Bridgeport, NE Summary

Bridgeport, in western Nebraska, is the seat of Morrill County. This likeable town is located 338 miles northwest of Lincoln. Bridgeport sits on US-26, which follows the route of the Oregon Trail along the North Platte River. This historical association is celebrated at the town’s Pioneer Trails Museum.

Pioneers of the 1840s used various prominent natural landmarks to help keep them on track. Two such landmarks are the sandstone outcroppings known as Courthouse and Jail Rocks, located 4 miles south of Bridgeport off Route 88. At Bridgeport State Recreation Area, visitors can enjoy the sandpit lakes and Wildcat Hills Nature Center.

Fifty-nine miles southeast of Bridgeport and 3 miles south of Lewellen is Ash Hollow State Historical Park. Interesting exhibits relate to the area’s Native American and pioneering history.

At Windlass Hill you can still see the ruts cut into the earth by the pioneers’ wagons when they were lowered down the hill by rope.