Lighthouses of the United States: Nebraska

The United States of America is a federal union of 50 states and a capital district. The state of Nebraska is in the center of the country, far from the coasts. The Missouri River, flowing along the eastern border of Nebraska, is the only major navigable waterway touching the state. The Coast Guard maintains lights on the river, but none of them qualify as lighthouses. The lighthouses on this page were built privately.

When Congress created the Nebraska Territory in 1854 it included a large area of the northern Great Plains. The state, carved out of this larger territory, was admitted to the Union as the 37th state in 1867.

Among lighthouse fans Nebraska is best known for two historic faux lighthouses, Lake Minatare and Linoma Beach.

To be listed in the Directory, a lighthouse must actually serve as an aid to navigation. This means it must be located on a navigable lake or river and must be lit as a navigational aid at least during the local boating season.

General Sources
Johnson Lake Lighthouses
Photos and notes on the construction of these lighthouses.
Google Maps
Satellite view of Nebraska.

Lake Cunninghams Light, Omaha
VisitOmaha.com photo

Johnson Lake Lighthouses
* Lakeshore Marina
2021. Active (not charted by Navionics); focal plane about 25 ft (7.5 m); continuous white light. Approx. 16 ft (5 m) octagonal tower with lantern mounted on an octagonal concrete base. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands, lantern painted black. A photo (third photo on the page) and a 2022 photo are available and Bing has a satellite view. Johnson Lake is a reservoir southwest of Lexington on the Dawson/Gosper County line. Located on a short jetty at the Lakeshore Marina on the northwest side of the lake. Site open, tower closed.
* Mallard Cove
2018. Active (not charted by Navionics); focal plane about 20 ft (6 m); continuous white light. Approx. 16 ft (5 m) octagonal tower with lantern mounted on an octagonal concrete base. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands, lantern painted black. A photo and a second photo (second photo on the page, also seen at right) are available and Bing has a satellite view. Johnson Lake is a reservoir southwest of Lexington on the Dawson/Gosper County line. Located on a short breakwater at Mallard Cove on the southwest side of the lake. Site open, tower closed.

Omaha Lighthouse
* Lake Cunningham (relocated)
1990s (relocated here in 2009) (not charted by Navionics). Active; focal plane 34 ft (10.5 m); continuous white light. 22 ft (7 m) round steel tower with lantern, painted with green and white (formerly red and white) horizontal bands. A photo is at the top of this page, Tania Dossey has a 2024 photo, Terry Schmidt has a 2000 photo showing the red and white bands, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse was first installed in downtown Omaha on the Lewis and Clark Riverwalk. Later removed from that location, it was stored for several years before being reinstalled as part of a reconstruction of Glenn Cunningham Park. In October 2018 the park was closed and the lake drained to eliminate an investation of zebra mussels and common carp. The city took this opportunity to upgrade all of the park facilities, temporarily removing the lighthouse. The park reopened in July 2021 with the lighthouse restored and painted in green and white. Located at the marina, at the southeastern corner of the park, on the north side of Omaha. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: City of Omaha (Glenn Cunningham Lake).

Mallard Cove Light, Johnson Lake, August 2021
KHGI News photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

  • Harmon Park (1940), Kearney. The lighthouse was added to the Rock Garden built in 1937 by the Works Project Administration. Google has a street view and a distant satellite view.
  • Lake McConaughy (2002), in Keith County north of Ogallala in western Nebraska. This lighthouse does not appear to be active and there is no significant navigation on the lake. Jim Simmermon has a 2018 photo and Google has a satellite view.
  • Lake Minatare (1939), north of Scottsbluff in far western Nebraska, is a historic observation tower; it has never had a light. Barbara Morgan has a good closeup photo, Rachel Kulik has a 2017 photo, James Averill has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. The 55 ft (17 m) round unpainted stone tower was built by the Veterans Conservation Corps. Open for climbing, it is owned by the state as part of the Lake Minatare State Recreation Area.
  • Linoma (1939), beside US 6 at the Platte River, halfway between Lincoln and Omaha, has never been an aid to navigation. A 2010 photo is available and Google has a street view (seen at right) and a satellite view. The 100 ft (30.5 m) octagonal concrete lighthouse was built as part of a privately owned resort. The current owners have formed a foundation to manage the lighthouse and are working to restore it.

Linoma Light, Gretna, September 2024
Google Maps street view

Adjoining pages: East: Iowa | Southeast: Missouri | South: Kansas

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Posted July 31, 2013. Checked and revised November 10, 2025. Lighthouses: 3. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.