-(soft western music)
-(wind blowing) (wind blowing) - [Narrator] Nestled in
the Sandhills of Nebraska, Arthur County is renowned as the smallest
county in the state, and the fifth smallest in the
United States by population. While cattle ranching stands
as its predominant occupation, friendly faces and a
slower pace of life are hallmarks of this
close-knit community. (soft western music) - [Ruth] Most of the businesses have been here for a long time. We still have a grocery store. We have the bank, which
is open one day a week. (soft western music) We have a high school, and
a grade school, junior high. Our kids that
graduate do very well. (soft western music) - [Narrator] In its early days, Arthur County grew to
nearly 2,500 residents because of the
Kincaid Act of 1904. As the population
in Arthur grew, so did the need
for law and order. Reflecting the size of Arthur, in 1914, a small
courthouse was built. The 26 by 28 foot
building was perhaps the smallest courthouse
in the United States. (soft western music) (soft western music) - [Ruth] So in this
courthouse right here, the sheriff sat here, the judge sat here,
the judge sat up there. This was all the commissioners. This was the superintendent,
which run all the schools. (soft western music) When they did have court,
the court was actually held up the street past
the Baled Hay church, at the grade school. So they never held
court in this room. (soft western music) (door creaking) This is the vault. The vault has old
records, land transfers, court dockets,
divorces, death notices. (soft western music) This is filed today, 1924. (soft western music) - [Narrator] The
multi-use courthouse received an addition
the following year, with a similarly small county
jail with unique features. (soft western music) - [Ruth] As you can see,
the jail is made out of two by fours, not pipe like all
old jails are made out of. (soft western music) It was little, it had two
rooms and solitary confinement. The sheriff didn't stay here. If you were in jail, you
were bad, you're on your own. (soft western music) I don't know that they had
a lot of people in jail for a very long time. Mainly it was drunk
and disorderly, horse thief, cattle rustling, just being bad,
waiting for trial. Those were the main things. (soft western music) - [Narrator]
Utilized until 1961, the courthouse gave
way to construction of the present day courthouse, while the jail ceased
operations a year later. Both structures
earned recognition on the National Register
of Historic Places. Ripley's Believe It
or Not has hailed it as the world's
smallest courthouse. This modest building
has been preserved and transformed into a
museum that draws visitors from far and wide to
this unique landmark. (soft western music)