Scotts Bluff National Monument – Nebraska
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.
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De Soto National Memo – Florida
While vacationing in Florida, I took a quiet morning drive to the De Soto National Memorial, which is a peaceful stretch of shoreline along Tampa Bay. While in this quiet spot, it is hard to imagine the historical weight of what unfolded here five centuries ago. Located in Bradenton, the memorial marks the area where Spanish […]
Indiana Dunes National Park – Indiana
On our cross-country family road trip in 1995, we stopped at the Indiana Dunes National Park. The massive sand dunes stretch along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and they are interwoven with wetlands and beaches. The dunes were formed over thousands of years as glaciers retreated in the wind and water shaped the sand into ridges […]
Mt. Grant-Kohrs Ranch – Montana
On a road trip to Glacier National Park, we took a few side trips to see more of the beautiful state of Montana. We followed long stretches of open road with expansive valleys and distant mountain ranges. One of our destinations along the way was the Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Coming from the East, it is difficult […]
