Nearly six years ago I wrote about the town of Lemoyne, Nebraska. No longer in existence, Lemoyne was the subject of my second Ghost Towns post on Rural Resurrection. But now this long-forgotten town is back in the news. Like a zombie, the foundations of the former town have emerged from the mud of Lake McConaughy.

The History of Lemoyne

In the mid-1880s, Lemoyne Jacobs settled along the North Platte River in western Nebraska. He envisioned developing a new community there and knew then that goal required rail service. He pushed hard for the Union Pacific (UP) to run a rail line to the area. In 1909, the UP completed a branch line through the North Platte Valley. This made Lemoyne Jacobs’ dream a possibility, and in 1911, the town of Lemoyne was surveyed and named in honor of Jacobs.

With the railroad fueling activity, the community grew through the early 1900s. A small stockyard, a lumberyard, a livery stable, a barbershop, and a bank opened for business. By 1915, a bridge was built across the river, connecting the community to nearby Ogallala along the railroad main line. Local businessmen also invested in the community, building a hotel in 1918. By the mid-1920s, the population had grown to 200 residents.

Kingsley Dam and Lake McConaughy

The weather patterns in western Nebraska have never been remotely consistent. Spring downpours would often be followed by weeks of drought. This often made conditions for farmers and ranchers tough in that part of the state. Holdrege grain merchant Charles McConaughy dreamed of using spring flooding of the Platte River to help irrigate farm fields in the area. As planned, the project would consist of a dam stretching three miles and a resulting reservoir measuring 22 miles long. Creating such a monstrosity would make it Nebraska’s largest construction project. The new reservoir was aptly named Lake McConaughy, and the dam was called Kingsley.

Unfortunately, because Lemoyne sat along the banks of the North Platte River, the town was not in the massive reservoir’s development plans. Lemoyne had to be moved because rising reservoir waters would have flooded every building in town. By 1941, most of the community was moved, and what remained of Lemoyne’s original site was submerged under the waters of Lake McConaughy.

Re-Emergence

Water levels in Lake McConaughy are the lowest in years. At the last check, the lake was at roughly 30% capacity. Many public boat ramps have been closed as water levels have dropped. However, as the water level lowered, the foundations of the former community along the shores of the North Platte River have emerged.

Provided below is an interview with (presumably) one of the former residents of Lemoyne. Standing among what remains of the town, he describes some of its history as the dam was built.

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A post shared by Lake McConaughy, Nebraska Area (@lake_mcconaughy)

The Rest of the Story

For my full post on Lemoyne, check it out here:

Ghost Towns: Lemoyne, Nebraska

You may know of a ghost town with an interesting history. One that may be a helpful example to other communities; don’t keep it to yourself! Let us know through our contact form.

The post Ghost Towns: Lemoyne Reappears appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

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Provided below are five sources that make the biggest impact on my writings on the blog.

Main Street America

Main Street America‘s Twitter…ok, X feed (@NatlMainStreet)…is a veritable treasure trove of content. They post about one to two times a day with plenty of viable posts that make you want to click to learn more.

Although there are more resources available to Main Street communities, they have plenty of readily available information for everyone.

Booked on Planning

I’ve posted about Booked on Planning on here before. Unlike the other sources here, Booked on Planning (@BookedPlanning) is focused on a podcast format. Each month, cohosts Stephanie Rouse (@planning_lady) and Jennifer Hiatt mic up with various authors to discuss their books.

The show is in it’s third season and not showing any signs of slowing down. They have piqued my interest in reading few planning books that have been covered on their show.

Save Your Town

Becky McCray (@BeckyMcCray) and Deb Brown (@debworks) are “all in” on their efforts to help small towns survive. I concur with their statement on the Save Your Town website that announces “You’re in the right place to get practical steps you can put into action right away to shape a better future for your community.”

I follow these two on a couple of different social media outlets and they have a clear determination to help communities that is evident in their posts.

JC Shepard(dot)com

One of my fellow Nebraska planners, John Shepard started his own blog a couple years ago. It has already become popular amongst planning circles.

JC Shepard.com is centered on inspiring people with insights on economic development, urban planning, and community improvement. His mission, through the blog, is to provide valuable, actionable content which supports economic developers and planners, policymakers, and community leaders.

APA

I’m a community planner by training, by career, and by heart. That’s why the American Planning Association (APA) is one of my main sources of inspiration. Although many of the writings on Rural Resurrection are not planning-related, planning creates the base from where all communities can thrive.

Beyond APA’s website, they are active on social media platforms like X (@APA_Planning), LinkedIn, and others. They also deluge my email inbox regularly with links to articles. Though much of it is too urban in nature to be practically applied in a town of 800, there are always tidbits of information or idea-starters that provide the creative boost I need.

