History of Hall County
In 1857 a band of settlers arrived in the Platte River Valley in what is know today at Hall County. This group of 35 was comprised of mostly German immigrants from the Schleswig-Holstein area and backed financially by a group from Davenport, Iowa. The mission of the first settlers was to establish a community in the region in the hopes that the train tracks would follow the wagon trails that led to the west coast of the United States.
Other settlers followed the first group and within a few years the settlement stretched west along the Platte and Wood Rivers. The Union Pacific Railroad reached the settlement in 1866 and the town was named Grand Island.
Other settlers followed the first group and within a few years the settlement stretched west along the Platte and Wood Rivers. The Union Pacific Railroad reached the settlement in 1866 and the town was named Grand Island.