The fort was named for Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny. Established in 1848, Fort Kearny offered protection to thousands of pioneers, Pony Express riders, and prospectors traveling west on the Oregon Trail. According to the 1849 War Department report, more than 30,000 people bound for California, Oregon and Utah passed through Fort Kearny during an 18 month period following the Gold Rush of 1849. Originally built near Nebraska City, the fort was later relocated to its present site to increase military strength in Central Nebraska. The first U.S. Army Post on the Oregon Trail, Fort Kearny was never attacked by Indians.
Observant readers are quick to point out the spelling differences between the fort and the town.
Someone in the post office simply made a spelling error and by the time it was realized, no one felt change was necessary. The town site was surveyed in the summer of 1871 by Anselmo B. Smith and the plat was filed with the county clerk on October 27, 1871. Settlement began in the summer of 1871 when Rev. and Mrs. Collins entered a homestead claim. The couple lived in a dwelling called Junction House. This house was the place of the first post office, the first school district, the first marriage ceremony, and the first church service.