Duncan, Nebraska, developed in close association with overland routes through the Platte and Loup River valleys. The Mormon Trail passed nearby in the mid-19th century, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed to this point in 1866. Early settlers in the area included Swiss and Polish immigrants. In June 1869, Cherry Hill Post Office was established here. In 1871, officials of the Union Pacific Railroad platted the town of Jackson on this site. In 1879, Jackson was chosen as the junction of the Union Pacific and its subsidiary, the Omaha, Niobrara, and Black Hills Railroad, reportedly because Union Pacific financier Jay Gould was angered at nearby Columbus for promoting construction of a rival railroad into the region. In 1881, an ice jam destroyed the Loup River bridge on the Omaha, Niobrara and Black Hills line, and the tracks were later relocated to join the Union Pacific at Columbus. Jackson was renamed Duncan in 1880, and the village was formally incorporated on March 4, 1913.