Well, Scottsbluff is named after Scott's Bluff,one of the local landmarks. The bluff got its name from a fur trader who gave his all and died on the bluff after being injured when his canoe sank. His name...Scott!
The bluff itself dominates the local skyline as you can see:
The bluff itself is about 500 feet high and formed another of the "signposts" along the Oregon Trail in the early 19th century. At the foot of the bluff is the Oregon Trail itself, which passes through Mitchell Pass on its way westward. Scott's Bluff is a National Monument and there is a very nice visitor's center there with some very helpful staff. Adjacent to the Visitor's Center is the Oregon Trail itself. Also adjacent to the VC is Signal Rock, which I thought was pretty impressive:
Here are some pictures of the actual Oregon Trail itself and a monument erected when the Park opened in 1919:
The trail itself was surprisingly steep and hauling a wagon over the pass wouldn't have been easy. It's also interesting how narrow the trail itself is.
There is a road going to the top of the Bluff and I went up and got some interesting views of the surrounding territory:
And here's a picture of Scottsbluff from Scott's Bluff:
Couldn't resist that!
I thought this was interesting. In 1933 surveyors put a marking post at the highest point on the Bluff. At that time, the top of the post was flush with the top of the rock at the top of the Bluff. Eighty years later, about a foot of the bluff has eroded away just from the action of the wind and rain:
I left Scottsbluff around 11:30 and headed down NE71 toward Denver. As you can see, this is pretty arid terrain and the farmers in this part of Nebraska and Colorado do what's known as "dry land farming." I saw lots of areas where the crops (wheat or corn) had just failed from lack of water. This is also an area where the only trees are centered around streams or watering holes. Here are a couple shots I took on the way from Scottsbluff to Denver:
I'll be in Denver through Tuesday, so I have three days of sightseeing to do. Stay tuned!
Miles today: 286
Total: 2,429