{"id":204,"date":"2020-10-31T21:25:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T21:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/?page_id=204"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:44:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:44:02","slug":"nebraska","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/nebraska\/","title":{"rendered":"Nebraska"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Oregon Trail in Nebraska:
Following the Great Platte River Road<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Oregon Trail enters\u00a0Nebraska\u2019s southern border with\u00a0Kansas\u00a0just west of the small town of\u00a0Odell. Pioneers continued northwest from here to Rock Creek Station and on to\u00a0Fort\u00a0Kearny\u00a0where they connected with the\u00a0Platte\u00a0River. The\u00a0Great Platte River Road\u00a0that stretches\u00a0across\u00a0the state became the pioneers\u2019 highway west. The Platte, sometimes described as \u201ca mile wide and an inch deep,\u201d guided not only emigrants headed for Oregon, but gold seekers going to California, Mormons heading for Utah, and Pony Express riders carrying mail between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some say the Platte River is a mile wide and an inch deep.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No state, including\u00a0Oregon, is more closely associated with the Oregon Trail than\u00a0Nebraska. Consider many of the trail\u2019s best-known landmarks including Courthouse Rock, Jail Rock, Scotts Bluff, and Chimney Rock were within sight of pioneers following the Great Platte River Road. The trail through\u00a0Nebraska\u00a0was generally considered the easiest stretch of the 2,100-mile trip, at least until pioneers encountered hills west of present-day\u00a0North Platte. Up to this point the land was flat, water was readily available, and food for livestock was generally plentiful near the river. The terrain became more difficult once emigrants passed west of confluence of the North and\u00a0South Platte. In the early years of the trail pioneers continued for a distance along the south bank of the\u00a0South Platte\u00a0before crossing the river and heading north to navigate infamous California Hill. A short distance north, wagon trains encountered the steep downhill grade of Windlass Hill and access to the fertile meadow at Ash Hollow. Each of these locations is accessible to present-day adventurers who wish to follow the path blazed by the emigrants. Interesting Oregon Trail locations in\u00a0Nebraska include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rock Creek Station<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1) Rock Creek Station<\/strong> – An important stop for Pony Express riders and emigrants traveling the Oregon Trail is now a Nebraska state historical park. A visitor center with trail exhibits sits beside an impressive swale cut by pioneer wagons as they ascended a hill north of Rock Creek. A reconstructed bridge, replica wagons, and buildings are accessible by following a walking path to the bottom of the hill. A pleasant state-operated campground is nearby. View our video of Rock Creek.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A sod-roofed station at Fort Kearney<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2)\u00a0Fort\u00a0Kearny<\/strong> – This military post established in 1848 to protect emigrants heading west to\u00a0Oregon\u00a0and\u00a0California was also a stop for Pony Express riders. Fort\u00a0Kearny\u00a0(pronounced Carney and spelled differently than the nearby town of\u00a0Fort\u00a0Kearney) is part of a\u00a0Nebraska\u00a0state historical park that includes an interpretive center, reconstructed buildings, and replica\u00a0Oregon Trail\u00a0wagons.\u00a0\u00a0View our video of Fort Kearny.<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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California Hill<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3) California Hill <\/strong>– An impressive landmark along the Oregon Trail, California Hill represented the first major grade encountered by the emigrants during their westward trip. Crossing the South Platte west of the present-day town of Ogallala, pioneers were required to navigate California Hill as they moved north toward the North Platte River. The hill is a short distance north of U.S. Highway 30 alongside a rough gravel road, but the drive is worth the effort to gain access to and walk along ruts cut by wagons being pulled up the 1 \u00bd-mile long hill. View our video of California Hill.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A view from the top of Windlass Hill<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4) Windlass Hill<\/strong> – North of California Hill, Windlass Hill offered a steep downgrade required of wagon trains to reach Ash Hollow and the\u00a0North Platte River. Pioneers locked the wheels of their wagons to avoid an out-of-control descent down the hillside. A paved walking trail leads from a parking area to the top of the hill where visitors gain an outstanding view of the route of the trail and the lush meadow pioneers found to the north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the distance are Jail and Courthouse rocks<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5) Jail Rock and Courthouse Rock<\/strong> – Two famous landmarks a short distance south of the North Platte River were well-known to pioneers and are easily visible to travelers driving along U.S. Highway 26. A paved road in the small town of Bridgeport leads south to the formations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chimney Rock<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

6) Chimney Rock<\/strong> – The most famous of the trail\u2019s landmarks has suffered considerable erosion and is no longer the majestic formation observed by pioneers, but today’s travelers generally experience a thrill when it first comes into view. Highway 26 on the south side of the river passes relatively close to Chimney Rock that is accessible by vehicle. An interesting visitor center (fee charged) with an excellent view of Chimney Rock is south of Highway 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The opening at Scott Bluff made pioneers’ travels easier<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

7) Scotts Bluff<\/strong> – Early wagon trains skirted the imposing bluff by looping south through Robidoux Pass. Following the 1850 opening of Mitchell Pass, wagons moved single-file and cut deep ruts that remain visible to today\u2019s visitors. Scotts Bluff National Monument preserves the ruts and offers an excellent visitor center that interprets the trail and the pass used by pioneers. A separate room contains numerous paintings of William Henry Jackson. Visitors can walk along the wagon ruts just west of the visitor center. Replica wagons are on the site. A paved road leads to the top of the bluff where outstanding views are available. The visitor center has a handout that directs travelers to the trail’s old Robidoux route.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Oregon Trail in Nebraska:Following the Great Platte River Road \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Oregon Trail enters\u00a0Nebraska\u2019s southern border with\u00a0Kansas\u00a0just west of the small town of\u00a0Odell. Pioneers continued northwest from here to Rock Creek Station and on to\u00a0Fort\u00a0Kearny\u00a0where they connected with the\u00a0Platte\u00a0River. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-204","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1113,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/204\/revisions\/1113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/dlscott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}