The Lake McConaughy side of the Kingsley Dam.

A Nebraska Civil Engineering Landmark.

A small pavilion sits at the edge of the parking area.

The marker seen above recognizes Jack & Beverly Pollock, supporters of "Big Mac" and Keith County Nebraska.

The photos above and below look back toward where I stopped earlier at the parking lot of the Kingsley Lodge and Spillway Bay.

The picnic area faces the lakefront homes near Spillway Bay.

View from the small picnic area near the Kingsley Dam.

Lake McConaughy shoreline.

Shores of Lake McConaughy.

Looking back toward the cliff I saw earlier near Spillway Bay.

I stopped at another small parking area along Route 61, which crosses over top of the Kingsley Dam, for more pics. Like Lake McConaughy, the Kingsley Dam is named for a prominent supporter of the original project, local banker George P. Kingsley. The dam, itself, is around 3.5 miles long and 162 feet tall. The top of the dam seen in the photo above is 28 feet wide. The base of the dam, however, stretches to around 1,100 feet.

The body of water on the western side of the Kingsley Dam is Lake McConaughy.

The body of water on eastern side of the Kingsley Dam is known as Lake Ogallala.

The Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area sits at the eastern base of the Kingsley Dam.

A marker at the parking are provides more information about the lake, the dam, and the hydro plant.

Lake Ogallala, also known as "Little Lake," sits on the eastern side of the Kingsley Dam.

The nickname "Little Lake" is derived from its small dimensions - 1.5 miles long and 1/4-mile wide).

Some of the Kingsley Hydroelectricy Plant can be seen in the photos above and below.

Part of the Kingsley Hydroelectricity Plant.

Shore area around Lake Ogallala.

Area next to Lake Ogallala.

I hit the road again following Route 61 north across the Kingsley Dam. Once past the end of the dam, I turned left onto State Route 91 heading west. Route 91 parallels the northern side of the lake and offers access to the multitude of beaches, boat launches, and picnic areas. I stopped at the Omaha Beach area at the westernmost point of Lake McConaughy.

I crossed over the railroad tracks and headed toward the lake.

Following the access road took me down to the edge of the water.

Believe it or not, I actually saw some people at Omaha Beach who looked like they had been fishing.

The above photo of a small boat sitting in the partially frozen lake is one of my favorite shots of the day.

Looking east in the direction of the Kingsley Dam.

Shoreline at the Omaha Beach public area.

Shoreline at the Omaha Beach public area.

Partially frozen Lake McConaughy.

Looking out over partially frozen Lake McConaughy from Omaha Beach.

Omaha Beach public area at Lake McConaughy.

I wandered around Omaha Beach for a few more minutes before heading back toward Route 92 and couldn't help but notice an approaching train.

I pointed the camera and started shooting.

The safety gates lowered in advance of the approaching train.

Eastbound train at Lake McConaughy.

This train had two locomotives in front.

My guess is that this is coal.

This train seemed to be around the same length as others I had been seeing.

Eastbound train at Lake McConaughy.

Definitely looks like coal.

Route 92 eventually took me back to US Route 26, my home for the next 180 miles. About an hour into the journey, I stopped at another historical marker in the town of Bridgeport, Nebraska.

This marker commemorates the site of a camp used by Brigham Young and his Mormon Pioneers in 1847 while they were en route to what is now Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mormon Pioneer Trail ran on the north side of the North Platte River, (out of view to the left in the photo above), and the Oregon Trail ran on the south side of the river.

The body of water on the far left of the photo above is the North Platte River.

I continued west US Route 26 and stopped again a few minutes later at a pair of historical markers just outside of Bridgeport, Nebraska.

The smaller marker commemorates the Great Western Trail, also known as the Great Western Cattle Trail. Cattle ranching has always been a big business in Texas and Oklahoma. But the problem for 19th century ranchers was that the ample supply of cattle kept the prices down. Ranchers developed a network of trails on which they could move their cattle north into Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Access to the major cross-country railroads could then deliver cattle to waiting customers in the east where prices were higher.

This marker commemorates the Camp Clark Bridge that crossed the nearby North Platte River. The bridge was part of the Sidney - Black Hills Trail that connected Sidney, Nebraska with the gold mines in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Built by Henry T. Clarke in 1876, the Bridge's name refers to the town of Camp Clark that was located on the south side of the river.

The Camp Clark Bridge was HUGE, measuring 2,000 feet in length and having 61 wooden trusses. Clarke charged a toll of $2, (for a single vehicle with a man and two animals), to $6, (for a freighter wagon pulled by a five-yoke team of oxen), to cross the bridge. Business was booming to the point that Camp Clarke featured a hotel, store, saloon, and post office. But by 1880, traffic began to decline. The bridge remained in local use until the early 1900s.