We have 5 days until our first game of the 2026 football season against the Ohio Bobcats on 9/5/2026.
Yesterday we looked at Valley County, Nebraska.
https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/6-days-until-gameday-–-day-88-valley-county-nebraska.8953423/
Washington County, Nebraska
- Established in 1854 and named after President George Washington.
- License plate prefix #29.
- The population is ~21,300 (2025) and has been growing since 1950.
- The county is approximately 393 square miles.
- Blair is the county seat and the largest city in the county.
- Blair is actually the 3rd county seat, designated in 1869. Before that, Fort Calhoun and DeSoto served as county seats.
- Washington County is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area.
- Washington County is one of the original 8 counties
- The Missouri River establishes the eastern border of the county, as well as the state border.
- The Elkhorn River flows through the county.
- The Little Papillion River flows through the county.
- The earliest known explorers of the area were French Canadians in 1739, traveling from what is today Kaskaskia, Illinois to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station was located south of Blair and was the smallest commercial nuclear reactor in the United States. The station closed and decommissioned in 2016.
- An Atlas missile launch site that belonged to Offutt AFB is east of Arlington but was deactivated in the 1960s.
- Spiker, NE was damaged by a fire in the late 1930s and the community was abandoned shortly after.
- In November 2008, a large fire destroyed a PK Manufacturing plant. It was determined the fire was started by arson in an insurance fraud attempt.
- In April 2025, a tornado destroyed two homes in Nashville and caused further damage to other areas in the community.
- DeSoto was named for Spanish explorer Hernando De Sorto.
- Today, DeSoto is primarily farmlands with only a handful of families.
- Fontanelle was the original seat of Dodge County and then became part of Washington County. It was also originally promoted for the Territorial Capital, but eventually lost out to Omaha.
- Fontanelle was home to one of the first churches in Nebraska.
- In 1855, the Nebraska Territorial Legislature awarded a charter to the Nebraska University, also called Fontanelle University. When Fontanelle lost the county seat, leaders moved the university and Doane University was organized in Crete.
- In 1896, the Fontanelle Township Hall was built to serve as a meeting hall and polling place. Still standing today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Kennard was named for Thomas Kennard, the first Nebraska Secretary of State.
- Arlington was originally named Bell Creek in 1869 but was changed to Arlington in 1882 due to a similarity with another named place in Nebraska. It was named after Arlington, VA.
- Marshall Nurseries is an internationally acclaimed nursery and created the Marshall seedless green ash tree. It is located in Arlington.
- Fort Calhoun was never a fort itself, but instead a town that was established after Fort Atkinson had already closed down and moved further west.
- Fort Atkinson State Historical Park lies in Washington County and in Fort Calhoun. Today, much of the fort has been rebuilt, including barracks, gates, an armorer’s shop, the council house and the Sutler Store.
- Blair is named after John Blair, who is credited with bringing the railroad to town.
- In 1874, a grasshopper storm devastated the area and destroyed crops. With many Nebraskans facing starvation, the Nebraska Relief and Aid Society was created and gave money to Nebraskans to sustain their families.
- In April 2024, an EF4 tornado damaged and destroyed many homes in Blair.
- Blair was home to Dana College, which closed in 2010.
- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has an extension campus in Washington County that is a gateway to research and education in agriculture, horticulture, and community, health and family sciences.
Former Huskers and Spotlights (years are letterman years)
According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln records, there have been 7 letterman football players from Washington County, NE.
Clint Brown – LB 1993-1994, Arlington, NE.
- 6’1” 215lb SAM linebacker wearing #45
- All-State player and Arlington Athlete of the Year out of Arlington HS.
- Played at Nebraska from 1990-1994, lettering from 1993-1994.
- Played behind Troy Dumas.
- Played in 15 games in his career, finishing with 20 tackles.
- 1994 National Champion.
Thomas Grove – LB 2007-2010, Arlington, NE.
- 6’2” 225lb linebacker wearing #41.
- All-State player out of Arlington HS.
- Played at Nebraska from 2007-2010, lettering all 4 years and never redshirting.
- 3x Academic All-Big 12.
- Played in 32 games in his career, finishing with 10 tackles.
- 220lb tackle wearing #53.
- Played at Nebraska from 1928-1931, lettering from 1929-1931.
- 2x All-Big Six
- 2x All-American
- Nebraska Football Hall of Fame member
- Played professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- 1932 NCAA Shot Put champion, setting a record with 52’ 5.75”.
- 6’5” 295lb guard wearing #64.
- Played at Nebraska from 1997-2001, lettering from 1999-2001.
- Played in 24 games along the OL.
Ethan Cox – DB 2018, Blair, NE.
- 5’10” 195lb cornerback wearing #16.
- All-State player out of Blair HS.
- Played at Nebraska from 2017-2019, lettering in 2018.
- Played in 11 games in his career, finishing with 3 tackles.
Chris Long – OG 2015, Blair, NE.
- 6’4” 300lb offensive lineman wearing #75.
- All-State player out of Blair HS.
- 2015 Academic All-Big Ten
- 6’ 187” halfback wearing #15.
- Played at Nebraska from 1941-1942 and in 1946, lettering all 3 years.
- Played QB in 1942 and set an NCAA single game QB record with 258 all-purpose yards.
Jim Thompson – WB 1982-1984, Blair, NE.
- 5’9” 190lb wingback wearing #39.
- Played at Nebraska from 1980-1984, lettering from 1982-1984.
Other Notable or Prominent People from/born in Washington County:
Floyd Zaiger – Born in Kennard and moved to California in his youth. He and his family are known for their work in fruit variety development. They cross pollinate by hand and have 446 patented plant varieties. The first patented variety of theirs was the Royal Gold Peach and the Crimson Gold Nectarine in 1965.
Kay Brummond – Born and raised in Herman and a UNL grad. She is currently a professor of chemistry and the associate dean of faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. She is known for her research in organic chemistry.
Stanley Truhlsen – Born and raised in Herman. He is a UNL grad and a professor at UNMC. He served as the president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and governor of the American College of Surgeons. The Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute is named in his honor. Stanley lived to be 101 years old!
Clete Blakeman – Born in Blair and played QB for Nebraska. Served primarily as a backup behind starting quarterback Steve Taylor. Appeared in notable games, including playing in the fourth quarter against Colorado in 1986 and winning the 1987 Sugar Bowl against LSU. Began officiating high school and small college games in Nebraska and Iowa alongside his father starting in 1988. Advanced to the Big 12 Conference in 2000 before joining the NFL as an on-field official in 2008. Promoted to referee (white hat) in 2010 and served as the head referee for Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
Tom Seaton – Born in Blair. He played professional baseball from 1909-1920 and in the MLB from 1912-1917, playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs. As a pitcher, he compiled a 93-65 record in the MLB with a 3.14 ERA (pi) and 644 strikeouts.
Otto Schmidt, Medal of Honor Recipient – Born and raised in Blair. He served in the Navy where he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1905 aboard the USS Bennington when a boiler exploded while docked in San Diego, killing 66 sailors. With disregard for his own life, he kept entering the burning boiler room to pull out trapped and injured sailors.
GO BIG RED
Resources:
https://storage.googleapis.com/husk.../ZD6pyAK8hFocPYXCFPaVccH8170tcm1uOYyc7u0R.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Nebraska
https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/fort-atkinson/
https://www.washingtoncountyne.gov/
https://www.washingtoncountyne.gov/about
https://nebraskacounties.org/nebraska-counties/county/washington.html
