In 1882 the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad had pushed its way westward from O'Neill to a small lake surrounded by cottonwood trees. It was given the name "Cottonwood Lake," but soon the word "cotton" was dropped, and "Wood Lake" became the name of the oldest town in Cherry County.
Located south of the Niobrara River and it's formidable canyons, the low-rolling hills covered with native grass made it ideal cattle-raising country. As soon as the rails were completed, Wood Lake was the largest cattle shipping town on the line that later became the Chicago & North Western. A large stockyard with loading chutes was built by the railroad. Cattle were driven from the ranches and loaded onto trains bound for Omaha. At shipping time, the hotel and livery stable were filled. The lowing of cattle, the whistles and yells of the cowboys, and the puffing and clanging of the trains could be heard day and night for weeks.
With its easy accessibility, Wood Lake drew trade from miles around. By 1900 there were several general merchandise stores, a doctor and pharmacy, newspaper, ice house, grist mill, livery stable, blacksmith, lumber, grain, and coal business. A piece of land was designated for a cemetery Wood Lake reached its peak population of 500 by 1920. A municipal power plant, built in the early 1920s, was used to produce electricity until 1948 when Wood Lake elected to join the REA system. Windmills gave way to the new water system with its large holding tank, and a centrally-operated telephone system was installed. The Union Church was organized in 1883, erected in 1901.
Before leaving Wood Lake, the group will be instructed that the land of Cherry County may be divided into four classes: Valley or hay land, hill land, table or farming land, valleys which are not low enough for hay land or dry valleys, and canyon land. The canyon lands are along the streams. They had splendid timber when the first settlers came. Part of this timber was made into lumber, also used for posts, poles for corrals and ridge logs for sod houses. There is yet quite a little timber on the canyon lands but not as much as when the settlers arrived.
On April 7, 1891, while Mrs. Amos Everett was on her way to the home of a neighbor, she was overtaken by a prairie fire and was burned to death. She had left a small daughter at the home of a friend or the child would, no doubt, have perished with her mother.
Wood Lake, a station on the F. E. & M. V. R. R., in the eastern part of Cherry county, 26 miles from Valentine, the county seat. Population, 200. (1890)
Bailey C M, genl mdse, drugs. Barnes S G, justice. Hoefs & Son, flouring mill. Honey Sarah Mrs, millinery.
Honey W, genl mdse. Johnson C A, hardware, agl implts, genl mdse. Lavee A, blacksmith. Leach David, postmaster. Leach D & C, genl mdse. Miller Grank, harnessmaker. Towne C G, sta agt.