Chappell

Chappell presents an ideal community to live in, play in, and shop in. Chappell is a friendly, caring and active community. Chappell is located along the Interstate 80 corridor in the beautiful, picturesque panhandle (southwest corner) of Nebraska. Also centrally located along US Highway 385 and US Highway 30 (otherwise known as the Lincoln Highway). Union Pacific Railroad runs directly through Chappell. The longest creek in the United States, Lodgepole Creek, also runs through Chappell next to the nine (9) hole municipal golf course. Interstate 76 is 14 miles to the south. The town of Chappell was named for a railroad construction engineer, Charles Henry Chappell, who,as the story is told, had supplies sent to him and his crew along the line with the command, "Send this shipment out to Chappell." The locality became known as "Chappell" from the time when there was only a box car on a siding and a crude cabin or two. The town's largest employers in 2015 are the Frenchman Valley Coop, Miller Memorial Nursing Home, and the usual tax supported agencies: schools, county, city, state, and federal. Chappell's six churches have had a significant influence on the community. The town has a medical clinic, ambulance service manned by volunteers, volunteer fire department with a fire hall, swimming pool, and other summer recreational activities. These include a lake for fishing, an airport with a 4000 foot asphalt runway, grass greens golf course, K-12 school system in two buildings, and a fine public library. Population of this friendly town in 2010 was 929. Chappell takes pride in having several well known citizens in the community. Among them are Virginia Smith , Third District representative to the U.S. Congress; Ramey C. Whitney, former Nebraska state senator; Aaron Gunn Pyle, deceased, well known artist and student of Thomas Hart Benton; Merlyn Carlson, past president of both the Nebraska Stockgrowers Association and National Cattlemen's Association, former Director of the Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture and is currently serving as Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture; Mrs. Hjalmer (Gertrude) Carlson, deceased, president of the Ash Hollow Centennial Association. This group presented"The Ash Hollow Pageant", an event that included a cast of some 900 people from several counties in the area, acclaimed as one of the finest celebrations in the stateduring the Nebraska Centennial. The following descriptions appeared Sunday 5 June 1887 in the Lincoln Journal. This was an "immigrant issue" intended to provide the towns of Nebraska with an opportunity to attract new residents. Situated in Cheyenne County -- On the Union Pacific Railroad -- Three Hundred and Twenty seven Miles from Lincoln -- Population Two Hundred. Chappell, Cheyenne county, is a thriving village on the main line of the Union Pacific railway, 337 miles west of Omaha and eighty five miles east of the western state line. It is situated midway between the north and south Platte rivers, and in a fine agricultural district which is being rapidly developed. The present population is about 200 and is rapidly increasing. It has three general stores, two hardware stores, two drug stores, two implement dealers, two livery barns, two furniture stores, two restaurants, a hotel, a bank, a lumber yard, and a newspaper. The Union Pacific railway company has just completed a neat and commodious depot, and a new school house about to be built. Chappell will undoubtedly become a county seat when Cheyenne county is divided. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW