Coffee Shop, Beatrice
- KFC Beatrice — KFC, Beatrice
- McDonald's - Beatrice (1220 N 6th St) — McDonald's, Beatrice
- Pizza Hut — Pizza Restaurant, Beatrice
- Pizza Hut Beatrice — Pizza Hut, Beatrice
- Playa Azul — Mexican Restaurant, Beatrice
- Runza Beatrice — Runza, Beatrice
- Shanghai Inn — Chinese Restaurant, Beatrice
- Sonic Drive-In — Diner / Family Restaurant, Beatrice
- Subway – 1219 N 6th St, Beatrice — Subway, Beatrice
- Subway – 402 S. 14th Street, Wymore — Subway, Nebraska
- Sunrise Bakery — Bakery, Beatrice
- The Black Crow — American Restaurant, Beatrice
- Tiger's Den — Restaurant, Nebraska
Stay (3)
- Capri Inn & Suites of Beatrice — Hotel, Beatrice
- Hackberry B&B — Motel, Beatrice
- Victorian Inn — Hotel, Beatrice
Outdoors & Recreation (10)
- Arrowhead WMA — Public Hunting Areas & WMAs, Nebraska
- Campgrounds and RV Camping, Rockford State Recreation Area — Campgrounds & RV Parks, Beatrice
- Chautauqua Park — Campgrounds & RV Parks, Beatrice
- Diamond Lake WMA — Public Hunting Areas & WMAs, Nebraska
- Donald Whitney Memorial WMA — Public Hunting Areas & WMAs, Nebraska
- Feits Memorial Park — Campgrounds & RV Parks, Blue Springs
- Gage County Fairgrounds — Campgrounds & RV Parks, Beatrice
- Oak Aven Acres RV Park — Campgrounds & RV Parks, Beatrice
- Rockford Lake State Recreation Area — Campgrounds & RV Parks, Beatrice
- Wymore Arbor State Park — Campgrounds & RV Parks, Nebraska
Places to Visit (10)
- Barneston Otoe-Missouria Reservation Heritage — History & Heritage Museums, Beatrice
- Cortland Museum — Specialty Museums, Cortland
- Gage County Historical Society & Museum — History & Heritage Museums, Beatrice
- Great Plains Welsh Heritage Center — History & Heritage Museums, Nebraska
- Homestead National Monument — History & Heritage Museums, Beatrice
- Johnson Cabin Museum — Specialty Museums, Blue Springs
- Nebraska Baseball (Amateur) Hall of Fame — Specialty Museums, Beatrice
- Rockford Lake State Recreation Area — RV Camping, Beatrice
- Southeast Nebraska Old West Trails and Transportation Center — Specialty Museums, Nebraska
- Yesterday's Lady - Step Back in Time — Specialty Museums, Beatrice
Events & Venues (5)
- Adams Community Days — Summer Festival, Adams
- Adams Independence Day Celebration — Summer Festival, Adams
- Gage County Fair — County Fair, Beatrice
- Gage County Fairgrounds — Fairground, Beatrice
- Homestead Days — Summer Festival, Beatrice
Health & Emergency (11)
- Adams Primary Care — Medical Clinic, Adams
- Beatrice Community Hospital & Health Center — Hospital, Beatrice
- Beatrice Family & Internal Medicine Clinic — Medical Clinic, Beatrice
- Clabaugh Pharmacy — Pharmacy, Beatrice
- Community Physician's Clinic — Medical Clinic, Nebraska
- Deines Pharmacy — Pharmacy, Beatrice
- Lake Crest Pharmacy — Pharmacy, Adams
- Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center Beatrice — Hearing Aids, Beatrice
- Pinkerton Dentistry — Dentist & Dental Office, Beatrice
- The Beatrice Women's and Children's Clinic — Medical Clinic, Beatrice
- Wymore Medical Clinic — Medical Clinic, Nebraska
Shopping & Gifts (3)
- Quilt Stitches — Fabric & Quilt Shop, Beatrice
- TSC Farm Store — Hardware Store, Beatrice
- Westlake Ace Hardware — Hardware Store, Beatrice
Community & Faith (102)
- Adams First UMC — Methodist Church, Adams
- Amateur Radio Repeaters - Gage County (via RepeaterBook.com) — Amateur Radio Repeater, Nebraska
- American Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church, Filley
- American Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church, Adams
- Anyon Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Austin Creek Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Baker Cemetery — Pickrell — Cemeteries, Nebraska
- Barneston Cemetery — Barneston — Cemeteries, Barneston
