Scotts Bluff National Monument

Another memorable stop on our 1995 family cross-country road trip was Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska. Coming from the eastern part of the country, we wanted our daughters to see first-hand what life was like for families who traveled west by wagon train.

Rising from the plans, Scotts Bluff was one of the most important landmarks on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails. For 19th century emigrants, it served as a guide-post. After weeks of travel across open prairie, the appearance of the bluffs signaled that the journey west was entering a more demanding phase. Many emigrant diaries record the relief of finally seeing the formation on the horizon

At the base of the bluffs, we saw deep wagon ruts etched into the ground, evidence of the thousands of travelers who passed through this corridor. Scotts Bluff was officially protected as a national site in January 1919 when it was designated a National Monument by Woodrow Wilson. The designation recognized the geological prominence of the bluffs but also the central role they played in one of the most significant migration movements in American history.