Town file
Emerson, Nebraska
Emerson, Nebraska (Dixon, Dakota and Thurston counties, Nebraska) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 716, "Body Part Scavenger Hunt" (10 July 2026). Emerson, Nebraska, is a farming town of 854 people in the far north-east of the state, spread across Dixon, Dakota and Thurston counties and about 35 minutes from Sioux City, Iowa.
- Town
- Emerson
- County
- Dixon, Dakota and Thurston counties
- State
- Nebraska
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 716
- Approximate location
- 42.278, -96.726
Episode 716 / 10 July 2026 / 73 min / express
Body Part Scavenger Hunt
"We're going to Emerson, Nebraska... in northeastern Nebraska, like far northeastern Nebraska... this town is in three different counties... Dixon, Dakota and Thurston counties." about 0:03:47
The case: Murder of Craig Kubik (November 2016). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 854
- Median household income
- $56,346
- Median home value
- $153,200
History, in brief
- Emerson was laid out in 1881 to be a railroad junction. about 0:05:35
- It was a junction of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha railways. about 0:05:43
- In 1880 the railroad bought a hundred acres of land for a townsite. about 0:05:51
- The first two buildings were a depot and a section house. about 0:06:01
- Into the 1930s, Emerson had up to sixty-seven trains a day. about 0:06:04
- It was first known as Kennesaw Junction, but the name was already taken by Kennesaw Junction, Nebraska. about 0:06:37
- It was named Emerson in honour of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the poet, who had nothing to do with Nebraska. about 0:06:47
- The town was incorporated in 1888. about 0:07:30
The reviews read out
4 stars
"I've lived here all my life and it's a great place to live; the reviewer, Luke Stoles, is a sophomore at Wayne State College studying to be a PE teacher and coach."about 0:07:40
3 stars
"Small quiet town; a railroad town established in the mid-1800s that is now a small farming community."about 0:09:12
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Lyons, Nebraska27 miles
- Yankton, South Dakota54 miles
- Verdigre, Nebraska70 miles
- Yutan, Nebraska74 miles
- Early, Iowa81 miles
- Tea, South Dakota82 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.