- Beatrice Centenary UMC — Methodist Church, Beatrice
- Beatrice Church of Christ — Other Denomination, Beatrice
- Beatrice Seventh-day Adventist Church — Seventh-day Adventist Church, Beatrice
- Beatrice, First Presbyterian Church — Presbyterian Church, Beatrice
- Bethel Cemetery — Wymore — Cemeteries, Nebraska
- Blue Springs Cemetery — Blue Springs — Cemeteries, Blue Springs
- Blue Springs UMC — Methodist Church, Blue Springs
- Bohemian Cemetery — Adams — Cemeteries, Adams
- Calvary Cemetery — Wymore — Cemeteries, Nebraska
- Chrisman Burial Ground — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Christ Episcopal Church — Episcopal Church, Beatrice
- Christ Lutheran Church Cemetery — Pickrell — Cemeteries, Nebraska
- Church of Christ in Beatrice — Other Denomination, Beatrice
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Beatrice — Latter-day Saints / Community of Christ, Beatrice
- Church of the Promise — Pentecostal, Beatrice
- Clatonia Cemetery — Clatonia — Cemeteries, Clatonia
- Connections Church — Pentecostal, Beatrice
- Cortland Cemetery — Cortland — Cemeteries, Cortland
- Cortland United — Methodist Church, Cortland
- Cortland United Church — Cortland — Congregational Church, Cortland
- Ellis Cemetery — Ellis — Cemeteries, Nebraska
- Ellis, NE UMC — Methodist Church, Beatrice
- Elysian View Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Emmanuel Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church, Beatrice
- Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery — Liberty — Cemeteries, Liberty
- Evergreen Home Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Evergreen Memorial Park — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Filley Cemetery — Filley — Cemeteries, Filley
- First Baptist Church - Beatrice — Baptist Church, Beatrice
- First Mennonite Church Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- First Trinity Lutheran Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- First Trinity Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church, Beatrice
- Freeman Cemetery — Beatrice — Cemeteries, Beatrice
- Grandview Cemetery — Barneston — Cemeteries, Barneston
- Highland Cemetery — Adams — Cemeteries, Adams
- Highland Center Cemetery — Cortland — Cemeteries, Cortland
- Holmesville Cemetery — Holmesville — Cemeteries, Holmesville
- Holy Cross Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church, Beatrice
- Homestead Church — Non-Denominational Church, Beatrice
- Hooker Cemetery — Adams — Cemeteries, Adams
- Immanuel Cemetery — Clatonia — Cemeteries, Clatonia
- Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery — Wymore — Wymore — Cemeteries, Nebraska
- Immanuel Lutheran Church — Lutheran Church, Nebraska
- Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses — Jehovah’s Witnesses Church, Beatrice
- Laona Cemetery — Adams — Cemeteries, Adams
- Liberty Cemetery — Liberty — Cemeteries, Liberty
- Lord’s Acre Cemetery — Barneston — Cemeteries, Barneston
- Marsh Cemetery — Clatonia — Cemeteries, Clatonia
- Maschmeier Cemetery — Ellis — Cemeteries, Nebraska
- Mission Creek Cemetery — Liberty — Cemeteries, Liberty
- Odell Cemetery — Odell — Cemeteries, Nebraska
Government & Resources (48)
- ACCESSNebraska Office - Beatrice — Developmental & Social Services, Beatrice
- Adams Post Office — Post Office, Adams
- Barneston Fire Station — Fire Station, Barneston
- Barneston Post Office — Post Office, Barneston
- Barneston Village Office — City Hall, Barneston
- Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism — Chamber of Commerce, Beatrice
- Beatrice City Hall — City Hall, Beatrice
- Beatrice Fire Department — Fire Station, Beatrice
- Beatrice Housing Authority — Housing Authority, Beatrice
- Beatrice Police Department — Police Station, Beatrice
- Beatrice Post Office — Post Office, Beatrice
