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 as far as I know 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.
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![]() The Dunes Light, Lake McConaughy, February 2007 Flickr photo copyright Lori Parsons; used by permission |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Iowa | Southeast: Missouri | South: Kansas
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Posted July 31, 2013. Checked and revised October 23, 2024. Lighthouses: 4. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.