Only in Your State

Let’s end this list with one that might be a bit of a shocker to a few of you. Only In Your State is more of a travel website with clickbait-like posts that draw you into reading more about a specific attraction in or near a community.

The postings themselves don’t typically serve as my main focus, but they do create enough interest for me to read further. I’ll quickly start “down the rabbit hole” as I read up on the underlying community. Often I find a story within the story as I find intriguing aspects of the community behind the attraction highlighted by Only in Your State’s post.

Only But a Few

These five sources are only a few of the many sources that I pull inspiration from throughout the year. On X, I follow over 900 accounts alone. There’s always good sources of information to help your community out there, you just have to keep looking.

The post 6 Sources I Draw Inspiration From appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

In recognition of National Planning Month, I’ve provided below a list of the postings on Rural Resurrection about Planning the Future. Planning the Future is a category on this blog that is focused on community planning techniques, processes, and ideas. When new posts on this subject are added to the blog, this post will be updated and re-published later in the week.

Why Plan?

The post that really kicked off this category. We asked the question of “Why Plan?”…and answered it. Well, as much as you can in a brief blog post.

5 Specific Area Plans to Consider

Many states require a comprehensive plan or master plan for communities as a basis for zoning and land use decisions. However, there are a host of other plans a community should consider. Some of these “specific area” plans are often recommended in the community’s comprehensive plan and your community should look into using them.

Because CEDS Said So

What is a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and why is this regional planning tool important to rural communities?

NLC Report Highlights Rural Challenges

Each year the National League of Cities (NLC) puts out an annual report entitled the State of Cities Report. This year’s report had some interesting commentary.

Brownville Keeps Working on Riverfront

The resilient Brownville, Nebraska, keeps working to improve. Their latest efforts have resulted in a plan to activate their riverfront.

What is a Bypass Impact Study?

There are few critical turning points for communities, highway bypasses are one of them. It’s important to do a bypass impact study for this turning point in a community’s future.

Plan for a Better Streetscape

Creating a streetscape plan is an effective first step in improving the curbside appeal of your community’s most important corridors.

Why Plan? – Better Decision Making

It is important for your community to make plans. Plans help to make informed decision-making to get us to that future we desire.

Why Plan? – To Be Committed

Staying committed to the plan ensures that we meet the goals and objectives that we set out for ourselves and our community.

Planning Projects Outside the Box

Communities should start thinking outside the box when considering their next planning project. Check out these examples!

Once again, keep an eye out for more articles in this series as there are a number of other posts in the hopper like these.

The post Planning the Future: Links to Stories appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

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Due to the states involved, the percent of applicable sessions is higher than the National Planning Conference. Some of the most applicable sessions to the typical readers of Rural Resurrection are:

• Gridlocked: Navigating Data Center Zoning, Infrastructure, and Impact
• The Housing Tradeoff Lab: Making Better Growth and Community Investment Decisions
• Flex Appeal: Designing Codes that Bend Without Breaking
• The Science of Wayfinding Live Podcast Recording
• Planning with Foresight: How to Use Scenarios
• Potholes or Parks? Inside the Tough Choices of City Budgeting
• Regional Planning Kickstarter: Injecting Creativity into Small Community Plans
• Planning Workshop on How to Support Artists in Your Community

This year’s keynote speaker will be Lauren Miller, AICP. Lauren is the President and CEO of the Planners Circle of Trust in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. As per the APA website: “Lauren specializes in zoning reform, streamlining processes, and fostering transparency through engagement, education, and empowerment. Recognizing the importance of supporting the next generation of planners, she is currently researching the impact of Gen Z’s transition into the workplace, while also providing career and mental health resources to planners at all levels.”

The 2026 APA Quad State Planning Conference appears to be a great source of planning-related training during National Planning Month.

If you are interested in attending, event registration is available through the KC-APA registration page.

The post 2026 APA Quad State Planning Conference appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

Adaptive Reuse

Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the operational and commercial performance of built assets.

Administrative

Posts with no real category. Some are general site marketing posts like, “Ways to Follow Rural Resurrection”. Others like “Minnesota Towns” provide background information for future articles”

Destination Towns

Destination Towns is a relatively new series on Rural Resurrection. These towns are unique and boldly different, towns that stick out in a crowd and draw people in rather than letting them fly through.

Downtown Revitalization

Ideas and proven examples about renovating downtowns. Includes posts about economic development, grants, activating, fundraising and success stories.

Events / Conferences

Annual observances, conferences, and other activities that can have an impact on our communities, directly or indirectly.

