Surprise

History

White people began settling in southwestern Butler County around 1866. In 1881, George Miller built a gristmill on the Big Blue River. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that so much waterpower was available so close to the river's headwaters, and this led him to name the mill "Surprise". Businesses and homes were established near the mill; and in 1883, a post office was established under the name "Surprise". The town plat was registered in 1884. In 1887, the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad established a depot in Surprise, resulting in further expansion of local businesses. See also possible relationship with Surprise, Arizona. In 1913, chautauquas began to be offered at Chautauqua Park on the river. In the same year, the Surprise Opera House was built. Events held at the latter included local gatherings, lectures, musical performances, and moving pictures. The opera house's role in the community declined after about 1917, as increasing automobile ownership enabled residents to attend events at larger facilities in David City, Seward, and Osceola. Chautauquas continued to be held into the early 1930s; at their peak, the population of Surprise expanded to 1,500 during its week-long Chautauqua Show. The last performance at the opera house took place in 1954; the building is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The population of Surprise reached its peak of about 350 in the early 1920s. Its businesses included a brick factory and two grain elevators; it was an important shipping point for livestock, and exported ice cut from the millpond in the winter.

Geography

Surprise lies on the Big Blue River.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  171
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  129
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  98
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  90
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  84
• Barn Swallow

  Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  78
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  76
• Blue-winged Teal

  Spatula discors (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  74

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2024-11-21
  3 km W of Harvard, Nebraska
• M 3.3 — 2010-11-18
  4 km E of Octavia, Nebraska