Preston

History

The Sac Post Office, established in 1874, was named for the Sac and Fox Indian tribes that live in this area. The offspring of mixed marriages (primarily progeny of early French trappers and adventurers) were given land on the Half-Breed Tract. Some of their descendants still live there, while others sold their land and moved on. Preston was platted in 1878 when the Atchison & Nebraska Railroad was extended to that point. In February 1880 Philip R. Shelly, the town's founder, built a store and applied for a post office. However, the postal authorities rejected the proposed name of "Blufton", since there was another one in Sherman County. James Eatough, who worked for Shelly, had come from Preston, England, so he suggested that name. On June 23, 1881, "Preston" was accepted by both post office and railroad. The town was then platted on a total of approximately 40 acres in 1881 by Shelly from a point running along the railroad tracks, where a siding was available, to the south. An elevator and a depot were built along the tracks for commerce and travelers. A. D. McAlpine, a telegraph operator from Canada, was the first railroad station agent. Shelly was the first postmaster. He built one of the general stores and a drugstore, ran the saloon, and owned a livery stable. In addition, he bought and sold cattle and hogs, shipping them to markets in St. Joseph (MO), Kansas City (KS), and Chicago (IL). On Monday and Tuesday nights, the rail yards were busy as men loaded two or three carloads of livestock. Preston's first one-room school served the community until 1889, when a larger schoolhouse was built. The grounds were fenced with four-foot woven wire to keep animals out. In the 1920s, several other districts consolidated with Preston and operated a three-year high…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  303
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  274
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  262
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  252
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  230
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  220
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  199
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  192

Largest nearby schools

• FALLS CITY NORTH ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · FALLS CITY · 295 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• FALLS CITY SENIOR HIGH
  High · FALLS CITY · 236 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• FALLS CITY SOUTH ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · FALLS CITY · 175 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• FALLS CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · FALLS CITY · 174 students · 13.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2018-07-20
  1 km WNW of Saint Joseph, Missouri
• M 2.9 — 2014-01-06
  5 km NW of Liberty, Nebraska
• M 3.6 — 2009-12-17
  2 km NW of Auburn, Nebraska
• M 3.1 — 2007-03-23
  5 km N of Nortonville, Kansas
• M 3.5 — 2004-07-16
  6 km SSE of Riverton, Iowa