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De Soto

Ghost town · Washington County, Nebraska

Modale quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1970, 1:24,000)
Modale quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1970, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

De Soto is a ghost town in Washington County, Nebraska. It is one of 3 former communities in Washington County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 5th among the 48 Nebraska counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists De Soto as a historical populated place: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 41.5012° N, 96.0567° W.

Key facts

Elevation1,008 ft
Nearest living townFort Calhoun, NE
Distance to it3.5 miles
Coordinates41.50115, -96.05671

Open the location on a map

What's there now

De Soto is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Fort Calhoun, NE (population 1,246), about 3.5 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,008 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is De Soto?

De Soto is in Washington County, Nebraska, at 41.5012, -96.0567.

How many ghost towns are in Washington County?

Washington County, Nebraska has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.