Description
Dawson County is located in the south central portion of Nebraska and is bounded on the north by Custer County, on the east by Buffalo County, on the south by Phelps, Gosper and Frontier Counties and on the west by Lincoln County. Lexington is the County Seat.
History
Dawson County was first organized with boundaries defined by a legislative act on 11 January 1860. Boundaries were redefined by an act and approved on 6 June 1871. The county was officially formed on 26 June 1871 by proclamation of the then Governor William H James. The county was named for Jacob Dawson, an early Nebraska pioneer who served as the first postmaster of the town originally named Lancaster, and later named Lincoln, the State capital. (NE-T801/p56)