Minatare Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Scotts Bluff County · Population 715 (2020 census) · ZIP 69356 · Founded 1887 · Peak population 1,125 (1940)

About Minatare

Minatare is a city of 715 (2020) in the North Platte valley of eastern Scotts Bluff County, at 3,822 feet, about 9 miles east of Scottsbluff. US 26 passes just south of town, where the four-lane Heartland Expressway ends, and Link 79E crosses the river to Melbeta. Lake Minatare and its state recreation area are about 7–10 miles north. Minatare has its own small K–12 school district and a library, and is on Mountain Time.

History

George W. Fairfield filed a claim here in 1885 and laid out a town called Tabor, with a sod post office and a store; settlers organized the Minatare Canal and Irrigation Company in 1887 and turned in the first water on August 15, 1888, and the Minatare Trumpet began in 1887. The post office and newspaper used the name Minatare, said to mean "clear water" and linked to the Hidatsa, or Minnetaree, people. When the Burlington built up the valley in 1900 and missed Tabor, the town moved to the railroad as Minatare and incorporated that year. A sugar factory opened in 1926, and the population peaked at 1,125 in 1940. Tabor Days keeps the old name, and the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, passed directly over town.

Highways and trails through Minatare

Route	One way	Other way
US 26Just south of town	East to Bayard and Bridgeport	West to Scottsbluff (four-lane)
Link 79ESouth across the North Platte	South to Melbeta and NE 92	Ends at US 26

Nearby towns

Melbeta	about 2 mi south-southwest	Link 79E
McGrew	about 6 mi southeast	NE 92
Bradley	about 7 mi east-southeast	US 26
Gering	about 8 mi west	US 26 and NE 92
Scottsbluff	about 9 mi west-northwest	US 26
Bayard	about 10 mi east-southeast	US 26

Things to see

Lake Minatare State Recreation Area, about 7–10 mi north on Stonegate Road: 2,158 acres of water, beaches, camping and the 55-foot stone "Plains Lighthouse" built in 1937–39 (open January 15 to October 15) · the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge (Lake Minatare, Winters Creek and Lake Alice units), established in 1916 · the Minatare Public Library, 309 Main St. · Tabor Days each August

Events in Minatare

Tabor Days
Minatare's August celebration, named for the town's original name, with a 5K, parade, games and a craft fair.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Minatare Public Schools: elementary (PK–5) at 805 7th St. and junior and senior high (6–12) at 1107 7th St.

Health care: Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, about 9 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Who's Who in Nebraska, Scotts Bluff County (1940); Grant L. Shumway, History of Western Nebraska (1921); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); Fitzpatrick and Link, Nebraska Place-Names (1960); National Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Nebraska Game and Parks; History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Bureau of Reclamation; city and village websites; school districts; Regional West Health Services; Visit Scottsbluff; Star-Herald; KNEB; KHYY. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.