In 1877, the Burlington Railroad extended its tracks westward from Seward, Nebraska. In 1879, four men each donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land for a townsite, in order to persuade the railroad to build a siding and station there.[3]
A dispute arose over the name of the new town, since each of the four wanted it to bear his name. The name eventually chosen was a frontier pronunciation of "tomorrow", apparently because the selection of the name had to be deferred until later.[4]
Within three years of the town's founding, three grain elevators had been constructed.[3]
In 1884, the population was estimated at 53; the town was incorporated in 1888.[5]
Eventually, Tamora's commercial district consisted of over thirty businesses, including two banks and the Tamora Times newspaper.[3]
In 1892, an abortive attempt was made to bring the Seward County seat to Tamora. A group of local promoters purchased a quarter-block and began construction of a building that they hoped would become the courthouse. However, support for the idea failed to materialize, and the building project was abandoned. A few years later, an attempt was made to build an opera house on the unfinished foundation. This, too, failed; and the basement was eventually filled in.[5]
By 1920, Tamora had a population of over 200.[5]
However, it lacked a fire department. Many of its commercial buildings were destroyed by fire and not replaced.[3]
The population steadily declined, to a low of 50 in 1980.[6]
The post office was closed in 1970.[7]
Even as the retail sector and the population declined, the grain storage and loading facilities were expanded. In 1962, the local farmers' cooperative built a concrete grain elevator; in 1964, they replaced a feed mill that had burned down. In 1978, they built one of the largest grain elevators in Nebraska.[5]
Disharmony on the village board led to a number of recall attempts and, eventually, a petition to unincorporate the town, which was rejected by the voters in a 1990 election.[5]
Feuding on the board continued; and in 1997, Tamora's electors voted 30-6 in favor of unincorporation.[8]
In 1990, the last decennial census before its unincorporation, the population of Tamora was reported as 51.[9] In 2007, the population was estimated at 70.[3]
Geography
Tamora lies 6 miles (10 km) west of the county seat of Seward,[5]
about halfway between Seward and Utica. It is located approximately one-half mile (0.8 km) south of U.S. Route 34,[10]
on the BNSF Railway.[5]
Tamora has no commercial district. Its principal business is the grain elevator operated by United Farmers Cooperative. The elevator has unit train capability.[5] It has a capacity of 2,318,000 US bushels (81,700 m3), and its siding has space for 110 railroad cars.[12]
