Bancroft, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Bancroft is a village in Cuming County
, Nebraska
, United States
. The population was 520 at the 2000 census
.
John Neihardt
, who later became Nebraska's poet laureate
, lived in Bancroft for twenty years and wrote many of his works there. His study is preserved at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site
in the village.
began planning a line through the area, the Barbers deeded 80 acres (32.4 ha) of land to the railway for the platting of a town. At that time, there were about 25 residents, mostly of German, Irish, and Scandinavian extraction.
The settlement was originally known as Unashta Zinga, meaning "little stopping place" in a Native American language. When it was platted, it was initially named Barbersville; however, the Barbers requested that it not be named after them. It was accordingly given the name of one George Bancroft. Sources differ on who this was. In her 1925 Nebraska Place-Names, Lilian Linder Fitzpatrick says that it was historian George Bancroft
. However, more recent sources say that the Bancroft whose name was used was "a well-liked civil engineer with the railroad".
In 1884, 50000 acres (20,234.3 ha) of the Omaha Reservation
was sold to "actual residents". This brought an influx of white settlers to that portion of the reservation; and Bancroft, located at the southern edge of the reservation, profited from the increased business. The population grew until 1910, when it reached a peak of 742. The Great Depression
drove many of Bancroft's residents away to larger cities; but the onset of World War II brought a revival of prosperity.
In September 1903, Neihardt became co-owner and editor of the weekly Bancroft Blade. He resigned this position in January 1905; he had enjoyed writing editorials, but could not interest himself in the small events that a local newspaper needed to chronicle. From that point, he devoted himself to writing fiction and poetry, quickly winning national recognition.
In 1911, Neihardt rented a one-room building for a study. In 1912, he began his epic Cycle of the West there. He continued to work in the study until 1920, when he moved to Branson, Missouri
. In the following year, the Nebraska Legislature
named him "Poet Laureate of Nebraska and the Plains".
Neihardt's study was restored in 1967; in 1970, it was enrolled in the National Register of Historic Places
. In 1976, the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site was opened. Beside the studio, this includes a museum, a library, and the Sacred Hoop Prayer Garden, designed by Neihardt based on symbolism in his Black Elk Speaks.
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 520 people, 227 households, and 138 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,417.7 people per square mile (542.6/km²). There were 252 housing units at an average density of 687.1 per square mile (263.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.69% White, 0.96% Native American, 0.58% Pacific Islander, and 0.77% from two or more races.
There were 227 households, of which 33.5% included children under the age of 18, 48.0% were married couples
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 27.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in Bancroft was 39 years. 28.8% of the inhabitants were under the age of 18; 4.0% were between 18 and 24; 23.1% were between 25 and 44; 18.1% were between 45 and 64; and 26.0% were aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males; for every 100 females aged 18 or over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $28,500, and the median income for a family was $36,667. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,385 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $17,244. About 11.1% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under the age of 18 and 22.1% of those 65 and older.
Tourism is an important facet of Bancroft's economy; the Neihardt Center draws visitors from all over the country. Annual events at the Center include a scholarly conference in late April and an outdoor Neihardt Day festival in early August.
schools merged into Bancroft-Rosalie Public Schools in 1982. The combined district is based in Bancroft. In 1999, the junior-senior high school had an enrollment of 164 pupils.
The Bancroft Public Library has a collection of 8,170 volumes.
Neihardt's newspaper, the Bancroft Blade, was absorbed by the Wisner, Nebraska
Wisner News-Chronicle in 1954.
and Nebraska Highway 51
. There are no Interstate
or four-lane highways through or near the village.
The railway station in Bancroft closed in 1963. The nearest railroad is the BNSF Railway
, 25 miles (40.2 km) away. The nearest river port is Sioux City, Iowa
on the Missouri River
, 45 miles (72.4 km) from Bancroft. The nearest international airport is Eppley Airfield
in Omaha, Nebraska
, 88 miles (141.6 km) away.
