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The city of Superior derived its name from early settlers who spoke of the "superior" quality of land stretching east and west from the town along the Republican River Valley.
William Louden, the founder of Superior, left Illinois in April 1871 and brought his possessions to Nebraska. The following year, a dugout was constructed and the first post office opened. The restored post office can be viewed today at the Nuckolls County Museum.
In the spring of 1875, the first store buildings and school house were built. The town was surveyed in 1875, but not incorporated until August 4, 1879.
Superior has a population of 2,055 and is located in Nuckolls County, two miles from the Kansas - Nebraska border on State Highways 8 and 14. The town consists of a mayor/council type of government and a comprehensive city plan. Superior also houses a municipally-owned utility system. Statewide, Nebraska utilities are the 7th lowest in the nation. The city offices are located at 135 W. 4th, (402) 879-4711. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
City council meetings are typically held the second (2nd) and fourth (4th) Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. and are open to the public.
The city of Superior's police force consists of four full-time officers who provide police protection 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Collectively, the force has 114 years of law enforcement experience.
The police department provides first response to all 911 calls originating within the city limits. Back-up assistance for the local department is provided by the Nuckolls County Sheriff's Department and the Nebraska State Patrol.
The Nuckolls County Sheriff's Department is located in Nelson, Nebr., 13 miles north of Superior. The department is staffed with four full-time officers who provide protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Collectively, the officers have 68 years of law enforcement experience. All 911 calls in the county are answered in the sheriff's office. Five dispatchers provide 24-hour service.
The Superior Rural Fire Protection District was organized in 1892 and serves approximately 3,000 people in a 45-mile radius covering portions of the counties of Nuckolls and Jewell, KS. In addition, the District responds to mutual aid staffed with 36 volunteer firefighters who respond to an average of 30 fires each year. The fire insurance classification is 4.
The Superior department is well equipped with three pumpers, two rural grass trucks, two ambulances, one tanker, one equipment truck and one 75-foot ladder truck. The department also maintains two 2,000-gallon portable tanks, three floatable pumps, an air compressor and a Jaws of Life unit. Collectively the current force has over 300 years of fire and rescue experience.
Superior Volunteer Rescue Squad is staffed with 11 volunteer emergency medical technicians (EMTs). The volunteers are trained as First Responder EMTs and paramedics. Collectively, the current force has 108 years of experience. The EMT department services the same areas as the Superior Rural Fire Protection District and provides mutual aid assists to the communities of Hardy and Guide Rock.
The city of Superior owns two ambulances and all equipment required by the state. Additional equipment maintained by the Superior Volunteer Rescue Squad includes a difibulator, immobilization equipment, oxygen for different diagnosis, and glucometers.
More Nebraska high school students are taking the ACT college entrance exam and the scores remain high. The state's average test score for the high school class of 2004 remained at 21.7, higher than the national average of 20.9 with the highest possible score of 36. Results from the tests - which measure student skills in English, math, reading and science have become an annual barometer of high school achievement as students prepare to enter college.
Superior Public Schools, K-12, comprised of two elementary schools, grades K-6, with an enrollment of 340 and a teacher to pupil ratio of 1:15. The high school has 300 students and a 1:11 teacher to pupil ratio. Superior is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Superior is designated as a Class C2 school and has an excellent academic reputation. Unlike many schools in the area, all students attend classes locally and participate in many extra-curricular activities including FFA, FCCLA, student council, band, choir, football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, track and field, and boys and girls golf. Superior's younger youth are encouraged to participate in Superior's spring track club, winter basketball leagues, flag football leagues, gymnastics, tee-ball, softball, baseball, boys and girls scout troops and many more local, organized activities. There are also three preschools, operating in Superior: Head Start, Happy Time Preschool (private organization) and PALLS (opportunities for children with disabilities).
Superior is part of the Central Community College system which operates a learning center in the Superior High School and offers business and professional training based on local business needs as well as certificate, diploma and degree programs. Classes are available through distance learning, which utilizes video conferencing, satellite broadcasts and Internet courses at Superior High School.
Mid-Nebraska Individual Services provides learning experiences for the retarded/handicapped, teaching independent living, occupational skills, and adjustment to the environment. Mid-Nebraska Individual Services was named 'Business of the Year' in the large business category at the Nebraska Business and Professional Women's Conference in April 2002.
Superior
is home to a fabulous new library located at 449 N. Kansas. The hours are 1:30
- 5:30 p.m. and 7 - 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. - 12 a.m. and
1:30 - 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Anyone over the age of 5, living inside the city
limits may receive a library card free of charge. Non residents may apply for
an individual or family for $18 per year. A card in good standing enables the
holder to check out up to ten items at a time.
Items Available at the Library include: audio books, videos, magazines, reference books, newspapers in addition to an extensive book collection.
Genealogy: You will find books on how to start a genealogy project, how to find addresses, military records, birth and death records from different states, copies of obituaries from the Superior area and Evergreen Cemetery records, microfilm reader with copy capabilities, microfiche reader, and a computer. The Superior papers go back to the later 1800's and the area census from the 1800's and early 1900's.
