A former Custer County Judge, Charles R. Matthews, homesteaded the area that now makes up Victoria Springs State
Recreation Area. The sixty-acre area gets its name from a natural mineral spring which once drew visitors
who believed in the theraputic value of the waters. At one time Matthews bottled and sold the spring water.
Established as a state recreation area in 1925 (the third designated in Nebraska), Victoria Springs has a campground,
picnic area, and nonmotorized boating. The cabin that served as Judge Matthew's home and Custer County's first
post office remain at the site. (from "Roadside History of Nebraska", Candy Moulton)