11/19/2022 0 Comments Oregon trail 2 item list![]() ![]() Chimney Rock was about 425 feet tall (50 feet higher than it stands today) and consisted of loose clay and volcanic By keeping an eye on Chimney Rock, a traveler could see that progress, though slow, was being made. Hardy in 1850, “is it looks like a big sweet potato hill with a pile of rocks on top something like a chimney.” The tip of the rock could be seen as early as three days before arriving at it. “The only way I can describe it” wrote S.E. Rock formations so enthused the emigrants that many traveled several miles off the trail to take a closer look and inscribe their names upon them.Ī bit farther along the trail, emigrants encountered Chimney Rock. A smaller rock beside this formation was named Jail Rock. Almost every journal took note of these great landmarks, the first of which was Courthouse Rock, a large butte that reminded emigrants of courthouse buildings in numerous hometowns across the Midwest. Some even chose to travel an extra 16 to 17 miles to avoid the hill altogether.Ĭourthouse and Jail Rocks on the Oregon Trail in NebraskaĪ few miles further along the trail, emigrants began to see awesome rock formations. Although they apparently used no windlasses, they often chained the wheels and locked or tied a small tree behind the wagon for resistance. To one emigrant, this slope seemed “a little past perpendicular.” It was so treacherous, in fact, that it claimed many wagons travelers tried to slow their vehicles down any way that they could. The word “Platte,” which is derived from the word “flat,” perfectly described the terrain the overlanders encountered.Īfter crossing the South Platte River, they began heading toward the North Platte, traveling down the steep slope now called Windlass Hill. It was often over a mile wide, yet only a few feet in depth. As the wagons rolled out along the Platte, the emigrants noted its unusual qualities. Although the fort was merely a group of rugged adobe buildings, it was a place of great importance where emigrants purchased supplies, shod animals, and mailed letters. After 1848, they stopped for a short time at Fort Kearny, the first of several forts they encountered along the trail. The emigrants followed the Little Blue River until they reached the Platte River in Nebraska. ![]() As Edwin Bryant recorded in 1846, the water was “as cold and pure as if it had just been melted from ice.” The area was beautifully covered with tall grass and wildflowers but swarmed with mosquitoes, which some travelers, with typical exaggeration, insisted were as large as turkeys. They crossed small rivers, including the Big Blue, situated near a lovely camp called Alcove Spring in Kansas. Those who started on their overland journey near Independence, Missouri followed the old Santa Fe Trail for about 40 miles until the Oregon Trail branched off to the northwest. ![]() Although their eyes were focused on their goal, they experienced hardships and saw landmarks that lived in their memories for the rest of their lives. ![]() Oregon Trail pioneers pass through the sandhills, painting by William Henry JacksonĪs hopeful travelers set out on their journey across the overland trails in the 1840s and 50s, they looked forward to the fertile farmland of Oregon and the start of a new life. ![]()
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