Bancroft's electric power is supplied by Cuming County Public Power District, based in West Point. Natural gas is provided by Black Hills Energy, a subsidiary of the Black Hills Corporation
. The Village of Bancroft provides water and sewer services.
Fire protection is supplied by a 23-member volunteer fire department
. Bancroft has one full-time and one part-time police officer.
A medical clinic in Bancroft is staffed two days a week by personnel from the Pender Community Hospital. The hospital is 10 miles (16.1 km) away, in Pender, Nebraska
.
Cuming County, Nebraska
-History:Cuming County was formed in 1855. It was named after Thomas B. Cuming, an early governor of this territory.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,203 people, 3,945 households, and 2,757 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 520 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
John Neihardt
John Neihardt
Johnathan Gneisenau Neihardt was an American author of poetry and prose, an amateur historian and ethnographer, and a philosopher of the Great Plains...
, who later became Nebraska's poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
, lived in Bancroft for twenty years and wrote many of his works there. His study is preserved at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site
John G. Neihardt State Historic Site
John G. Neihardt State Historic Site, also known as the Neihardt Center, is located in Bancroft, Nebraska and features museum exhibits about Nebraska Poet Laureate John Neihardt....
in the village.
History
The site that became Bancroft was homesteaded in the mid-1870s by Ford Bella Barber and Deborah (Watson) Barber, who came from Maine to settle in Nebraska. In 1880, when the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha RailwayChicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway and the North Wisconsin Railway,. The...
began planning a line through the area, the Barbers deeded 80 acres (32.4 ha) of land to the railway for the platting of a town. At that time, there were about 25 residents, mostly of German, Irish, and Scandinavian extraction.
The settlement was originally known as Unashta Zinga, meaning "little stopping place" in a Native American language. When it was platted, it was initially named Barbersville; however, the Barbers requested that it not be named after them. It was accordingly given the name of one George Bancroft. Sources differ on who this was. In her 1925 Nebraska Place-Names, Lilian Linder Fitzpatrick says that it was historian George Bancroft
George Bancroft
George Bancroft was an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state and at the national level. During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845...
. However, more recent sources say that the Bancroft whose name was used was "a well-liked civil engineer with the railroad".
In 1884, 50000 acres (20,234.3 ha) of the Omaha Reservation
Omaha Reservation
The Omaha Reservation of the Omaha tribe is located mostly in Thurston County, Nebraska, with sections in neighboring Cuming County and Burt County, in addition to Monona County in Iowa. The tribal seat of government is in Macy, with the towns of Rosalie, Thurston, Pender and Walthill located in...
was sold to "actual residents". This brought an influx of white settlers to that portion of the reservation; and Bancroft, located at the southern edge of the reservation, profited from the increased business. The population grew until 1910, when it reached a peak of 742. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
drove many of Bancroft's residents away to larger cities; but the onset of World War II brought a revival of prosperity.
John Neihardt
In 1900, the 19-year-old John Neihardt and his family moved to Bancroft, where he worked as assistant to a trader with the Omahas. His work with the Omahas made him an authority on their traditions and customs. Neihardt had already begun writing; he had published his first book, The Divine Enchantment, in 1897. However, his experiences among the Omahas strongly influenced his subsequent work.In September 1903, Neihardt became co-owner and editor of the weekly Bancroft Blade. He resigned this position in January 1905; he had enjoyed writing editorials, but could not interest himself in the small events that a local newspaper needed to chronicle. From that point, he devoted himself to writing fiction and poetry, quickly winning national recognition.
In 1911, Neihardt rented a one-room building for a study. In 1912, he began his epic Cycle of the West there. He continued to work in the study until 1920, when he moved to Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. In the following year, the Nebraska Legislature
Nebraska Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature is the supreme legislative body of the State of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County....
named him "Poet Laureate of Nebraska and the Plains".
Neihardt's study was restored in 1967; in 1970, it was enrolled in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. In 1976, the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site was opened. Beside the studio, this includes a museum, a library, and the Sacred Hoop Prayer Garden, designed by Neihardt based on symbolism in his Black Elk Speaks.
