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History · Minatare

Minatare’s post office opened in 1887, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1965 on and the census since 1910.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Minatare began

When was Minatare founded?

1887

The Minatare post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1900.

First census: 338 in 19102020 census: 715139 years
Founding year: the first Minatare post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1900.The full story ↓

What stands out about Minatare’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Minatare are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,125 in 1940; 715 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Minatare’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Minatare’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Minatare’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Minatare, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,125

Peaked at 1,125 in 1940; 715 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Minatare’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Minatare came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Minatare.

Read it all →

The community is named after a sub branch of Sioux Indians called "Minnataree" who lived in the area. The community was originally named "Tabor", and was established in 1887. The development of the area was based on the agriculture industry. The town moved and was renamed when the railroad bypassed Tabor in 1900. "Minnataree" is an Indian word meaning "clear water." The community incorporated in 1900.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Minatare, 1887 to 1965

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Minatare post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1926Born hereRussell Zimmer is born here
  5. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 1,125
  6. 1965On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Minatare, decade by decade

Today19 recent
The chef is gone, and so is the restaurant that this sign advertises is gone outside the town of Minatare, near Scottsb…2022The chef is gone, and so is the restaurant that this …A onetime one-shop service station and deli that is now a no-stop location outside the town of Minatare, near Scottsblu…2022A onetime one-shop service station and deli that is n…A onetime one-shop service station and deli that is now a no-stop location outside the town of Minatare, near Scottsblu…2022A onetime one-shop service station and deli that is n…Time and rust have nearly obscured the name of the motel mentioned on this old sign (it was the Plaza), near Minatare, …2022Time and rust have nearly obscured the name of the mo…The chef is gone, and so is the business at the Chef Restaurant outside the town of Minatare, near Scottsbluff in south…2022The chef is gone, and so is the business at the Chef …Minatare, NE on August 21, 2017 (3)2017Minatare, NE on August 21, 2017 (3)Minatare, NE on August 21, 2017 (2)2017Minatare, NE on August 21, 2017 (2)Minatare, NE on August 21, 2017 (1)2017Minatare, NE on August 21, 2017 (1)Scotts Bluff County Road Map2015Scotts Bluff County Road MapMapMinatare, Nebraska Main Street from S 12013Minatare, Nebraska Main Street from S 1Minatare, Nebraska Main Street W side 22013Minatare, Nebraska Main Street W side 2Minatare, Nebraska Main Street W side 12013Minatare, Nebraska Main Street W side 1Minatare, Nebraska2012Minatare, NebraskaMinatare, Nebraska2012Minatare, NebraskaMinatare, Nebraska2012Minatare, NebraskaMinatare, Nebraska2012Minatare, NebraskaMinatare, Nebraska2012Minatare, NebraskaMinatare, Nebraska2012Minatare, NebraskaMinatare, Nebraska2012Minatare, Nebraska
On the map

Minatare on the map, 1965 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Minatare. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Minatare on the 1965 USGS mapMinatare on the 1985 USGS map1965Minatare sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Minatare.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Minatare’s post office has been open since 1887.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Harrys Mobile Home Incorporated

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Minatare’s history

What year was Minatare founded?

The Minatare post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1900.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (14), the Library of Congress (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.