rtMi-r--iri i inriihiiflrir ii -nmiii i irWiMlft'ilWWjijjQ
foorton'e Mietor of Itebraeha
Hutbentto-1400 to 1906 Complete
(Oajrisated 1WM. All rif Ma resorrU.) By courteay of E4ltore an4 Publisberi ( Mortoa'a Hiaioty, the Publlihin Newspaper Ualea e LtMt, Nebraska, la pKwlttU Ha raprodncttea ai aaaaraaf (hear Ibmm
4
5
it
t
, y .
chapter hi continued (0)
"Tho distance from St Joseph, Ma,
to tho Independence trail, striking It
ten miles west of Blue rlvor, Is about
100 miles; from the forks of these
roads to tho nig Sandy, striking it
sear Us Junction with tho Republican
river, forty-two miles; from tho Dig
andy to tho Republican fork of Blue
river, eighteen miles; up the Repub
lican rivor, fifty-three miles; from tho
Republican to tho Platte, twenty
miles; up the Platto to tho crossing
of the south fork, 120 miles; from tho
lower to tho uppor crossing of the
ssuth fork, forty-flvo miles."
Mr. Palmer horo observes that
there la a road on each sido of the
river and but little choico in them.
From tho south to tho north fork at
ah Hollow, twenty miles; thenco to
a point opposlto Solitary Towor, on
little crook, forty-two miles; thence
to a point opposito Chimney Rock,
sixteen miles; thenco to a point where
the road crosses tho rlvor, fifteen
lies; thenco to Scotts Bluff, ten
miles; thence to Horso creok, twelve
miles; thence to Ft. Laramie, twenty
four miles.
Palmer followed tho Little Blue,
which he evidently miscalled tho Re
publican fork of tho Bluo, and then
went over to tho Big Platte, tho usual
twenty miles, and thence to tho cross
ing of tho south fork, ono hundred
and twenty milos.
While all of theso travolors followed
substantially tho same routo through
Nebraska, yet, either through their
wn carelessness or because the
Barnes of the streams, In the earlier
fait of tho course especially, were
mot certain or fixed, they greatly con
fused thorn. The schedule distance
between the Vermilion and the Big
Blue was about fourteen miles, ana
yet Kelly traveled several days and
crossed two other streams, each of
which he felt certain was the impor
tant one In question, before, he came
te the fine river which he definitely
decided was worthy of the name of
ltf Blue. The length of the route up
the Little Blue valley for all was about
twenty miles, though it left the
stream where Important bends or eas
ier going required. If Bryant is ac
curate In his statement, ho traveled
twenty-seven miles frem the Little
Blue to the Platte river, which he
reached about twelve miles below the
mead of Grand Island. Palmer, Kelly
ami Stansbury reached the Platte only
a few miles belew the head of the
island; but Oaptain Bonneville reached
St twenty-live miles below.
The old California crossing, which
was substantially identical with the
"utter ford," was twenty-aeven miles
east of the upper California crossing
at Old Julosburg, opposite the mouth
ef Lodge Pole creek. In the year 1859
a Frenchman from St Louis, called
Beeuvals, established a trading post
at the oil California crossing, which
as that account came to be called
Baauvals' ranch. There was very lit
tie travel by the upper California
rente until the dally mall was estab
lished In 1181, and which crossed at
eld Julesburg. After crossing the
Platte, this route followed Lodge Pole
creek as far as Thirty-mile Ridge
which ram toward the north fork. It
continued along this ridge by way of
Mud Springs, reaching the North
Platte near Court House Reck. The
earlier and great crossing was on the
main Oregon trail, and was commonly
known as the Ash Hollow route. The
Mormon trail, which was established
by the Mermen exodus, followed the
merth side ef the Platte all the way
from Fleremee te the creasing beyond
Ft Laramie.
