Nickerson, the second largest town in Reno county, is located on the Arkansas river, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Missouri Pacific railroads, 12 miles northwest of Hutchinson, the county seat. This is the location of Nickerson College and of the Reno county high school, which was established by act of the legislature in 1899. There are 2 banks, an opera house, mills and elevators, a weekly newspaper (the Argosy), and all the general lines of retail establishments. The town is supplied with telegraph and express offices and has an international money order postoffice with two rural routes. The city is divided into three wards and according to the census of 1910 had 1,195 inhabitants.

Nickerson was founded by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad company. The depot was built in 1872 and the station was named in honor of Thomas Nickerson, who was at that time president of the company. A section house was built the same year. In 1875 a school house was erected. It was not until Aug., 1875, that anyone came to live on the town site. At that time Dr. L. A. Reeves built a two-story structure and opened a store. These buildings comprised "old Nickerson." In 1878 a new town site was laid off on land owned and up to this time farmed by Mr. Sears. Building began at once and within 60 days after the town was surveyed it had two hotels, a dozen stores, 2 livery stables, 2 lumber yards, and a printing office. The first building was a drug store put up by M. McCormick. The hotels were built by James DeVitt and A. L. Harlow. The postoffice was established in 1873 with Mrs. M. Sears as postmistress, and was kept in a little sod house. Later Dr. Reeves was postmaster and kept the office in his store, which he moved to the new town in 1878. The money order system was established in 1880. The first school was taught in 1874 by Mary Kinney. The Nickerson Argosy was established in 1878 by Sargent & Brown. A wooden bridge was completed across the Arkansas at this place in 1879. Lodges, churches and other organizations were established at different times during the '70s, until by 1880 all the leading ones were represented. The town was organized as a city of the third class in June, 1879. The first set of city officials were: Mayor, Dr. L. A. Reeves; council, M. McCormick, C. S. Morse, J. O. Smith, H. R. Nickerson; police judge, O. O. Olmstead; treasurer, C. F. Heath; clerk, A. H. Jackson; marshal, J. D. Reed.