The official government headquarters in Nebraska were originally at Bellevue until the assembling of the first
territorial legislature in January, 1855, when Omaha became the seat of government.
The machinery of the territorial government was set in motion in 1854. The territory was divided into eight
counties:
Burt
Washington
Dodge
Douglas
Cass
Pierce
Forney
Richardson
The name of this first Pierce county was changed to Otoe in 1855.
Pierce county was surveyed by Charles Turner, deputy surveyor. The work of surveying was. completed on November 16, 1858, and in 1859 Pierce county was created by the Territorial Legislature.
The copy of this survey may be found in the government field notes in the office of the county clerk. This hand
written copy of certified field notes, showing the government surveys of Pierce County, was made from the
original field notes in Washington, D.C. The copy cost the county $800. The original was dated October 14,
1858.
In 1859 the present Pierce county was created by Territorial Legislation. The county and Pierce City, the
county seat, were named after Franklin Pierce, who was inaugurated in 1853, the fourteenth president of the
United States.
Originally Pierce county contained fifteen townships, there being a jog in the northeast corner, but on February
5, 1875, Pierce county pulled a trick on Cedar county. It happened so very long ago very few, if any, old timers remember it.
In those far-off days Cedar county's southern boundary was a straight line, while Pierce county's northern
boundary line dipped six miles south and then six miles east on the eastern side. One bright morning, Cedar
County awoke to discover that the legislature had amputated the southeast township and transplanted it on
Pierce County. Cedar county's representative in the legislature had never heard a word about it until the job
was done.
In this way Pierce county straightened her northern boundary and Cedar county acquired a jog in her southern boundary. The part of the town of Randolph in Cedar county that extends
over the line in Pierce county was nicknamed "Dog Town" and still bears that name. In addition to acquiring a whole township without cost, Pierce County acquired several miles of railroad for taxation purposes.
Two years later the Pierce County representative, together with representatives from other counties, fixed it
so no county could acquire any portion of another county without the consent of both counties, so Cedar
County was stopped from getting that township back.