Pierce County, NE

In 1859 the present Pierce county was created by Territorial Legislation.  The county and Pierce City, the county seat, were named after Franklin Pierce, who was inaugurated in 1853, the fourteenth president of the United States.

Originally Pierce county contained fifteen townships, there being a jog in the northeast corner, but on February 5, 1875, Pierce county pulled a trick on Cedar county.  It happened so very long ago very few, if any, old timers remember it.

In those far-off days Cedar county’s southern boundary was a straight line, while Pierce county’s northern boundary line dipped six miles south and then six miles east on the eastern side.  One bright morning, Cedar county awoke to discover that the legistlature had amputated the southeast township and transplanted it on Pierce county.  Cedar county’s representative in the legislature had never heard a word about it until the job was done.

In this way Pierce county straightened her northern boundary and Cedar county acquired a jog in her southern boundary.  The part of the town of Randolph in Cedar county that extends over the line in Pierce county was nicknamed “Dog Town” and still bears that name.  In addition to acquiring a whole township without cost, Pierce County acquired several miles of railroad for taxation purposes.

Two years later the Pierce county representative, together with representatives from other counties, fixed it so no county could acquire any portion of another county without the consent of both counties, so Cedar County was stopped from getting that township back.