KEARNEY

city, seat of Buffalo county, south-central Nebraska, U.S. It lies on the north (left) bank of the Platte River. The first settlers were Swedish immigrants who came there in 1865. The city was founded in 1871 at the junction of the Burlington and the Union Pacific railroads. It was named for nearby Fort Kearny, a U.S. Army post (184871) that had been established to protect travelers on the Oregon Trail and was named for General Stephen Watts Kearny. After a boom period in the 1890s as a cow town (livestock centre and shipping point), Kearney developed as an agricultural centre with light industry. Corn (maize), alfalfa, potatoes, soybeans, and sugar beets are the chief crops, and the manufacture of automotive valves and filters is important. The University of Nebraska at Kearney (1903) is located there. Fort Kearny State Historical Park is 8 miles (13 km) southeast. Inc. 1873. Pop. (1990) 24,396; (1994 est.) 26,216.