Ghost Towns

There’s an old saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is important to learn from these ghost towns to help us avoid our communities becoming one as well. However, some of the stories in this category are just interesting tales to read.

Helping Hand

Programs and volunteer activities that can help your community. This category isn’t about grants, it is more about assistance to energize a populace into action.

Housing

Articles about all aspects of rural housing. Topics include; affordable housing, fair housing, workforce housing, repair and maintenance as well.

Marketing

Community marketing is a strategy to engage an audience in an active, non-intrusive prospect and customer conversation. Whereas marketing communication strategies such as advertising, promotion, PR, and sales all focus on attaining customers, Community Marketing focuses on the perceived needs of existing customers.

Planning the Future

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men`s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever- growing insistency.” – Daniel Burnham. This category dives into the need to plan for your community’s future.

Regulatory

What regulatory actions can you take to help your community out? Is there a new issue affecting other communities that your community needs to be prepared for with proper regulation?

Star Communities

These are communities that deserve recognition for what they have accomplished. Much like receiving a gold star from your teacher as a kid.

Thinking Outside the Box

Existing initiatives which may be working elsewhere, but may not have received enough press to trickle down to some parts of the Midwest. Or bold new ideas that just might work.

Tool Kit

The Tool Kit post category provides information on grants and other sources of assistance to help make community projects a reality. Often sample projects are provided to provide an example of how these tools can help your own community.

Tough Issues

Every community goes through tough times. Whether it happens to be tornadoes, floods, or a major employer leaving town. The key is to learn from their heartaches and their perseverance to embolden your own community when problems strike.

Tourism

The Tourism post category provides ideas to nurture the tourism sector of your community’s economic development activities.

The post Check out the Post Categories appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

National Community Planning Month is a good time to sit back and contemplate the impact that planning can have on your community. As the American Planning Association’s website states:

“Planners work to improve the well-being of all people living in our communities by taking a comprehensive perspective. This approach leads to safer, resilient, more equitable, and more prosperous communities. We celebrate the role that planning plays in creating great communities in October with National Community Planning Month.“

Learn more about National Community Planning Month at www.planning.org/ncpm.

Planning Is About More Than Land Use

What comes to mind when many people hear the word “planning” is zoning, subdivisions, setbacks, and where buildings can be constructed. While those things are important, community planning is much bigger than land use.

Viable planning addresses housing, economic development, downtown revitalization, parks and trails, transportation infrastructure, tourism, historic preservation, community facilities, quality of life, and many other topics. It helps a community understand how all of these issues piece together in the greater mosaic that is a community.

For a small town, consideration of that bigger picture matters. New developments may affect roads or water capacity. A new trail may create opportunities for downtown businesses. A downtown building renovation may become an anchor for tourism. Planning helps communities see these connections before decisions are made. When resources are tight, and the right decisions matter more than ever, having the right insight is crucial.

Read More on Planning this Month

Rural Resurrection will do our part during National Community Planning Month, providing a series of posts specifically dedicated to planning in October. But for those who can’t wait, here are a few from the past to quench your thirst.

Hiring a Planning Consultant

Hiring a planning consultant for your community can be a daunting process. We’ll interview consultants on the right way to hire a consultant.

Effective Strategic Planning

The impact of strategic plans is often limited by poor execution of the planning process. Let’s look at some ways to make that planning process better.

What is a Bypass Impact Study?

There are few critical turning points for communities, highway bypasses are one of them. It’s important to do a bypass impact study for this turning point in a community’s future.

5 Specific Area Plans to Consider

Many states require a comprehensive plan or master plan for communities as a basis for zoning and land use decisions. However, there are a host of other plans a community should consider. Some of these “specific area” plans are often recommended in the community’s comprehensive plan, and your community should look into using them.

Now, after you thank your local planner (preferably with chocolate, coffee, …or a delicious combination of the two), go to that bookcase and dust off your existing community plans. Sit down and actually read them. Don’t just look at the goals or the renderings and reminisce about the dreams that were envisioned during the planning process. Read it thoroughly to know it inside and out. You’ll have a better appreciation for the plan and will be in a better position to help make it a reality.

The post National Community Planning Month 2026 appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

The communities are winners too. Not just the “Overnight Towns” that host the hordes each night. The “Meeting Towns” that host lunchtime gatherings between bikers and their SAG crews win as well. And, once again, I got the opportunity to see a few of the towns in between win as well. The Aventon bike I’ve ridden over the past couple of years has given me the ability to see a few of these “Pass Through Towns” that I’ve missed out on over the years.

Each of the communities along the route put their best foot forward and welcomed riders with open arms. These communities did an amazing job of showing their Iowa hospitality and charm.