- Beatrice Public Library — Libraries, Beatrice
- Beatrice Senior Center — Senior Citizen Center, Beatrice
- Beatrice USDA Service Center — USDA Service Center (FSA/NRCS), Beatrice
- Blue Springs Post Office — Post Office, Blue Springs
- Blue Springs Rural Fire District — Fire Station, Blue Springs
- Clatonia Fire Department — Fire Station, Clatonia
- Clatonia Post Office — Post Office, Clatonia
- Clatonia Village Office — City Hall, Clatonia
- Cortland Post Office — Post Office, Cortland
- Cortland Senior Center — Senior Citizen Center, Cortland
- Cortland Village Office — City Hall, Cortland
- Filley Village Office — City Hall, Filley
- Gage County Assessor — County Assessor, Beatrice
- Gage County Attorney's Office — County Attorney, Beatrice
- Gage County Clerk — County Clerk, Beatrice
- Gage County Court — County Court, Beatrice
- Gage County Courthouse — Court House, Beatrice
- Gage County Driver License Office — County Driver License, Beatrice
- Gage County Emergency Management — Emergency Management, Beatrice
- Gage County Sheriff — County Sheriff, Beatrice
- Gage County Treasurer — County Treasurer, Beatrice
- Gage County Veterans Service Office — Veterans Office, Beatrice
- Gage County Weed Superintendent — County Weed Control, Beatrice
- Gold Crest Retirement Center — Assisted Living, Adams
- Lower Big Blue Natural Resources District — Natural Resources District (NRD), Beatrice
- Odell Post Office — Post Office, Nebraska
- Odell Public Library — Libraries, Nebraska
- Odell Village Office — City Hall, Nebraska
- Pickrell Village Office — City Hall, Nebraska
- Virginia Village Office — City Hall, Nebraska
- Wymore City Hall — City Hall, Nebraska
- Wymore Fire Department — Fire Station, Nebraska
- Wymore Home Delivered — Senior Citizen Center, Nebraska
- Wymore Housing Authority — Housing Authority, Nebraska
- Wymore Police Department — Police Station, Nebraska
- Wymore Post Office — Post Office, Nebraska
- Wymore Public Library — Libraries, Nebraska
Automotive (19)
- Beatrice Auto Sales — Used Car Dealer, Beatrice
- Belding Auto Sales — Used Car Dealer, Beatrice
- Casey's General Store - Beatrice (Arthur Street) — Casey's, Beatrice
- Casey's General Store - Beatrice (South 6th Street) — Casey's, Beatrice
- Casey's General Store - Beatrice (West Court Street) — Casey's, Beatrice
- Casey's General Store - Wymore — Casey's, Nebraska
- Drewels Used Cars & Trucks — Used Car Dealer, Beatrice
- Griffeth Transmission — Auto Repair, Beatrice
- Hawkins Automotive — Used Car Dealer, Nebraska
- Morris Used Cars — Used Car Dealer, Blue Springs
- Nct & E Truck Sales — Truck Dealership, Adams
- Northeast Auto — Used Car Dealer, Beatrice
- Premier Chevrolet Buick GMC — Franchised New Car Dealer, Beatrice
- Rays Used Cars — Used Car Dealer, Cortland
- Refuse Truck Sales — Truck Dealership, Adams
- Sutton Repair — Auto Repair, Nebraska
- Twin Rivers Chrysler Jeep Dodge — Franchised New Car Dealer, Beatrice
- Vinton Auto Sales & Service — Auto Repair, Cortland
- Zoellner Ford of Beatrice — Franchised New Car Dealer, Beatrice
Professional Services (17)
- American Family Insurance (Wirth) — Insurance, Beatrice
- Dana F. Cole & Company - Beatrice — Accountant, Beatrice
- First Interstate Bank - Beatrice — Banking, Beatrice
- FNBO - Beatrice — Banking, Beatrice
- FNIC – Beatrice — Insurance, Beatrice
- Hartig Real Estate, LLC — Real Estate Agency, Beatrice
- Homestead Land Co. — Farm & Land / Ranch Real Estate, Beatrice
- Jones Group — Insurance, Beatrice
- K4 Storage - Beatrice Carlyle St — Self-Storage Facility, Beatrice
- Nebraska Self Storage – Beatrice Market St — Self-Storage Facility, Beatrice
- Nebraska Title Company - Beatrice — Beatrice
- Pinnacle Bank - Beatrice — Banking, Beatrice
- Scully Estates — Real Estate Agency, Beatrice