At least before Ft Kearney was
established, Ash Hollow was the most
hvpertant and interesting point on the
hvall, this side of Ft Laramie, after It
stack the Platte river. Owing to
tvlng's vagueness we can not be sure
that he was describing that delectable
place In recording Captain Bonne
Yule's progress: "They reached a
small bst beautiful grove from which
kerned the confused notes of singing
.birds, the first they had heard since
Brassing the boundary of Missouri;"
sat circumstances almost warrant
that conclusion. Palmer relates that
"the read then turns down Ash Hoi
tow te the river; a quarter of a mile
irem the latter is a fine spring, and
around it weed and grass In abun
dance."
Stansbury, seeing with the scientific
eye and writing with the trained hand,
has left us an Invaluable description
ef the crossing betweon the two forks
and of Ash Hollow itself:
"Today we crossed the ridge be
tween the North and South forks of
the Platte, a distance of eighteen and
a half miles. As we expected to find
mo water for the whole of this dis
tance, the India-rubber bags were
lied with a small supply. The road
struck directly up the bluff, rising
hit ramifliv mt ntar rn n ma,.
' : . ' .'J
,tv, vmmuy ior iweive mues, wnen we
1 roaonea the summit, and a most ma
.. -. suiceat view saluted the eye. Before
and below us was the North Fork of
tl AY t Nebraska, winding Its way
rengh broken hills and green mead-
Behind us the undulating prairie
genuy from the South Fork.
waicn we mac just passed; on
wr right, the gradual convergence of
oho two valleys was distinctly per-
II.. i
, " uuBHwwf mi our
were the heads of Jan Creek.
fdhtoh fell 0 suddenly Into deef p re
IsHswi chasms em either side. leav.
bat only a high marrow ridge or back
So which gradually descended, um-
til, toward its weBtorn termination, It
fell oft proclpltatoly Into tho bottom
of tho creek. Hero wo wero obliged,
from tho steepness of tho road, to lot
the wagons down by ropes, but the
labor of a dozen men for a few days
would make tho descent easy and
safo. Tho bottom of -Ash Crook Ib
tolerably well wooded, principally
with ash and somo dwarf cedars. Tho
bed of tho stream was entirely dry,
but toward tho mouth several springs
of delightfully cold and refreshing
water wero found, altogether the best
that has been mot with since leaving
the Missouri. We encamped at the
mouth of tho valley, hero called ABh
Hollow. The traces of tho great tide
of emigration that had preceded us
were plainly vlsjblo In remains of
camp-fires, in . blazed, trees covered
with innumerable names carved and
written on them; but, more than all,
in the total absence of all herbage.
. . . On the slopo towards the
South Fork the valleys aro wido and
long, with gracefully curved lines,
gentle slopes, and broad hollows. .
Almost immediately after crossing
the point of 'divide,' we s(rlko upon
the head-waters of Ash creek, whence
the descent is abrupt and precipitous.
Immediately at your feet is tho prin
cipal ravine, with sides four or fivo
hundred feet in depth, clothed with
cedar. Into this numerous other ra
vines run, meeting it at different an
gles, and so completely cutting up the
earth that scarcely a foot of level
ground could bo seen. The whole sur
face consisted of morely narrow ridges
dividing the ravines from each other,
and running up to so sharp a crest
that it would be difficult for anything
but a mountain-goat to traverse their
summits with Impunity. Never before
had I seen the wonderful effects of
the action of water on a grand scale
more strikingly exemplified."
In his return itinerary this traveler
observes that, "Ash Hollow has abun
dance ef ash and poplar wood, a small
stream in tho bottom;", there were
"cedars .In the hills for camping pur
poses." Kelly, who wrote with more literary
spirit than any of the others of these
travelers, was yet possessed of a de
gree of English surliness which, how
ever, the oharms of tho Hollow over
came entirely for the nonce, and he
"Two more moderate descents
brought us Into a lovely wooded dell,
bo watered and sheltered that vege
tation of every description appeared
as if stimulated by a hot house com
pared with that on the open prairie.
The modest wild rose, forgetting its
coyness in the leafy arbors, opened
out its velvet bosom, adding Its frag
rant bouquet to that of the various
scented flowers and shrubs that
formed the underwood of the majestic
asm-trees, which confer a name upon
the spot, producing a perfectly aro-
atic atmosphere. Cool streams, fil
tered through the adjoining hills,
prattled about until they merged
their murmurs In a translucent pond,
reposing in the center ef a verdant
meadow, a perfect parterre, the be
spangled carpet of which looked the
congenial area for the games and gam
bols for the light-tripping beings of
airyiani."
