Ord, NE

Ord is Valley County's seat, platted in 1874 in the North Loup Valley. The name honors General Edward O. C. Ord, who visited the area while serving in the Military Department of the Platte. County leaders selected Ord as the seat in 1873, then pursued a railroad connection; bonds for the Union Pacific were approved in 1881, and the line followed. That combination still gives Ord its shape: courthouse town, river valley, and rail connection for agricultural shipments. If you're orienting yourself, start with Valley County, the North Loup, and a city whose name belongs to a Civil War general.