Burwell began as a post office named The Forks in 1875, was incorporated as a village and renamed Burwell in 1884, and became the end of the newly incorporated Lincoln & Black Hills Railroad three years later when track was laid from Central City to Burwell. The railroad had planned to continue all the way to South Dakota, and the grade was built as far north as Butka in Rock County, but no tracks were laid beyond Burwell, so a turntable was built here to turn steam locomotives around for the return trip. Although the railroad was owned by the Lincoln & Black Hills Railroad, it was leased and operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, which bought the line in 1908. The railroad was a major factor in the development of the North Loup Valley, but increasing use of automobiles, trucks, and buses eventually reduced demand. The last train left Burwell in February 1983, the tracks were removed, and only the turntable remained as a reminder of the railroad era.