Wedding-white thistle poppies speckled the ocean of grass that skirts western Nebraska's Chimney Rock. With few sounds other than prairie bird songs, and a museum as the only sign of human habitation, it's easy to imagine how this spire-topped butte looked to travelers almost 200 years ago.
This 325-foot-tall rock formation rose above the Great Plains and was the most-mentioned landmark in journals of wagon train journeyers. From the 1840s until the railroad was built four decades later, an estimated 500,000 mostly European immigrants departed from Missouri and Iowa every spring to search for land and independence in the American West.
They followed the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails, which converged along the Platte River Valley, bringing the squeak of wagon wheels and clop and jangle of oxen and horses to what's now Bayard, Neb., by mid- to late June. They'd continue on toward Scotts Bluff and then head to Wyoming's Independence Rock, named for the goal of arriving by July 4 to avoid treacherous weather along mountain passes.
Like other modern visitors to Chimney Rock, I laughed at T-shirts with a primitive computer graphic of a covered wagon and the words, "You have died of dysentery." I still recall trying to survive the Minnesota-made "Oregon Trail" computer game in the 1970s by quickly typing "Bang!" to hunt.
The TV miniseries "1883″ and books such as "Where the Lost Wander" renewed my interest in the gambles and tolls of these journeys and the impact they carved across indigenous lands, depleting hunting, polluting water sources and leaving few trees, which were scavenged for fires.
According to the Chimney Rock Museum, about one in 10 overland travelers died, and it's almost surprising that number wasn't higher given the dangers. An unrelenting sun wilted even the museum visitors who had the relief of clean water and indoor air conditioning. Storms gathered and rolled in swiftly during our visit, and signs warned, "Rattlesnakes! Stay on the trail!"
Historic hazards
A costumed volunteer and national park staffer near replicated wagons at Scotts Bluff National Monument, 20 miles northwest of Chimney Rock, ticked off additional hazards, from spoiled food and disease to accidents from everyday chores.
"Kids would have to walk barefoot until they reached the mountains," said volunteer Anne James, whose bonnet offered relief from the sun. "Otherwise, they would have worn out their only shoes."
Children needed to collect a few bushels of dried bison dung throughout the day so there would be fuel for cooking rice, beans, salt pork, corn mush and coffee. Livestock had to be fed and watered. Wagon axles needed greasing and wheels might need an overnight soak in the river to keep the wood tight on the rims.
Modern visitors can hike or drive to the summit of Scotts Bluff, which rises about 800 feet above the sparsely populated plains. Prickly pear cacti and blooms from yucca plants edge steep overlooks that drop down to the Platte River Valley.
Most families, even toddlers, followed the trails on foot, averaging 15 to 20 miles a day, James told visitors. It looks especially daunting from Scotts Bluff, with Chimney Rock on one horizon and Wyoming's Laramie Peak — 100 miles away — on the other.
A distant train threading through the town of Scottsbluff, Neb., can be heard from the national monument, where faint imprints from those long-ago trails can still be seen two centuries later.
What to do
Chimney Rock National Historic Site added four trails in 2023 to allow visitors to walk closer to the landmark. They range from 0.2 to 1.76 miles long (nshsf.org).
Visitors to Scotts Bluff National Monument can hike up Saddle Rock Trail or drive to the summit. The visitor center includes an exhibit of William Henry Jackson's artwork and photography from the 1870s, which helped inspire establishing national parks such as Yellowstone and Mesa Verde (nps.gov/scbl).
Scotts Bluff and Chimney Rock are on the Oregon, Mormon, California and Pony Express National Historic Trails, all of which can inspire a cross-country road trip (nps.gov).
Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area outside of Scottsbluff offers another testament to the non-flatness of Nebraska. Its rugged wooded hills — home to bighorn sheep — rise to 4,600 feet, with 3 miles of trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riders. Its multilevel nature center includes family-friendly exhibits, along with a shooting sports complex and a dozen camping sites (outdoornebraska.gov).
Dive deeper into history at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument about 50 miles north of Scottsbluff. It's home to some of the world's best full skeletons from the Miocene era, known for beardogs and ancestors of modern horses, cows and pigs. The monument also preserves painted hides, pipe bags, beaded attire and the many gifts exchanged between the Cook ranching family and Oglala Lakota Chief Red Cloud in the late 1800s and early 1900s (nps.gov/agfo).
Where to eat
Woodfired pizzas and beers dominate the menu at aviation-themed Flyover Brewery in downtown Scottsbluff (flyoverbrewingcompany).
If you yearn for a Midwest German-Russian grandma to make comfort food, the Mixing Bowl in Gering, Neb., serves classic sandwiches and breakfasts, along with seasonal "kuga" crumble-top coffee cakes, pastries and rotating specials, such as soups with bread or potato dumplings, and cabbage burgers from the Volga region (mixingbowlgering.com).
Where to sleep
Monument Inn and Suites and a handful of hotel chains offer lodging, along with vacation rentals (visitscottsbluff.com).
St. Cloud-based freelance writer and author of "Day Trips From the Twin Cities," Lisa Meyers McClintick (@minnelisa on Instagram) has written for the Star Tribune since 2001.
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