1510History
KLIR at FM 101.1 plays adult contemporary music; KJSK at AM 900 is a news talk station; and KTTT at AM 1510 is a polka and oldies country station.
1720Crime
In 1720, Pawnee and Otoe allied with the French massacred the Spanish force led by Pedro de Villasur just south of the present site of Columbus.
1739Economy
In 1739, the French traders Pierre and Paul Mallet stayed at the Pani-Maha village near this site while making the first known French voyage to Spanish-ruled Santa Fe.
1855Government
In 1855, Mitchell had obtained from the First Nebraska Territorial Legislature the right to operate a ferry across the Loup River.
1856Government
Initially settled in May 1856 along the historic Great Platte River Road, the city was named for Columbus, Ohio; its location along the proposed transcontinental railroad made i...
1857History
However, in 1857, the Pawnee signed a treaty whereunder they gave up the bulk of their Nebraska lands, save for a reservation on what is now Nance County, Nebraska.
1858Government
In 1858, the Platte County Commissioners passed an act of incorporation making Columbus a town;
at this time there were 16 citizens.
1863Infrastructure
=== Railroads and growth ===
Growth of the town was slow until 1863.
1865History
In 1865, he bought several hundred lots in the city.
1866Infrastructure
The railroad reached Columbus in June 1866, when the city's population was about 75.
1875Infrastructure
The Black Hills Gold Rush in 1875 led the city's merchants to promote it as a staging and outfitting area for gold seekers, who could ride the railroad to Columbus and then trav...
1876Architecture
Glur's Tavern, built in 1876, is the oldest tavern west of the Missouri River still in operation.
1879Military
In 1879, Columbus became the focus of a war between railroad companies.
1881Military
Fortunately for Columbus, an ice jam destroyed the Lost Creek bridge in the spring of 1881.
1896History
Marion Van Berg (January 15, 1896 – May 3, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.
1905Civil Rights
Lotan Harold DeWolf (31 January 1905 – 24 March 1986), usually cited as L.
1911Infrastructure
=== Automobile age ===
In 1911, the Meridian Highway project was launched with the formation of a Meridian Road association in Kansas.
1913Government
In 1913, the Lincoln Highway was established as an east–west transcontinental highway.
1922Infrastructure
In 1922, it was designated a state highway.
1924Architecture
The completion of the Meridian Bridge in 1924, replacing a seasonal ferry across the Missouri River at the Nebraska-South Dakota border, made the highway a year-round route from...
1925Infrastructure
By 1925, all of the city's major commercial thoroughfares were paved, and almost every lot along 13th Street (the Lincoln Highway) between 23rd and 29th Avenues was occupied by ...
1926History
In 1926, the route became U.S.
1928History
In 1928, the route became U.S.
1930Architecture
In 1930–31, the aging and inadequate bridge across the Platte was replaced; in 1932–33, a new bridge was built at the Loup crossing.
1931Architecture
In 1931, the Meridian Viaduct was completed, carrying the combined Meridian and Lincoln highways across the Union Pacific tracks and eliminating a grade-level crossing.
1934Disaster
The fall in the prices of agricultural commodities, combined with drought-induced crop failures in 1934 and 1936, forced many such farmers to abandon their lands.
1936History
At its peak, in October 1936, the project directly employed 1,352 people.
1939History
In 1939, Consumers Public Power District was formed in Columbus.
1946Architecture
In 1946, Behlen Manufacturing built a factory on the site;
the rest of the available land was occupied soon thereafter.
1967History
Evelyn Kusek was the first female city council member and served as the first female council president in 1967 and 1968.
1968Education
Columbus Public Schools in 1968 cut off non-resident students in order to become financially solvent, leaving students north of town without an education.
1969Education
This campus originally opened in 1969 as Platte Junior College and was the first county supported college in the state.
1970Culture
He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1970.[1] His son, Jack Van Berg, also went on to racing horse fame.
1977Architecture
The 1977 library would be torn down in 2023 to make way for the new Columbus Community Building.
1991History
Sandra Riley served as the second female city council president in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
1997Economy
Columbus made headlines in 1997 when 25 million pounds of beef from a Hudson Foods plant in the city were recalled.
1999Culture
In 1999, the East-Central District Health Department was formed as the Platte-Colfax County District Health Department.
2000Military
=== World War II to 2000 ===
With the arrival of World War II, Columbus's boosters sought a war plant for Columbus.
2001Government
The site is also home to the Freedom Memorial, which incorporates steel from the remains of the World Trade Center, destroyed by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
2003Sports
Ernest Hausmann (born August 20, 2003) is an American football linebacker.
2009Government
In 2009, Fernando Lopez, Karen Gomez and Maria Davila founded Columbus-based Centro Hispano Comunitario de Nebraska which provides immigration, education and business services i...
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, there were 22,111 people, 8,874 households, and 5,811 families residing in the city.
2016History
The 2016–2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $57,919 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,391) and the median family income $7...
2017Culture
A previous library ballot measure had failed in 2017.
2019Disaster
A Columbus man died during the Midwestern flooding in 2019.
2020Government
Voters in the 2020 election approved a community building project, with space for a library, a potential children's museum, an art gallery, coffee shop, community room and City ...
2021History
In January 2021, the council voted on an amended ordinance which required masks only if cases hit a certain level.
2022Education
A native of Uganda, he played college football for Nebraska in 2022 and entered the NCAA transfer portal after the 2022 season where he was ranked the top player in the portal.
2023Architecture
The Columbus Community Building held its grand opening in July 2023 with the Library and City Hall moving into the building immediately, followed by the Columbus Arts Council, C...
2024History
With an estimated population of 24,464 as of 2024, it is the 10th-most populous city in Nebraska.
2025Architecture
In summer 2025, the historic Loup River Bridge was demolished.