Originally, I wanted to stop in Scottsbluff, NE because I thought my grandmother, Dorothy Dunbar Bunner, was born and raised there. I figured we could dig into local records and visit the cemetery where some of my relatives might be buried. Then I texted cousin Cheryl. She’s always been my go-to contact on things related to family history. Well, she straightened me out with both good and bad news. The bad news was that my understanding of grandma being born and raised there was completely wrong. The good news was we didn’t have to waste time searching records or cemetery grave markers. Thanks cuz!
We camped at Riverside City Park. While the campsite and roadways were extremely dusty, we had full service, a great view of the bluffs, and immediate access to hiking trails along the river.
Everything about Scottsbluff had an historic pioneer vibe to it. The city wasn’t very big; and no buildings were taller than two stories, other than grain silos. The names of streets and retail businesses reflected the rough and tough American west and cowboy heritage. This made sense since the North Platte River, which snakes along the south side of Scottsbluff, was part of the guiding waters for migrants who traveled the Oregon Trail and settled the west.
Discovery of the Trail began when fur traders with the Astorian Trading Post travelled in 1813 eastward from what would become Washington and eventually down the Platte River. Critical to their success, was discovery and use of the Shoshone “south pass” to cross the continental divide and get through the mountains in Wyoming. In April 1830, Milton Sublette assembled 10 wagons in St. Louis, MO and followed the fur trader route 1,250 miles westward to Wind River, WY. Two years later, Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville repeated this new route and led 20 wagons and 110 men on a Native American reconnaissance trek to what was called Oregon country. Nathaniel Wyeth, an explorer and fur trader, joined the Bonneville expedition and led his own expedition in 1834 by following the now established 2000-mile Oregon Trail. Over the next 35 years, up to 500,000 pioneers sought the new and improved life being promised by traveling via wagon trains to the Pacific northwest. The period was called the “Great Migration,” and the Oregon Trail became the most traveled road in the world. Use of the trail declined after 1860 and ended when the Union Pacific transcontinental rail line was completed in 1869.
At its busiest, 50,000 pioneers made the trip annually. Wagon trains typically included 20 Prairie Schooners each usually pulled by six oxen. The wagons carried supplies and freight while people walked beside to ease the burden on the oxen. Wagon trains were reported to stretch 50 miles long, although in some instances the trail could be 100-200 yards wide. We read that about 95 percent of the pioneers completed the journey. Those who died were buried beneath the hardened trail to prevent bodies from being scavenged by wildlife. Any way you look at it, the people who made this migration were adventurous, persistent, rugged, and strong.
The Department of Interior designated Scotts Bluff a National Monument on 12 December 1919. The 800-feet-tall bluffs served as an important landmark for native Americans and early traders and settlers. With respect to the Oregon Trail, the significance of the bluffs was the narrow pass between the Sentinal and Eagle Rock formations along an otherwise impenetrable wall of stone, without forcing wagon trains to cross the river. Wagon traffic was so concentrated through the pass that remnants of overland trails are still evident in the form of permanent ruts and swales. Unfortunately, despite taking a trail intended to show this evidence, nothing was readily apparent to me. Guess I needed a tour guide.
There was no doubt I was going to hike the 1.5-mile trail to the top of the bluff. I took a series of pictures along the way to share the beauty . Fortunately for MFI, she was able to drive up and meet me.
Short trails took me to overlooks created at the south and north ends of the bluff. I took a video from each location to give readers a broader perspective of the monument.
On the downhill hike, I stopped at one spot to capture a video of some cliffside formations, which were critical to the endurance of the bluffs over millions of years. These formations were called concretions. They were exposed often along the trail and looked like concrete cylinders acting as rebar to hold the looser sediments together.
So who was Scott, and why was the bluff named after him? Hiram Scott was an American mountain man, trapper, and fur trader who participated in early expeditions westward during the 1820s. He joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1822 and was on the first fur trade expedition to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1826. Scott died in the vicinity of the Bluffs when he was only 23 years old. The circumstances surrounding his death range from severe illness to foul play on the part of his traveling companions. Some versions say he volunteered to stay behind as a sacrifice to help save his fellow travelers, while others claim he was simply abandoned after being injured during a fight with natives. Regardless, his death must have been big news at the time. Not only do the bluffs bear his name, but so do the town, the county, and a local college.
About 20 miles east of Scotts Bluff, stands a nearly 286 feet tall sentinel called Chimney Rock. This monolith of Bruel clay interlayered with volvanic ash and Arikaree sandstone was reported to be a welcome site to the pioneers on the “Great Migration,” particularly after enduring the heat and harsh weather of the Great Plains. Many journals from the period recounted first seeing Chimney Rock and how much joy it brought to achieve this milestone along their journey. The formation became a National Historic Site in 1956 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Pioneers usually stopped before pushing on to Scotts Bluff.
We visited the interactive museum on the site (excellent choice) and saw photographic evidence of where migrants had over decades carved there names and dates into the rock. We learned the monument was much taller when first discovered and recorded; but erosion, lightning strikes, and canon fire over time took their toll. I took many photographs during some fickle cloud conditions, and these below were the best.
