Nuckolls County, Nebraska: History
=== 19th century ===
Nuckolls County was formed in 1860, and was organized in 1871. It was named after brothers Lafayette Nuckolls, a member of the first Nebraska territorial legislature, and Stephen Friel Nuckolls, a pioneering Nebraska settler, businessman and banker. Nuckolls was also a notorious slaveowner who was followed by national news in 1860 when he tracked down an enslaved person he owned, named Eliza Grayson. She had escaped from him via the Underground Railroad two years earlier. With the help of a professional kidnapper they attempted to remove the woman from Chicago, where she was found, only to be arrested by local law enforcement. Nuckolls and the enslaved woman were put in the Chicago jail, only for an abolitionist mob to free her and shuttle her away to Canada. Nuckolls went on to prominence and admiration in Nebraska after sympathizing with the Confederate states during the civil war.
In 1887, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a branch line from Neva, Kansas (3 miles west of Strong City) to Superior, Nebraska. At some point, the rails were removed from Neva, KS to Lost Springs, KS, but the right-of-way has not been abandoned. As of 2020, the BNSF Line from Superior, NE to Lost Springs, KS was active and carrying rail traffic to and from Superior. This branch line was originally called "Strong City and Superior line" but later the name was shortened to the "Strong City line". In 1996, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merged with Burlington Northern Railroad, renamed to the current BNSF Railway. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".