Services provided: Inter-library loan, Chris (A medical service provided through the College of Medicine in Omaha), First Search and Internet access.
Children's Services: Storytime and summer reading programs
Outreach Programs: Traveling large print library provided to the Superior Good Samaritan Center and three preschool groups (Palls, Head Start and Happy Time Preschool), also a delivery service for shut-ins.
Meeting Rooms: There is a meeting room open to the public. The room will hold up to 40 people, and can be used if the library is not open.
For more information, contact the library at (402) 879-4200, e-mail: superiorlibrary@hotmail.com.
Visitors
to the Nuckolls County Museum, 612 East 6th Street (1 block east of Hwy 14), may view displays
in six locations - the basic museum, Aurand Hall wing (the history, heritage and frontier life of Nuckolls County are seen here), country schoolhouse (now, nearly extinct as an educational institution, this one room school, built in 1884 stands proudly on the museum grounds),
agricultural hall (farm related items of the past), old post office (Superior's originial building, a log cabin, built in 1872) and a restored railroad car. Adjacent to
the schoolhouse are the original outbuildings; Dahlgren Hall (horse drawn machinery), Marquart Hall (over 3,000 model airplanes). True to the rural heritage of the County, the evolution of farm equipment used by the pioneer is depicted in a nearly complete display. Other displays present housekeeping articles, clothing and toys from early days. Turn-of-the century commercial establishments such as a beauty shop and a doctor's office are featured in room displays. Business equipment evolution is also represented. Special displays present memorabilia from each town in the county.
A variety of American Indian articles are on display in the museum. The Sioux Indian articles have been developed into an interpretive display. Many articles have been collected from this area, including some belonging to Chief Red Cloud. In addition, there are articles from the Pueblo, Hopi, Maricopa, Tesque, Acoma and other tribes displayed, adding variety and depth to the Indian exhibit.
Museum offerings also include the priceless collection donated by Lady Evelyn Vestey. Momentos represent her early life as well as souvenirs of her time in England and her foreign travel. There is also a collection of items that Lady Vestey sent as Christmas gifts to the school children. The tourism committee has recently rekindled this tradition by presenting the second grade class with a Christmas gift in honor of Lady Vestey, provided by endowments from Lady Vestey's estate. On special occasions for groups, we ask a local historian, who portrays Lady Vestey, for an opportunity to relive history of this special woman.
The Nuckolls County Museum is wheelchair accessible and admission is a freewill donation. Winter hours are Monday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day extended hours (Living History Days). Month of December hours are Sunday and Monday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Special openings welcome. Summer hours are Monday & Sunday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. For more information, call (402) 879-3005, (402) 879-4943, (402) 879-4198, (402) 879-3521, or (402) 879-4535.
Proud
to be the Victorian Capital of the State of Nebraska, Superior celebrates its
heritage each Memorial Day Weekend by hosting its Annual Victorian Festival.
The festival honors one of Superior's more famous residents and benefactors
- Lady Evelyn Vestey - the Nebraska farm girl who went on to become the highest
paid female executive of her time and, who, later in life married an English
Lord. Evelyn Vestey was a strong supporter of the Superior community her entire
life and after her death, her ashes were sent back to Superior for interment,
making her the only British nobility to be buried in the State of Nebraska.
Activities throughout the weekend emphasize the community's Victorian heritage, with citizens dressed in period costumes, Victorian home and historic tours, the area's largest parade, craft/flea market, road rally, dinner theatre, children's activities, live entertainment and victorian tea plus many other events designed to appeal to family members of all ages.
The Victorian Festival has been selected by a national publication as one of the top ten festivals in the nation. The festival has also received the Trailblazer Award of the Old West Trail Foundation and has been honored as Nebraska's Outstanding Event by the Nebraska Department of Tourism and the Nebraska Community Improvement Program.
For further information, please visit www.victorianfestival.info.
Superior is also known as the setting of Ben Sherwood's best-selling fictional novel, The Man Who Ate the 747. Within days of the publication, the book soared onto bestseller lists across the country, landing on The New York Times expanded list and top-10 rankings in the Los Angeles Times, Denver Post, New York Post, and Omaha World Herald. The book has been published in Britain and Ireland. Foreign rights have also been sold in more than a dozen countries including France, Germand, Holland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Taiwan.
Experience two weeks of screenwriting immerson with Lew and Pamela Hunter. The course, located in the Hunter's authentic Victorian mansion, provides a peaceful, small-town setting in which writers can concentrate.
The Superior Screenwriting Colony was established by Lew Hunter who was inducted into the screenwriting hall of fame in 2002. Lew Hunter has a Master degree from UCLA and Northwestern University, and has worked for Columbia Pictures, Lorimar, Paramount, Disney, NBC, ABC and CBS as a writer, producer and executive. An internationally renowned screenwriting speaker, Hunter teaches the popular Screenwriting 434 course at UCLA. Considered one of the foremost experts in screenwriting, Hunter continues to travel the world teaching screenwriting and inspiring thousand of students. His feature film credits include Fallen Angel, Desperate Lives and Playing with Fire.
Copyright
©1998 Nebraska Public Power
District. All rights reserved.