Morrill County, Nebraska

Morrill County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 4,555. Its county seat is Bridgeport.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Morrill County is represented by the prefix 64 (it had the 64th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

The Battle of Mud Springs and the Battle of Rush Creek between the US Army and Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux, and Arapaho occurred in 1865 within what would become Morrill County.

On November 3, 1908, voters in Cheyenne County passed a measure calling for the division of that county. Accordingly, the Nebraska State Legislature passed an act providing for the division of Cheyenne County, the line of division running east–west, south of the town of Bridgeport. The northern portion so divided was to be called Morrill County. In December of that year, another election determined Bridgeport to be the seat of the new county, and the new county's officials were determined. The county was named for Charles Henry Morrill, a president of the Lincoln Land Company.

The terrain of Morrill County consists of low rolling hills. A portion of the area is used for agriculture, including some center pivot irrigation. The North Platte River flows east-southeastward through the south-central part of the county, passing Bridgeport before exiting the county some 4 mi (6.4 km) above the southeast county corner. The county has a total area of 1,430 square miles (3,700 km²), of which 1,424 square miles (3,690 km²) are land and 6.0 square miles (16 km²) (0.4%) are covered by water.

Chimney Rock, a rock formation 325 feet (99 m) tall with a 120-foot (37 m) spire, lies about 4 mi (6.4 km) south of Bayard, in western Morrill County. The rock was a prominent landmark on the Oregon Trail, and has become a symbol of Nebraska, appearing on the state's license plates and on its commemorative quarter.

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,555. The median age was 44.0 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.5% from some other race, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 14.2% of the population.