Whitman, Nebraska

In the late summer of 1886, the Railroad proceeded on west of Broken Bow, being completed to Whitman in Grant County on May 30, 1887. Establishment of the Whitman post office was recorded on September 5th of the same year.

In the early days, Whitman really flourished. With passage of the Kincaid Act in1904, which allowed the heads of families over twenty-one years old the right to file on 640 acres of land, people flocked in to file claims. These people traded in Whitman for the materials for their homes, pipe for their wells and fencing supplies for their pastures. At this time Whitman was a great and busy cattle shipping center. Ranchers drove their cattle as far as forty miles to load freight cars for marketing in Omaha or St. Joe, Missouri. A large, well-planned stockyard accommodated the herds.

Business firms came on the scene providing goods and services. There were two livery stables, two good general stores, two drug stores, two medical Doctors, a bank, pool hall, and hotel. The lumberyard, of course handled coal, grain and rock salt besides all the necessary building and well materials. Of course we can't forget the three saloons!! Likewise the school and church was started. The school house in Whitman was built by George Hansen Construction Co. and completed May 15, 1922. Like most schools in new communities of the time, Whitman only went to the eighth grade in the beginning. It was extended to tenth grade and finally to the 12th. The first high school (12-grade) graduating class was in 1923. The land for the Church was donated by Festus Corrothers a local Rancher. This deed was recorded on April 30,1915. Many donations were given to help build the Church, and several denominations were involved, each taking turns using the building. Also, Mr. Corrothers donated the land for the cemetery.

In resent years, Whitman has gone the way of many small communities. They lost their high school in 1950, and the railroad only hauls coal through town on its way to somewhere else. Although they still have a grade school, lumberyard, post office, cafe and bar, general store, and the wonderful Sandhills hospitality.