Geography
Bancroft is located at 42°0'40" North, 96°34'24" West (42.011235, -96.573327). It is 19 miles (30.6 km) northeast of the county seat of West Point, NebraskaWest Point, Nebraska
West Point is a city in and the county seat of Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,660 at the 2000 census.-History:West Point was first founded in the spring of 1857, when Omaha businessmen formed the Nebraska Settlement Association in order to find suitable townsites in...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 520 people, 227 households, and 138 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,417.7 people per square mile (542.6/km²). There were 252 housing units at an average density of 687.1 per square mile (263.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.69% White, 0.96% Native American, 0.58% Pacific Islander, and 0.77% from two or more races.
There were 227 households, of which 33.5% included children under the age of 18, 48.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 27.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in Bancroft was 39 years. 28.8% of the inhabitants were under the age of 18; 4.0% were between 18 and 24; 23.1% were between 25 and 44; 18.1% were between 45 and 64; and 26.0% were aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males; for every 100 females aged 18 or over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $28,500, and the median income for a family was $36,667. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,385 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $17,244. About 11.1% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under the age of 18 and 22.1% of those 65 and older.
Economy
The two leading employers in Bancroft are governmental: the Village of Bancroft, and Bancroft Public Schools. The larger private employers include Country Pub, a restaurant and lounge with a payroll of 20; Renz Electric, a plumbing, heating, and electric contracting firm with 15 employees; and Triple C Products, a manufacturer of agricultural implements with 12 employees.Tourism is an important facet of Bancroft's economy; the Neihardt Center draws visitors from all over the country. Annual events at the Center include a scholarly conference in late April and an outdoor Neihardt Day festival in early August.
Education and media
The Bancroft and RosalieRosalie, Nebraska
Rosalie is a village in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 194 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rosalie is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land....
schools merged into Bancroft-Rosalie Public Schools in 1982. The combined district is based in Bancroft. In 1999, the junior-senior high school had an enrollment of 164 pupils.
The Bancroft Public Library has a collection of 8,170 volumes.
Neihardt's newspaper, the Bancroft Blade, was absorbed by the Wisner, Nebraska
Wisner, Nebraska
Wisner is a city in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,270 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wisner is located at ....
Wisner News-Chronicle in 1954.
Infrastructure and transportation
Bancroft is near the junction of Nebraska Highway 16Nebraska Highway 16
Nebraska Highway 16 is a highway in northeastern Nebraska. Its southern terminus is southeast of Bancroft at an intersection with NE 51. Its northern terminus is at NE 35 south of Wakefield.-Route description:...
and Nebraska Highway 51
Nebraska Highway 51
Nebraska Highway 51 is a highway in eastern Nebraska. It has a length of and runs from west to east. It has a western terminus at U.S. Highway 275 northwest of Wisner and an eastern terminus at the Burt County Missouri River Bridge at the Missouri River in Decatur.-Route description:Nebraska...
. There are no Interstate
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
or four-lane highways through or near the village.
The railway station in Bancroft closed in 1963. The nearest railroad is the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, 25 miles (40.2 km) away. The nearest river port is Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, 45 miles (72.4 km) from Bancroft. The nearest international airport is Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield is a medium hub primary airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska...
in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, 88 miles (141.6 km) away.
Bancroft's electric power is supplied by Cuming County Public Power District, based in West Point. Natural gas is provided by Black Hills Energy, a subsidiary of the Black Hills Corporation
Black Hills Corporation
Black Hills Corporation is a Rapid City, South Dakota diversified energy company that is an electric and gas utility in South Dakota and Wyoming and sells power throughout the American West....
. The Village of Bancroft provides water and sewer services.
Fire protection is supplied by a 23-member volunteer fire department
Volunteer fire department
See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...
. Bancroft has one full-time and one part-time police officer.
A medical clinic in Bancroft is staffed two days a week by personnel from the Pender Community Hospital. The hospital is 10 miles (16.1 km) away, in Pender, Nebraska
Pender, Nebraska
Pender is a village in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States, located on the Omaha Indian Reservation. The population was 1,002 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Thurston County...
.