Jim R challenged me to capture what people might have felt as they journeyed across the prairie along the Oregon Trail and the California Trail. It was a beautiful day so I visited the Scotts Bluff National Monument. The Oregon Trail ran south of the North Platte River and had to pass through this line of bluffs. This image shows some of the rough terrain that made passage through the bluffs impossible until the pass you see on the horizon was opened in 1850. Prior to that the wagon trains had to detour 15 miles south to get past these bluffs.
I found a quote as to how the travelers felt approaching these bluffs. The particular bluff he refers to lies at the north end of this line of bluffs next to the North Platte River.
"In 1845, General Philip St. George Cooke marveled at the strange formation that rose before him.
"Looming afar over river and plain was 'Scott's Bluff,' a Nebraska Gibralter; surmounted by a colossal fortress and a royal castle, it jutted on the water. . . . This morning marched three miles still nearer to that mysterious mountain . . . without being disenchanted of its colossal ruins and phantom occupants."
Jim R @jnr We had some beautiful weather this week so I made a quick visit to the Scotts Bluff National Monument during my town trip. Heard my first meadowlark for the year!
April, @aecasey , that picture is outstanding! I can sense how the people in the wagon trains must have felt when they saw the bluffs. A rugged people in a rugged land.
You should change the tag to get-pushed-501 so the others can see your wonderful work this week.
You should change the tag to get-pushed-501 so the others can see your wonderful work this week.