- Security First Bank - Beatrice — Banking, Beatrice
- Security First Insurance — Insurance, Beatrice
- Security First Insurance – Blue Springs — Insurance, Blue Springs
- Security First Insurance – Clatonia — Insurance, Clatonia
Utilities (17)
- Beatrice Municipal Utilities — Electric Power Provider, Beatrice
- City of Beatrice — Water Utility / District, Beatrice
- City of Blue Springs — Water Utility / District, Blue Springs
- City of Wymore — Water Utility / District, Nebraska
- Lower Big Blue NRD - Beatrice West — Water Utility / District, Beatrice
- Lower Big Blue NRD - Wymore — Water Utility / District, Beatrice
- Norris Public Power District — Electric Power Provider, Beatrice
- Village of Adams — Water Utility / District, Adams
- Village of Barneston — Water Utility / District, Nebraska
- Village of Clatonia — Water Utility / District, Clatonia
- Village of Cortland — Water Utility / District, Cortland
- Village of Filley — Water Utility / District, Filley
- Village of Liberty — Water Utility / District, Liberty
- Village of Odell — Water Utility / District, Nebraska
- Village of Pickrell — Water Utility / District, Nebraska
- Village of Virginia — Water Utility / District, Beatrice
- Wymore Municipal Utilities — Electric Power Provider, Nebraska
Education (16)
- 3-Year-Old Preschool — Elementary & Middle School, Blue Springs
- Beatrice Community Preschool — Elementary & Middle School, Beatrice
- Beatrice Elementary School — Elementary & Middle School, Beatrice
- Beatrice High School — High School, Beatrice
- Beatrice Middle School — Elementary & Middle School, Beatrice
- Beatrice Public Schools — School District (K-12 / General), Beatrice
- Diller-Odell Public Schools — School District (K-12 / General), Nebraska
- Diller-Odell Secondary School — Elementary & Middle School, Nebraska
- Educational Service Unit 5 — Educational Service Unit, Beatrice
- Freeman Elementary-Adams — Elementary & Middle School, Adams
- Freeman High School — High School, Adams
- Freeman Public Schools — School District (K-12 / General), Adams
- Gage County Extension — County Extension Office, Beatrice
- Southern Elementary School — Elementary & Middle School, Blue Springs
- Southern Jr-Sr High School — High School, Nebraska
- Southern School District 1 — School District (K-12 / General), Nebraska
Media (9)
- Arbor State — News Paper, Nebraska
- Daily Sun — News Paper, Beatrice
- K23AA-D Channel 29 - Beatrice — TV Translator, Beatrice
- KNBE 88.9 FM - Beatrice — Radio Station, Beatrice
- KPKA-LP 100.1 FM - Beatrice — Radio Station, Beatrice
- KTGL 92.9 FM - Beatrice — Radio Station, Beatrice
- KWBE 1450 AM - Beatrice — Radio Station, Beatrice
- KWBE-LD Channel 21 - Beatrice — TV Station, Beatrice
- My Bridge Radio 88.3 FM - Beatrice — My Bridge Radio, Beatrice
Transportation (5)
- Beatrice Municipal Airport — Municipal / General Aviation Airport, Beatrice
- Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging - Beatrice — Public Transportation, Beatrice
- Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging - Wymore — Public Transportation, Nebraska
- Blue Rivers Transportation System (Beatrice) — Public Transportation, Beatrice
- Blue Rivers Transportation System (Wymore) — Public Transportation, Nebraska
Manufacturing & Industrial (4)
- Beatrice Machine — Machine Shop, Beatrice
- Diversified Machine — Machine Shop, Beatrice
- LandMark Snacks — Food & Beverage Manufacturing, Beatrice
- Nebraska Machine & Tool — Machine Shop, Beatrice
Agriculture & Farm (3)
- Bomgaars – Beatrice — Bomgaars, Beatrice
- LandMark Implement - Beatrice — Equipment Dealers, Beatrice
- Roehrs Machinery — Equipment Dealers, Beatrice
Personal Services (2)
- Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel — Funeral Home, Beatrice
- Harman-Wright Mortuary & Crematory — Funeral Home, Beatrice