The town of Wilber was platted on March 10, 1873. It was made possible by the Burlington and Missouri railroad running trains in 1872 over the land where the town is now located.

Wilber is in Saline County, which has the largest Czech population of any county in Nebraska. It lies midway between the 40th and 41st parallels of latitude and 97 longitude west. Wilber is about 32 miles southwest from Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska, in the beautiful and fertile Big Blue River Valley.

The town of Wilber was named for Charles D. Wilber, an eighth generation of Wilbers in America who braved the sea, starvation, cold, hardships, and dangers, to establish a life in the United States. Charles Dana Wilber was born on July 4, 1830, in England. He was slightly crippled, which caused him to use a crutch and cane for years. He was an internationally known geologist who assayed land for the railroad.

The land company that worked with the railroad town site company wanted to lay out the town site a mile and a half north of the present town of Wilber, but land owners at that location did not wish to sell. The land company went further south and platted the town site on the land owned by Charles Dana Wilber. Wilber built the first house and hotel in 1873. The first mill was built a year later by William H. Mann and Mr. Wilber. The mill was built at a cost of $19,000, and became the J. Harvey and Mann Mill.

Wilber is the county seat of Saline County, Nebraska. After a vote to move the Courthouse From Pleasant Hill to Wilber, it was voted that Wilber would become the county seat on January 1, 1878. C.D. Wilber conveyed real estate in the City of Wilber to the Saline County Board of Commissioners for a Courthouse. The Commissioners ordered the County Clerk to place the Deed on record.

Residents of other nationalities become Czechs for the weekend. One of the main events of the festival is a Miss Czech-Slovak National Queen Pageant. Contestants are judged on personality, talent, beauty, and costume. There is also an accordion jamboree featuring from 20 to 30 people playing accordions together all at one time. People attending the festival wear their Czech costumes. Children dance in the street, doing the Polka, Beseda, and Waltz. Entertainment ranges from from a children's carnival, quilt show, puppet show, art show, heritage demonstrations, dancing in the beer gardens and the Sokol Hall, a 10K run appropriately named the Duck and Dumpling run, kolace-eating contests, talent contests, and dance contests. The Wilber Hotel and local churches, along with local restaurants serve authentic Czech foods on their menus.

During the festival, and throughout the entire year, visitors can purchase kolaces, rye bread, jaternice, and jelita, souvenirs such as garnets, crystal, Christmas ornaments, decorated eggs, post cards, costumes, cook books and braid or ribbon to decorate each individuals creation.

The community of Saline County is an agricultural community, with farmers raising corn, wheat, oats, soybeans, grain sorghum, cattle, and hogs. Local firms offer retain products, services, and manufacuring, including meat processing, aluminum doors and windows, and feed and grain processing.

Hotel Wilber, built in 1895, has been refurbished and provides 11 rooms furnished with antique furniture, as a Bed and Breakfast, and authentic Czech meals and beverages are served in the dining room and the Rathskeller bar.

Wilber has a population of about 1,500 people. Czech music is played on the street every day. Businesses are decorated in the Czech theme. There are no empty buildings on main street. The business owners range from age 28 through 70 years of age.