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Nebraska County
Red Willow County, Nebraska
McCook's Senator George Norris heritage and the Republican River valley - from George Norris's McCook legacy (George W. Norris - one of the most consequential US Senators in American history - represented Nebraska for 40 years from his McCook base, authoring the Rural Electrification Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority legislation, the 20th Amendment, and the Norris-LaGuardia Act - the George Norris State Historic Site preserves his McCook home) to the Republican River valley's Red Willow Reservoir (the Medicine Creek reservoir providing irrigation water and recreation for southwest Nebraska's dryland farming communities).
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Office: Red Willow County Emergency Management – 516 Norris Avenue, McCook, NE 69001 | (308) 345-1850; works with Community Hospital, Red Cross, Southwest Nebraska Public Health, McCook PD/FD, NEMA, FEMA, area veterinarians, and CERT teams.
Dispatch: McCook Police Department Communications Division – provides Phase II wireless enhanced 911 service for all of Red Willow County; staffed by a supervisor, 4 full-time and 2 part-time communicators.
Sheriff: Red Willow County Sheriff’s Office – 516 Norris Avenue, McCook, NE 69001 | Emergency 911 | Office (308) 345-1850 | Fax: (308) 345-1503 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM; operates the Red Willow County Detention Center (opened September 2014, 30-bed capacity), just north of the historic county courthouse.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-6/34 and US-83 serve McCook, the county seat, on the Republican River in southwestern Nebraska, roughly 70 miles south of North Platte.
Notes: Red Willow County offices are centered in McCook, NE 69001. McCook was founded in 1882 near the earlier settlement of Fairview, as an agreement between the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad and the Lincoln Land Company to establish a division point roughly halfway between Denver and Omaha; named for Union Civil War General Alexander McDowell McCook. Other communities include Bartley, Danbury, Indianola (the original county seat), and Lebanon.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Red Willow County Courthouse – McCook, NE 69001.
Notes: McCook is genuinely, remarkably home to the Senator George W. Norris House, a National Historic Landmark (designated 1967) at 706 Norris Avenue – purchased in 1899 by Norris, who represented Nebraska in the U.S. House and Senate for four decades and championed the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Rural Electrification Act, the 20th Amendment, and Nebraska’s Unicameral Legislature; the house was donated to the Nebraska State Historical Society by his widow in 1968 and remains preserved as it was when she left it. Also in McCook, the Sutton House at 602 Norris Avenue is a rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Prairie Style home – one of the architect’s few homes west of the Mississippi River and the only one in Nebraska (currently a private residence). The Museum of the High Plains, housed in a former Carnegie Library at 421 Norris Ave, preserves regional pioneer history. McCook Community College, established 1926, was the first junior college in Nebraska. Former Nebraska Governor and U.S. Senator Ben Nelson also grew up in McCook.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Red Willow County Veterans Services Officer – confirm current contact via redwillowcountyne.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a North Platte or Grand Island VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society (Library & Research) – 110 West C Suite M2 & D, McCook, NE 69001; confirm public library contact via cityofmccook.com.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Senator George W. Norris House National Historic Landmark, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sutton House, the Museum of the High Plains, and Norris Park are the county’s premier attractions. Hugh Butler Lake (Red Willow Dam) and Swanson Reservoir offer fishing and outdoor recreation nearby.
Notes: The genuine National Historic Landmark status of the Norris House and the rare Frank Lloyd Wright connection are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Red Willow County Assessor – confirm current contact via redwillowcountyne.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
McCook Humane Society – 100 South St, McCook, NE 69001 | (308) 345-2372 | Email: [email protected]; established 1983, a no-kill shelter serving a 90-mile radius across southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Red Willow County – Household Hazardous Waste program; confirm current contact via redwillowcountyne.gov.
NOTES: Red Willow County is the third county in the eleventh batch of the Nebraska v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine National Historic Landmark status of the Norris House and the rare Frank Lloyd Wright connection are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Red Willow County
Red Willow County is southwest Nebraska’s Senator George Norris county – the progressive Republican who authored rural electrification, the TVA, and the direct election of senators lived in McCook and is preserved in a state historic site that honors one of the most legislatively productive senators in American history.
McCook (the county seat, population ~7,500) is the regional hub for southwest Nebraska – the Norris historic site, regional hospital, and agricultural services anchor the Republican River valley community.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Red Willow County Assessor at 502 Norris Avenue, Suite 103, McCook, NE 69001, phone 308-345-1550. NE property assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Red Willow County District Court at 502 Norris Avenue, McCook, NE 69001, phone 308-345-1544, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
502 Norris Ave., McCook, NE 69001
(308) 345-1552
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Red Willow County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1926 Red Willow County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Red Willow County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Red Willow County Court, Probate Division 502 Norris Avenue, McCook, NE 69001 (308) 345-4583
Red Willow County was founded in 1873, named for Red Willow Creek, in southwestern Nebraska, seated in McCook. The 1926 Red Willow County Courthouse, Classical Revival in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Nebraska adopted the Uniform Probate Code, codified as the Nebraska Probate Code (Neb. Rev. Stat. Chapter 30). In Nebraska, the COUNTY COURT has exclusive original jurisdiction over probate matters.
Small Estate Affidavit (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-24,125 for personal property; § 30-24,129 for real property) – as of a July 2024 statutory amendment, available when personal property does not exceed $100,000 and real property does not exceed $100,000 (both thresholds raised from $50,000). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no application or petition for a personal representative may be pending. For personal property, the affiant presents a notarized affidavit directly to the institution holding the property along with a certified death certificate. For real property, the affidavit is filed with the register of deeds in the county where the property is located.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates, handled by the county court registrar with minimal judicial involvement.
Formal Probate – required when there’s no will, when a will’s validity is contested, or when there’s disagreement over the personal representative or how assets should be distributed. Handled by a county judge.
Step 2: filing for formal or informal probate
File an application (informal) or petition (formal) with the County Court in the county where the decedent resided.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gives direct notice to known creditors, who have a limited window from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories the estate’s assets and completes the required Probate Inventory Worksheet.
The personal representative completes and files any required Nebraska inheritance tax paperwork before the estate can be closed.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Nebraska does not set statutory percentage-based fees; personal representative and attorney fees are generally based on reasonable compensation for time and services.
UNIQUE TO NEBRASKA: Nebraska is one of only six states with an inheritance tax, collected at the COUNTY level. Transfers to a surviving spouse are exempt; close relatives get reduced rates; more distant relatives and unrelated beneficiaries are taxed at higher rates.
No separate state estate tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
NE DHHS — Red Willow
(308) 345-8090
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
502 Norris Ave., McCook, NE 69001
(308) 345-1911
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
502 Norris Ave., McCook, NE 69001
(308) 345-1552
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NE DHHS — Red Willow
(308) 345-8090
Community Hospital — McCook
chmccook.com (McCook — quality community hospital; major southwest Nebraska anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department – serves Red Willow County; confirm current phone via redwillowcountyne.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: McCook
Population: 10,500
Area: 718 sq mi
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Red Willow County residents.
