Ord -- Valley County As travelers drive along the beautiful
North Loup River as it winds through the valley in north central
Nebraska, they view scenes of breath-taking beauty. The trees,
remnants of the early pioneer plantings, provide wind breaks,
and the short grasslands on the rougher terrain provide forage
for grazing cattle. The wide valleys, formerly areas of native
grass, are now carefully measured fields of alfalfa, corn,
wheat, and milo. Farm buildings and homes are neatly painted and
well-kept. The trails made by migrating Indians are now our
paved roads such as state highways 11 and 70 through Ord. The
town was laid out in 1874 on land purchased from the Burlington
& Missouri River Railroad Company. General E.O.C. Ord, in
command of the military along the Platte, had made a trip up the
North Loup Valley to select a site for a fort, so the new town
was named "Ord," in his honor. The only other place in the
United States with this name is Fort Ord, California, named for
the same man. A military esta