But three years before Bryant saw
only these presy commonplaces; "We
descended Into the valley of the North
fork of the Platte, through a pass
Known as 'Ash Hollow.' This name
s derived from a few scattering ash-
trees In the dry ravine, through which
we wind our way to the river1 bottom.
There Is but one steep or difficult
place for wagons In the pass. I saw
wild currants and gooseberries near
the mouth of Ash Hollow. There Is
here also a spring of pure cold water."
Bryant found a small log cabin, near
the mouth of the Hollow, which had
been erected during the last winter
by some trappers en their way to the
East This cabin had been turned by
ine emigrants into a sort of volun
tary general postoAce. Many adver
tisements in manuscript were posted
on the walls outside. These included
descriptions of lost horses, cattle, etc.;
and inside, in a recess, there were a
large number of letters addressed to
persons in every part of the world.
with requests that those who nassed
would convey them to the nearest
postofflce in the states. "The place
naa something or an air of a cross
roads settlement, and we lingered
arouna it some time, reading the ad
vertisements and looking over the let
lers."
The reader will be inclined in nrAit
Bryant's description with orthodoxy
in the knowledge that the susceptible
unsiiBnman was also thrown Into a
fit of esthetlo hysteria at the sight
of a party of Sioux squaws whom he
had seen a few days before:
"The women warn AxtrAmalv Im.
tlful, with finely-chiselled features,
dark lustrous eyes, raven locks and
pearly teeth, which they disclosed in
gracious smiles tnat lit up their lovely
faces with a most bewitching radiance.
They wore no head dress: their lux-
urlant tresses, divided with the most
scrupulous accuracy flowing in an
confined freedom over their shoulders.
Their attire consisted of a tanned
buckskin bodice, not over tight . .
to which was appended a short full
skirt of the' same material which did
not reach the knees. The legs were
concealed by close leathern hose
Which revealed the meet exquisite
symmetry, embroidered on the sides
with beads, meeting above the taper
ankles a laced moccasin, worked up
tho instep in the same manner; and
over all was thrown with a, most
graceful negligence a blanket of
snowy whiteness so arranged as to
form a hood In an inBtant They also
woro largo ear drops and had the fin
gers up to the Joints covered with
rings. . . . There was one dear
girl amongst the group that I was
fairly smitten with, to whom I pre
sented a small looking-glass, taking
leavo to kiss the tips of her delicate
fingers as she graciously dccepted.lt,
at which she smiled, as If understand
ing this silent but expressive mode of
admiration; and taking off a ring,
caught hold of my hand to put It on;
an operation I playfully protracted by
cramping my fingers, that I might pro
long tho pleasure of contact with so
charming a creature."
The next notable landmark on tho
trail was Court House Rock, which
Stansbury describes as "two bald ele
vations to which the voyageurs,
most of whom aro originally from St.
Louis, had given this name, from a
fancied resemblance to a well known
structure In their Own city." It was
some distance south of the road and
the river.
When Samuel Parker, the mission
ary, passed Court House Rock in 1835,
traveling on the opposite, or north
side of the river, it was evidently
without a name that was at all fa
miliar, for ho spoko of it as "a great
natural curiosity, which, for the sake
of a namo, I shall call the old castle."
Its situation was on a plain some
miles distant from any elevated land,
and by his estimate covered more
than ,an acre of ground and was more
than fifty feet high. It Is tolerably
certain from his description that this
curiosity was what Bryant, in 1846,
knew and described as Court House
Rock. This traveler went a distance,
which he estimated at seven miles
from the trail, toward the rock with
out reaching It and It appeared to
him to be from three hundred to five
hundred feet lm height and about a
mile in circumference.
