Dunlap is located in the western part of Nebraska in the panhandle. It is a very remote area. This is the exact area for the setting of Stephen King's Children of the Corn. And it feels very lonely and desolate. The post office was established on February 11, 1888, with Edward Roberts as the first postmaster. The town was named by Roberts for the officer he served under in the Civil War, Brigadier General James Dunlap. The town had a flour and feed mill along the Niobrara River. It also had a skimming station for milk and a cheese factory. Dunlap used to be a popular stop between Alliance and Chadron. The fourth of July promised rodoes, fireworks and political speakers. The town slowly fizzled out and the post office closed in 1935. A couple of buildings are still standing including the Dunlap Mercantile. The flour mill has fallen down, but the debris is still thre marking its spot.
To get to Dunlap, you should start in Hemingford. Drive 5 miles east to Highway 385. Take a left and head north on Highway 385. Go about 9 miles to Lemke Road. Take a right and head east until you see the first well used road heading south (right). The town will be on the left.
Belmont is located in the panhanle of western Nebraska in Dawes County. It is a remote town. It was named for a railroad official from Lincoln. The post office opened on November 9, 1889. A railroad tunnel was built here from 1888-1890. And it was widened in the 1920's. The tunnel is 750 feet long. Belmont used to be a passenger stop on the railroad on the way to the Black Hills. The post office closed in 1957, as most of the residents were now gone. There are still a couple of buildings, a school and a railroad tunnel there. The tracks are still used, so watch out for trains!
To get to Belmont, take Highway 2 west out of Hemingford for 12 miles. Turn north (right) on Highway 2-71 and go 18 miles to the Belmont sign. Drive three miles east on a rough dirt road. Turn left right before the bridge and go over the railraod tracks. The town is right before you.
Marsland is located on Highway 2-71 in the panhandle of Nebraska. It is a few miles southwest of Belmont. It was named for Thomas Marsland, a frieght agent on the CB&Q Railraod. A church, railroad depot and a post office were among the first building built in Marsland. The post office opened on September 12, 1889 and a school opened in 1890. At one time Marsland had 800 people. The most common professions in the area were ranchers and potatoe farmers. Cattle were driven into town to be loaded up and shipped by rail. There was also an ice harvesting business on the Niobrara River. Blocks of ice were stored in an icehouse and used to refridgerate boxcars.
Marsland withstood many natural disasters. Grasshopper plagues, droughts and four major fires (1911, 1913, 1914, & 1928), swept through the town. The Great Depression closed the bank and the potatoe crop failed around this time. People gradually moved out and the passenger train ceased to stop here anymore. Today, the post office is the only business in operation in this tiny community of 9.
