Nuckolls County was formed in
1860 and later organized in 1871. It
was named after Stephen F. Nuckolls, an early pioneer in this area.
In 1887, Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built
a branch line from Neva (3 miles west of Strong City) to Superior, Nebraska. This branch line
connected Strong City, Neva, Rockland, Diamond Springs, Burdick, Lost Springs, Jacobs, Hope, Navarre, Enterprise, Abilene, Talmage, Manchester, Longford, Oak Hill, Miltonvale, Aurora, Huscher, Concordia, Kackley, Courtland, Webber, Superior. At some point, the line from Neva to Lost Springs was pulled but the right of way has
not been abandoned. This branch line was originally called "Strong City
and Superior line" but later the name was shortened to the "Strong
City line". In 1996, the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merged
with Burlington Northern Railroad and renamed to the current BNSF Railway. Most locals still refer
to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".