The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Paxton, Nebraska, originally known as Alkali, owes its early existence to the construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad in the late 1860s. The town's name reflected the high alkaline content of the soil in the area. This small but resilient community began as a simple siding along the Union Pacific Railroad, complete with a telegraph station, water tower, and depot. Its roots trace back to Edwin Searle Sr., an 18-year-old telegraph operator who arrived in 1867. Living initially in a tent, Searle quickly became a notable figure in the settlement's early days, and his son, Edwin Searle Jr., born in 1873, holds the distinction of being the first white child born in Keith County.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Paxton’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Paxton’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Paxton
See all 1 →Paxton, decade by decade
2000
Nothing in Paxton is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Paxton has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Roscoe State Aid Bridge in Roscoe, 11.7 miles away.
Paxton and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.