The redwood water tank was built to furnish water for the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad steam engines. This line, which was part of the northwestern line, and later became the Chicago Northwestern Railroad, came to Lusk on July 13, 1886.

The original site was several hundred feet to the west of the present location. Water was furnished from a well by a windmill. Later, it came from a hand-dug well by hand and steam power. The tank is one of six left standing in the U.S.

The historical society has been working to preserve the tank since 1971. We had assistance from Chicago Northwestern Railroad, Town of Lusk, and numerous other contributions.