Hecla, Nebraska -- Named after a volcano in Iceland, this town was established for the railroad depot and a cattle shipping point with stockyards. Many people think that Mullen is, and has always been, the only town in Hooker County. On the contrary, Hecla was a booming town of up to 17 people from the early 1900's to the 1950's. In this forgotten town was a depot for the railroad, stockyards, a schoolhouse, a pool hall (which doubled as a dance hall), a general store, and a few houses scattered here and there. This town covered a very small amount of area, big enough only for the few buildings. Credit for keeping this small town alive can be given to the depot and stockyards being located there. Migrant workers, railroad crews and surveyors would come and go making the population triple at times.
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