Parker describes the remarkable
formations In this neighborhood lm
general:
"We passed many uncommonly lm-
teres ting bluffs composed of Indurated
clay; many of them very high, with
perpendicular sides, and of almost
every Imaginable form. Some ap
peared like strong fortifications with
high citadels, some like stately edi
fices with lofty towers. I had never
before seen anything like them ef
clay formation. And what adds to
their beauty, Is that the clay of which
they are composed Is nearly white.
Such Is the smoothness, and whiteness
of the perpendicular sides and off
sets; and such the regularity of their
straight and curved lines that one can
hardly believe that they are net the
work of art"
At the time of Palmer's trip In 1846.
however, the rock was called Solitary
Tower, and that traveler tells us that
It was "a stupendous pile of sand and
clay, so cemented as to -resemble stone
but which crumbles away at the
slightest touch." According to this
author It was situated about seven
miles from the river, and was six hun
dred to eight hundred feet above the
level of the stream. A stream ef
water ran along the northeast side
some twenty rods from the rock.
Kelly, we may surmise, was still too
much possessed with the charms of
the Sioux squaws to have any eye for
this Inanimate object; and he dis
misses the tradition that the rock was
named "from its' supposed resemblance
to a large public building of that de
scription," with the remark that
"there was nothing about it of that
striking character to seduce me from
my path" so far aside to visit it" Its
location, according to this traveler,
was six miles from the river.
Captain Bonneville describes the
next wonder of this mountain region
of Nebraska thus: "It Is called the
Chimney. The lower part is a conical
mound, rising out of the naked plain;
from the summit shoots up a shaft
or column, about 120 feet In height
from which it derives it name. . . .
It is a compound of Indurated clay.
with alternato layers of red and white
sandstone, and may be seen at a dis
tance of upwards of 30 miles." Ac
cording to this authority the total
height of this formation was then one
hundred and seventy-five yards. Fre
mont records that, "It consists ef
marl and earthy limestone and the
weather' Is rapidly diminishing Its
height which Is now not more than
200 feet above the river. Travelers
who visited it some years since placed
its height at upwards of five hundred
feet" It looked to him from a dis
tance of about thirty miles like the
llong chimney of a steam factory en-
W . . . a .in
uaDiisnmem or a snot tower in uaiu-
more.
Palmer describes it as "a sharp-
pointed rock of much the same ma
terial of the solitary tower standing
at the base of the bluff and four or
five miles from the road." As Stans
bury saw it this Nebraska wonder
"consists of a conical elevation of
about llOffeet high, Its sides forming
an angle of about 45 degrees wits tne
horizon; from the apex rises a nearly
circular and perpendicular shaft of
clay, now from thirty-five to forty feet
in height" This author remarks here
that young pines were taking the
place of red cedars, the latter dying
off. This Is in accordance with the
present tendency ef the fine growth
te extend from that part of the state
eastward, as observed, by our botan
ists. Parker observes that "It has
been called the Chimney; but I
should say It ought to be called Bea
con Hill, from its resemblance to what
was Beacon Hill in Boston." He found
tho base of the rock three miles from
the river. "This Beacon Hill has a
conical formed base of about half a
mile in circumference, and one hun
dred and fifty feet in height and above
this is a perpendicular column, twelve
feet square, and eighty feet high,
making the whole height about two
hundred and thirty feet. W left our
horses at the base, and ascended to
the perpendicular. It is formed of
indurated clay or marl, and in some
parts is petrified. It is of a light
chocolate or rufous color, in some
parts white. Near the top were some
handsome stalactites, at which my as
sistant shot, and broke off some pieces
of which I have taken a small specimen."
Kelly is a sceptic In his view of
Chimney Rock also:
"To my eye there is not a single
lineament in Its outline to warrant
the christening. The Wellington tes
timonial in the Phoenix Park, ele
vated on a Danish fort, would give a
much more correct, idea of its config
uration, though not of its proportions.
It Is, I should say, 500 feet high, com
posed of soft red sandstone, standing
out from tho adjoining cliffs, not so
much the result of a violent spasm
of nature, as If from the wearing and
wasting effects of the watery storms
that prevail In those forlorn regions.
It appears to be fast chipping and
crumbling away, and I have no doubt
that ere half a century elapses TroJa
fulf will apply to the Chimney Rock."
