Day 5 - North Platte NE to Morrill NE

Table of Contents

	Google Map Track Log
	YouTube Video
	O'Fallon's Bluff Trail Ruts and Interpretive Area, near Sutherland NE
	Windlass Hill, Lewellen NE
	Boots on Fence Posts, Lewellen NE
	Ash Hollow Complex, Lewellen NE
	Pioneer Grave at Ash Hollow Cemetery, Lewellen NE
	Blue Water Battlefield/Harney Massacre/Battle of Ash Hollow Historic Wayside, Lewellen NE
	Courthouse and Jail Rocks, Bridgeport NE
	Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Bayard NE
	Chimney Rock Historical Markers, Bayard NE
	Scotts Bluff National Monument Visitor Center, Gering NE
	Elevation Changes During the Day
	Comments
	Other Blogs About This Trip

Google Map Track Log

YouTube Video

O'Fallon's Bluff Trail Ruts and Interpretive Area, near Sutherland NE

O'Fallon's Bluff is a section of bluffs about 20 miles long that sits next to the south side of the Platte River. The bluffs close proximity to the river forced the emigrant trails onto a narrow path that went up and over the bluffs. Over time, as thousands of wagons, emigrants, and livestock went up the rise, ruts were carved into the dry bluffs. These ruts are still visible today at Sutherland Rest Area, which is only accessible via I-80's eastbound lanes.

At the rest area, the ruts are marked by large iron loops that signify wagon wheels and interpretive panels tell the story of America's westward migration. This is a great place to stretch your legs and walk in the ruts of the Oregon Trail. Other amenities include restrooms, picnic tables, and a children's play area. 

Windlass Hill, Lewellen NE

Windlass Hill is scarred by deeply eroded ruts cut by thousands of wagons sliding downhill with their wheels locked. A paved (but steep) walking trail with outdoor exhibits leads visitors along the ruts to the top of the hill, where hikers are rewarded with a vista of Ash Hollow and the Platte River.

Boots on Fence Posts, Lewellen NE

Ash Hollow Complex, Lewellen NE

Sweet spring water made Ash Hollow State Historical Park near Lewellen a major stopover on the Oregon and California trails and prompted prehistoric Indians to use it, too. Ruts etched by west-bound wagons are still visible on the bluffs. Today, the area's beauty and sweeping vistas continue to make this area a popular destination for vacationers and travelers. The history, archaeology and paleontology of the area are interpreted at the visitor center, Ash Hollow Cave and exhibits and structures.

Pioneer Grave at Ash Hollow Cemetery, Lewellen NE

Rachel Pattison was an 18-year-old bride of two months and on her way to Oregon when cholera took her life here in 1849. Her trailside grave was the beginning of this pioneer cemetery. To find her burial place, turn right toward the north end of the cemetery. A monument, which preserves her original gravestone, is near the flagpole.

Blue Water Battlefield/Harney Massacre/Battle of Ash Hollow Historic Wayside, Lewellen NE

In retaliation for the 1854 killing of 29 U.S. soldiers in Wyoming (the "Grattan Fight"), troops under General William Harney from Fort Kearny destroyed a Lakota Sioux village near here at Blue Creek the following year. Indian strikes against travelers and settlers along the Great Platte River Road in the 1860s were, in part, retribution for the killings at Blue Creek.

A Nebraska State Historical Society sign tells the story; the actual battlefield, not visible from the pullout, is on private land several miles distant from the road.

Historical Marker

On September 3, 1855, the U.S. Army's 600-man Sioux Expedition, commanded by Col William S. Harney, attacked and destroyed a Lakota village located three miles north on Blue Creek. The fight became known as the Battle of Blue Water, sometimes the Battle of Ash Hollow after the nearby landmark or the Harney Massacre.

The army's attack avenged the Indian annihilation of Lt. John Grattan's command near Fort Laramie in 1854. Harney concluded the more than 250 Brules and Ogalalas camped on Blue Creek were the guilty parties. He divided his force and led his infantry towards the village. While Harney engaged in a delaying parley with Chief Little Thunder, the mounted troops had circled undetected to the north.

The infantry opened fire with its new, long-range rifles and forced the Indians to flee towards the mounted soldiers, who inflicted terrible casualties. Eighty-six Indians were killed, seventy women and children captured, and their tipis were looted and burned. This first, yet often overlooked, military campaign against the Lakota kept the Overland Trail open, but only postponed until 1863-64 a war between the two nations.

Courthouse and Jail Rocks, Bridgeport NE

Historical Marker

from a nearby historical marker

Courthouse and Jail Rocks are two rock formations located near Bridgeport in the Nebraska Panhandle.

The Oregon-California Trail, the Mormon Trail, the Pony Express Trail and the Sidney-Deadwood Trail all ran near the rocks. The pair of rock formations served as a landmark along the trails for many pioneers traveling west in the 19th century. Many travelers would stray as much as five miles from the Oregon Trail just to get a glimpse of the rocks.

Hundreds of westward-bound emigrants mentioned Courthouse Rock (originally also McFarlan's Castle) in their travel logs and journals. The name "Courthouse" was first used in 1837. In 1845, one traveler described the rock as "resembling the ruins of an old castle [which] rises abruptly from the plain....It is difficult to look upon it and not believe that art had something to do with its construction. The voyagers have called it the Courthouse; but it looks infinitely more like the Capitol."

Courthouse and Jail Rocks, which rise 400 feet (120 m) above the North Platte Valley, are composed of Brule clay, Gering sandstone and volcanic ash. The rock formations are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and in the Nebraska Natural Areas Register.

Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Bayard NE

Travelers on the Mormon Pioneer Trail viewed this famous landmark from a distance, while those on the Oregon, California, and Pony Express Trails passed much closer. .pa Watch for a roadside pullout with a wayside exhibit (west of U.S. 26 where it turns north from state road 92, near milepost 47) telling of the first Mormons to view the feature.

Chimney Rock Historical Markers, Bayard NE

Historical Marker

Marked by the State of Nebraska 1912 Chimney Rock S 56º 56' W. 9041 Ft

Historical Marker

Rising 470 feet above the North Platte River Vally, Chimney Rock stands to the south as the most celebrated of all natural formations along the overland routes to California, Oregon, and Utah. Chimney Rock served as an early landmark for fur traders, trappers, and mountain man as they made their way from the Rockies to the Missouri River. To later emigrants, the solitary spire marked the end of plains travel and the beginning of the rugged mountain portion of their journey.

The tip of the formation is 325 feet above the base. Chimney Rock is composed of Brule Clay with interlayers of volcanic ash and Arickaree sand-stone. Thousands of travelers carved their names in the soft base only to have these records disappear through the forces of nature. This eroded landmark is smaller than that which greeted early visitors to the area, but its presence for the generations of the near future is secure.

In 1941 the eighty acres containing the site were transferred to the Nebraska State Historical Society by the Roszel F. Durnal family. In 1956 Norman and Donna Brown deeded additional land to the society. In that same year Chimney Rock was designated a National Historical Site by the federal government

Historical Marker

Chimney Rock Station on the route of the Pony Express, was located near here between Chimney Rock and the North Platte River. This was an important Pony Express stop between stations at Court House Rock and Ficklins Springs.

Scotts Bluff National Monument Visitor Center, Gering NE

The first wagon trails skirted around this majestic geological formation, but a later route cut through at Mitchell Pass. Attractions include a visitor center with a trail museum and artwork by pioneer photographer and artist William Henry Jackson; a short hiking trail; and a paved driving route. Wagon swales are still visible

Elevation Changes During the Day