Fremont, NE

Since the founding of our communities, organizations, businesses and citizens have stepped forward to build and serve their community. Click on any of the logos below to learn about those who made this website possible! If you would like to learn about becoming a sponsor CLICK HERE!

Fremont is a city in Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States.

From the 1830s to the 1860s, the area saw a great deal of traffic due to the Mormon Trail, which passed along the north bank of the Platte River. A ferry connected the two banks of the Elkhorn River near Fremont. It was a major overland route for emigrant settlers going to the West, the military and hunters. Fremont was laid out in 1856 in anticipation that the railroad would be extended to that site. It was named after the American explorer, politician and military official General John C. Frémont. Due to the town’s geographically central location, the First Transcontinental Telegraph line (1861), railroad (1866) and highway (1913) passed through or very near Fremont. Original brick portions of the “Old Lincoln Highway” located east of Fremont, on the way to Omaha.

On January 10, 1976, in downtown Fremont, the Pathfinder Hotel exploded due to a natural gas leak in the basement. At the time the hotel was being used as apartments, mostly occupied by senior citizens. It also was a meeting place for philanthropic and business organizations, and had a drug store on the northwest corner. The explosion shattered windows around the city, and the ensuing fire killed 23 people and destroyed most of the city block of the hotel.
Fremont gained national attention in 2010 when residents approved a referendum that would ban illegal immigrants from renting and working in the town.

Fremont is located along the Platte River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) northwest of the largest city in the area, Omaha, and 50 miles (80 km) northeast of the state capitol, Lincoln.