Bryant places Chimney Rock three
miles from the Platte river, and says
that It Is several hundred feet In
height from base to apex and can be
seen in a clear atmosphere at a dis
tance of forty miles. "The column
which represents the chimney will
soon crumble away and disappear en
tirely. The scenery to the right of
the rock as we face It from the river
is singularly picturesque and Interest
ing. There are four high elevations
of architectural, configuration, one of
which would represent a distant view
of the ruins ef the Athenian Acropolis;
another the crumbling remains of an
Egyptian temple; a third a Mexican
pyramid; the fourth the mausoleum
ef-ono of the Titans. Im the back
ground -the bluffs are worm Into such
figures as to represent ranges of cas
tles and palaces."
Captain Bonneville observed that
Scotts Bluff was composed of Indu
rated clay, with alternate layers of
red and white sandstone, and might
be seen at a distance ef upwards of
thirty miles; and Irving calls atten
tion to "the high and beetling cliffs
of indurated clay and sandstone 'bear
ing the semblance of towers, castles,
churches and fortified cities."
Palmer found a good spring and
abundance ef wood and grass at
Scotts Bluff. Parker describes these
bluffs as "the termination ef a high
range of land running from south to
north. They are very near the river,
high and abrupt, and what Is worthy
ef notice, there is a pass through the
range a short distance back from the
river, the width of a common road
with perpendicular sides two or three
hundred feet high. It appears as
theugh a part of the bluffs had been
cut off, and moved a few rods to the
north."
Kelly relates that his party cried
out, "Mount Ararat; Mount Ararat, at
last!" at first sight of the bluff. "As
we got on the elevated ground we
could see that the bluffs took a curve
like the tall of a shepherd's crook; a
prominent eminence forming the curl
at the end. This Is called Scotts
Bluff, frem the body ef an enterpris
ing trapper of that name being found
upon It"
Stansbury recerds that "these bluffs
are about five miles south of the river.
The road up the bluffs steep, but on
good, hard, gravelly ground. A small
spring at the top of the first hill."
One Robldoux had a trading post
and blacksmith's shop there; and
when the smith was not inclined to
work he rented the shop at 76 cents
an hour to emigrants who might do
their own. work. He pointed out to
Stansbury a goed wagon which he
had bought from discouraged emi
grants for 75 cents. He kept a con
siderable stock-in-trade of this sort,
which he had acquired through the
misfortunes and discouragements of
travelers.
In his return Itinerary Stansbury
records .that he found on Scotts Bluff
a small 'rivulet, a row of old deserted
houses, a spring at the foot of Sand
stone Bluffs, where the road crosses
the ridge, cedars on the bluffs and
good grass on the plains.
Bryant describes this remarkable
formation as follows t
"The bluff is a large and isolated
pile of sand-cliffs and soft sandstone.
It exhibits all the architectural shapes
of arch, jplllar, dome, spire, minaret,
temple, gothlc castle and modern for
tification. These, of course, are upon
a scale far surpassing the construct
ing efforts of human strength and en
ergy. The tower of Babel, If Its build
ers had been permitted to proceed in
their ambitious undertaking, would
be but a feeble Imitation of these stu
pendous structures of nature. While
surveying this scenery, which is con
tinuous for twenty or thirty miles, the
traveler Involuntarily imagines him-
in the midst of the desolate ami
deserted reus of vast dtlee, to
Nineveh, Thebes and Babylon
pigmies in grandeur ana
The trail leaves the river as we a
proacn bcotx s mini an rums ores
a smooth valley In the rear of the
bluff seven or eight miles. From this
level plain we ascended some dis
tance, and found a faint spring of
water near the summit of the rMsje,
as cold as melted ice."
