Traces of the Trail

Traces of the Trail (HM1MYO)

Location: Gering, NE 69341 Scotts Bluff County
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Country: United States of America
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N 41° 49.769', W 103° 42.651'

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Inscription

The Oregon Trail passed here in the 1850's

Out on the prairie, wagons following the Oregon Trail spread out to avoid the dust stirred up by wagons in front. But here at Mitchell Pass the emigrants encountered a difficult bottleneck where wagons had to squeeze through narrow ravines in single file.The clomping, scraping, and grinding of thousands of hooves and wagon wheels over the same places gradually wore deep ruts in the soft sandstone. Today, more than a century later, traces of the ruts remain.Beginning here, the trail to your right follows the historic route of the Oregon Trail for half a mile (0.8km). A short walk will help you rediscover a bygone era.Scotts BluffAugust 13, 1860 "The sharp, sudden torrents which pour from the heights on both sides, and the draughty winds - Scott's Bluffs are the permanent headquarters of hurricanes - have cut up the ground into a labyrinth of jagged gulches steeply walled in. We dashed down the drains and pitch-holes with a violence which shook the navebands from our sturdy wheels."
- Richard F. BurtonBritish traveler and author
As they passed, a few emigrants carved their names on the base of the bluffs here. Erosion has worn away most of the signatures but this example [seen in photo on the marker] is preserved in the park museum.
Details
HM NumberHM1MYO
Tags
Placed ByNational Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, August 16th, 2015 at 9:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)13T E 607049 N 4631647
Decimal Degrees41.82948333, -103.71085000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 49.769', W 103° 42.651'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 49' 46.14" N, 103° 42' 39.06" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)308
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Old Oregon Trail, Gering NE 69341, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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