Gage County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 21,704. Its county seat is Beatrice. The county was created in 1855 and organized in 1857. It was formed from land taken from the Otoe in an 1854 treaty. The county was named for William D. Gage, a Methodist minister who served as the first chaplain of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature.

U.S. Highway 136 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs for 804 miles (1,294 km) between Edison, Nebraska and Speedway, Indiana. It is a spur route of US 36 despite never intersecting its parent. Within the State of Nebraska it is a state highway that begins at a junction with US 6 and US 34 north of Edison and travels east across the southern part of the state to the Nebraska–Missouri state line in Brownville along the banks of the Missouri River. Throughout its 239.88-mile (386.05 km) length, the highway is known as the Heritage Highway, one of nine scenic byways in the state. The highway travels across the grassland prairies of southern Nebraska to the woods of the Missouri River Valley encountering winding rivers, farmlands, and historic settlements. These landscapes were featured in stories from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather recounting life on the Nebraska Plains during the end of the 19th century. For its entire length, US 136 is a two-lane highway with the exception of a 0.51-mile (0.82 km) stretch of divided highway within Fairbury.