From the extreme height of this
ridge the travelers were able to see1
ysso fuano vi mr; AWVA. Mil HI 1 1 1 WW 1
and Laramie's peak, ome hundred ami
fifty miles distant, was distinctly vls-
mie. this author gives perhaps as
nearly authentic a story of the tragedy
which gave the name to .the bluff as
can now be told:
"A party of some five or six trao-
pers, in the employment of the Amer
ican Fur Company, were returning to
the 'settlements,' under the command
of a man a noted mountaineer
named Scott. They attempted to per
form the Journey in boats, down the
Fiatte. The current of the river be
came so shallow that they could not
navigate it Scott was seized with a
disease which rendered him helpless.
me men with him left him In the
boat, and when they returned to their
employers, reported that Scott had
died on the Journey, and that they
had burled him on the banks of the
Platte. The next year t a party of
hunters traversing this region discov
ered a human skeleton wrapped in
blankets, which from the clothing and
papers found upon It, was immedi
ately recognized as being the remains
of Scott He had been deserted by
his men, but afterwards recovering
his strength sufficiently to leave the
boat, he had wandered Into the bluffs
where he died, where his bones were
found, and which now bears his
name."
As Captain Bonneville learned the
story In 1832, Scott traveled sixty
miles eastward before he succumbed'
at the bluffs.
While those early travelers were
keen and Intelligent observers of the
remarkable mountain region oft Ne
braska, it was left to the recent work
of scientific mem to furnish accurate
Information and speclflo data concern
ing It . Court House Rock Is now
about five miles from the river, Its
height above the sea level Is 4,100
feet; and above the level of the river.
449 feet. Its upper part of about 16
feet Is of sandstone and the rest, of
pink Bad Lauds clay. Chimney Reck
Is somewhat le3s than two miles from
the river; its height above sea level
Is 4,242 feet, and above the river, 84
feet The chimney proper Is about
5t feet In diameter at the base, 14S
tfmit sminrn. nvnss m iir HatniiT niriiiAUUii w,
A. part of the upper forty feet of tho
chimney has been chipped off. Tne
rest of the rock is of pink clay or marl,
interbedded with volcanic ash. Ono y-
of these beds Is five feet In thickness.
The varying 'colors of white and red
attributed to these elevations by tho
early travelers were owing to the light
to which they were exposed when they
saw them. In the clear sunlight the
color- was white. Geologists suppose
that the volcanic ash was blown
across the plains from the far distant
mountain regions of Arizona. Wind
and rain tint the whole surface of
these remarkable rocks with this whit
lsh ash.
Scotts Bluff Is about three-quarters
of a mile from the river; 4,662 feet
In height above sea level, and nearly
800 feet above the river. The upper
282 feet Is of sandy and concretionary
formation, below which are pink Bad
Lands clay or marls, with two beds of
white volcanic ash. This bluff Is la
Scotts Bluff county, and Court House ,
Reek and Chimney Rock are In Chey--emne
county. The highest peak In the
range is Wild Cat mountain 6,984
feet in Banner county. The highest
elevation of these mountains, In Ne
braska, is in the extreme northwest
ef Kimball county, where, they reach
the height of 5,300 feet
It is sald.ithat the Oregon trail lm
Nebraska Is entirely obliterated. Im
September, 1873, the writer of this
history crossed it near Steele City. M
and it was then a gorgeous band or
sunflowers, stretching on a direct line
northwestwardly as far as the vision
could reach a most Impressive scene.
But the route may always be described
generally by the principal rivers as
follows: The Kansas, the Little Bide,
the Platte, tho Sweetwater, the Bis;
Sandy, the Green, the Boar, the Snake,
the Boise, the Grande Rondo, the Uma
tilla, the Columbia. The northern
trail from old Council Bluff kept to
the north of the Platte, crossing Just
beyond the mouth of the Laramie
river. This northern route probably
came to be considerably used about
1840. When Fremont crossed the
Platte on his return, twenty-one miles
below the Junction of the north and
south forks, he found on the north
side "an excellent, plainly beaten
road." Fremont crossed the Loup
river below Its forks, while the earlier
Oregon trail crossed the forks above
the Junction. Subsequently there were
branches from Florence, Omaha, Belle
vue, Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, and
Brownville, and from St Joseph, and
Ft Leavenworth below the Nebraska
line. They flourished most from the
time of the gold discoveries In the fp,f
rises reaic region until the Pacific
roads were built
41
r
