In 1886 the Chicago, Burlington & Quiincy railroad reached the area which is now the Village of Hazard. For those interested in learning more about the history of the railroads that were instrumental in the settlement of Nebraska, please visit the Burlington Route Historical Society.
Many of you may be familiar with the 1992 Richard Marx song, "Hazard" which topped the music charts at number 9. The song is fictitious and the town of Hazard was selected at random but stirred many to solve the mystery of who killed Mary. One hundred years before the "death" of Mary, Hazard was becoming a busy, growing economic small town on the Nebraska high plains. Around the time of the turn of the 20th century, Hazard boasted many businesses including a general store, banks, a hotel, the Grand Theater, a lumber store and a millinery just to name a few. Unfortunately, fire destroyed most of the businesses more than one time! Besides the threat of fires, the citizenry had to contend with rattlesnakes in the outlying countryside.