How Ogallala, Nebraska Got Its Name (From the Oglala Lakota)

Ogallala, Nebraska, is named for the Oglala, one of the bands of the Lakota people. The town just spells it with a couple of extra letters.

Where the name comes from

A 1925 study of Nebraska place names says the town “was named for the Oglala (often spelled Ogalalla) tribe of the Teton Sioux Indians.” The U.S. Geological Survey’s record says it was “named for a subtribe of the Sioux Indians.” Nebraska’s state historical marker in town, “Nebraska’s Cowboy Capital,” also says the Union Pacific stop took its name from the Oglala Lakota.

What does “Oglala” mean?

That’s a fair question, and we’re leaving it open for now. The 1925 study offers a translation, but it doesn’t say where it came from, and we haven’t found a Lakota language source to back it up. We’d rather not repeat a meaning we can’t check, so we’ll add one when we can tie it to a solid linguistic source.

Cowboy capital

The name is older than Ogallala’s wild years. The state marker says Ogallala was the cow town of its day, where cattle were shipped east on the railroad, and that the trail-driving era was “virtually over” by 1884.

The rest of the record

The U.S. Geological Survey’s record says Ogallala was founded in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. It’s the county seat of Keith County.

Sources & further reading

• Lilian Linder Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (University of Nebraska, 1925). A public-domain study of the state’s place names, county by county. The Oglala band of the Teton Sioux.
• Nebraska State Historical Society, “Nebraska’s Cowboy Capital” marker. The Oglala Lakota name and the cattle-trail years.
• GNIS feature 831832 (U.S. Geological Survey). The federal record for Ogallala. Founded 1874; incorporated 1884; named for a band of the Sioux.