July 2026 • Nebraskaland 39
The project had grown far beyond anyone's original ideas.
In addition to the big reservoir, smaller reservoirs would
deliver water through the summer along more than 500 miles
of canals and laterals. And at the insistence of Sen. George
Norris, publicly owned hydropower would help pay for it.
The big dam was to be named for George Kingsley, who
had died several years earlier. Workers lived in a temporary
construction site village known as "Kingsleyville." They
spent years pumping clay and riverbed sand to build the
3.5-mile-long-dam, covering it with rock riprap and building
the tower of the Morning Glory Spillway.
S eve ra l m i l e s u p s t re a m , t h e tow n o f L e m oy n e wa s
relocated to higher ground before the spillway closed.
Buildings were dismantled and rebuilt at the new townsite.
Only foundations remained — underwater except during
times of extreme drought.
C. W. Mc Co n a u g hy d i e d o n l y a few m o n t h s b e fo re
K i n g s l ey D a m w a s c o m p l e t e d . B e f o r e t h e d a m w a s
dedicated July 22, 1941, the Tri-County board of directors
decided to name the reservoir in his honor. Disagreements
were forgotten as McConaughy was remembered as the
"father of Tri-County."
N
Learn more at the NSHS's website at history.nebraska.gov
Enjoying Lake McConaughy, circa 1950. While boating and fishing
were not the main purposes of the reservoir, the new lake
established itself as "the undisputed king of Nebraska waters,"
in the words of a 1973 issue of this magazine. NSHS RG2114-1-7
The Kingsleyville school in 1939. NSHS RG2114-0-15
Kingsleyville in 1937. The temporary village provided housing
for workers and their families. NSHS RG2114-4-11