No Awards, Just Winners

In the past, I would “award” one “Meeting Town” and one “Overnight Town” that appeared to excel above the rest. However, more and more, my team isn’t wandering into town as much as we did the past few years. So, anointing one town as a winner over another that I didn’t get to experience fully would be unjust. Hence, once again, no awards will be handed out this year from Rural Resurrection.

Yet, I did see quite a few interesting aspects in each community that were worth pointing out. Some were related to how they handled the ride across Iowa. Others had unique aspects about the community itself that I just have to point out.

Honorable Mention – Soldier

Any town that has a kid’s lemonade stand near the entrance starts off well in the eyes of the Buff Riders. We’d rather donate to a kid’s fund than pay some corporation for food and drink (We also happen to carry flasks in our bike bags to help the flavor a little).

Not many Pass Through Towns get mention each year in this review as I’m typically driving the bus. But Soldier gets a mention in this one. It’s mainly because of writer’s privilege though as Soldier was an important community to my father growing up due to its proximity to the burgeoning metropolis that is Moorhead, Iowa. It also helps that I had my own personal cheering section there with two of my sisters, as well as two of my cousins! (I’m still kicking myself for not getting a picture to put in this post!)

Honorable Mention – Marshalltown

At first, I wasn’t even going to include Marshalltown. Our night there was spent under the stars…just a couple blocks away from the rail yard. There was also a very pungent stench in the area we were that we could only potentially tie to the meat packing plant.

However, the setup in downtown Marshalltown was ideal. They had not one, but two stages set up, providing entertainment for the masses. If the band on the main stage didn’t interest you, the secondary stage had something different for your pallet. You could also tell that the town had just upgraded the streetscape in the area.

Honorable Mention – Woodward / Madrid

One more honerable mention needs to go out to two towns that weren’t even on the route. On the third day the RAGBRAI route went from Guthrie Center to Boone. It was a northeasterly route with a relatively stiff wind coming out of the north. The team decided to take a detour and check out the High Trestle Bridge. This famous former railroad bridge sits on the Des Moines River and offers iconic public art improvements to the structure and scenic views. Judging by the traffic we encountered, we weren’t the only ones with the idea to get off the path beaten down by RAGBRAI. Several others were taking this route that day. They too wouldn’t be disappointed with what they saw.

At either end of the bridge are of the communities of Woodward and Madrid. Two communities that have made significant strides to be viable trail towns. Each had a variety of trail-orient amenities and businesses that served those who used the trail.

Manchester

The meeting town of Manchester could’ve been been overlooked as I was driving our bus that day and they set up the SAG drivers in the far southwestern corner of the community. Though it was a wide-open layout with easy access to supplies and gas at a nearby Casey’s, it was far from the action.

But Manchester’s social media campaign was impressive, almost annoying. They posted regularly leading up to the event. It drew me in to see what all the roucus was about. Sneaking Buff Force One into the southern edge of downtown, I parked in the public works lot, hopped on my bike, and went to take a look. What the community has accomplished along the Maquoketa River is stunning for a town of Manchester’s size. They’ve created a water park out of the river that encourages residents and visitors to interact with the river. From spatious rock jettys to sit on, to a series of rapids that draw kayackers, tubers, and other adventure seakers, the riverside is a gem that the community was proud to show off.

I’m pretty sure I’ll have a seperate post on Manchester in the coming months…

Dyersville

As a baseball nut, Dyersville (Facebook Link) was the crown jewel of the ride that I was looking forward to. The home of the Field of Dreams was the last overnight town before event ended in Dubuque the next day. With such an attraction, one could easily just overlook the community. But that would be a horrible oversight. The community had a wide-open square near the North Fork of the Maquoketa River. This provided the best overall concert setup of any of the communities along the route. The community also had a nice mix of older, well-maintained buildings, and newer apartments nearby.

But then there was the Field of Dreams. Though there was no SAG route that allowed drivers to get close, was not to be detered. I rode with my motley crew out to the ballfield and back on my bike through a heavy mist. It was worth it. To walk out apon that field was epic. They had both the larger stadium and the original Field of Dreams open and we crawled all over it. Not only could you take batting practice, but it was thrown by one of the original cast members in the uniform that he wore for the movie. Others that may/may not have been in the movie were also in uniform and posing for pictures.

A Comprehensively Great Effort

All the communities that participated in RAGBRAI 2026 did a great job this year. Whether it was a “Ride Through Town”, a “Meeting Town”, or an “Overnight Town”, they all did a great job. As always, I’m already looking forward to next year!

The post The Winning Towns of RAGBRAI 2026 appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

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