Ruins and Trails Echo Nebraska’s Pioneer Routes
An 1854 Oregon and Mormon trails overview notes Windlass Hill descent, Ash Hollow, Chimney Rock, and Rachel Patterson grave near Lewellen. It recalls unmarked burials and cattle drives, mapping Haigler to Ogallala use from 1864 to 1875 with up to 125000 cattle at peak.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nebraska Historical Society
Nebraska
Oregon
California
North Platte Valley
Lewellen
Ash Hollow
North Platte River
Windlass Hill
Rachel Patterson
Ogallala
Haigler
Sidney-Black Hills Trail Narrative and Route Details
The Sidney-Black Hills Trail linked Sidney to the Black Hills with split branches toward Custer and Deadwood. Gold rush traffic from 1874 spurred seven to eight years of heavy use before decline. The route passed Dalton, Greenwood Creek, Courthouse and Jail Rock, then west of Bridgeport and through Red Willow Creek to Crawford and Fort.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Black Hills
Sidney
Dalton
Greenwood Creek
Courthouse
Jail Rock
Bridgeport
Red Willow Creek
Box Butte County
Crawford
Pioneer Trail and Bridgeport Road History Described
The article notes early crossings on the North Platte River near Bridgeport with a ford before 1876 and a toll bridge built four miles west of Bridgeport. It contrasts pioneer travel with a modern Sidney-Black Hills Trail trip, now taking six to seven hours versus two to three days by stagecoach.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nebraska
Northport
Union Pacific
North Platte River
Brigham Young
Dugout Creek
Rebecca Winters
Scottsbluff
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Co
Robinson
Dawes County
Rior
Bridgeport
Sidney-Black Hills
Also Mentioned on This Page
Nebraska Department of Roads and Irrigation
The
Telegraph
Chimney Rock
Roubideau and
Mitchell Passes
Platte and
Omaha
State Line
Henry
Salt Lake City
Texas-Ogallala Trail
Texas
Union Pacific Railroad
Spain
John Davis Lodge
Connecticut
Eisenhower
Teck
Sidney-Black Hills Trail
Sidney Deadwood
South Dakota
Custer
Deadwood
Western Drug Co
10Th Ave
Donalds
Miller
Western Sport
Dobby
Dalton Legion Hall
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!