Last updated: October 8, 2022
Place
Chimney Rock National Historic Site
Photo/NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
1.5 miles south of Highway 92 on Chimney Rock Road near Bayard, Nebraska
Significance:
Significant landmark in measuring the emigrants' progress west
Designation:
National Historic Site
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
8 listed
Amphitheater, Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Restroom, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Water - Drinking/Potable, Wheelchair Accessible
A map of Passport and Places to Go locations for National Historic Trails.
Visible for miles, Chimney Rock was more than a wonder of nature. It was also a significant landmark in measuring the emigrants' progress west. This natural feature was a "grand and splendid object" to emigrants who had never seen the geology of the American West. As they traveled alongside the North Platte River, they peered eagerly ahead for their first view of the rock. As such, it was mentioned in more emigrant diaries than any other landmark on the Oregon Trail!
Emigrant Remarks
On June 27, 1849, Elisha Perkins was humbled and awed by his visit to this remarkable curiosity when me wrote,
". . . camped opposite to & about 1 mile from Chimney Rock. I had some curiosity to see this . . . Imagine a pyramid standing alone though surrounded by rocky precipices some 150 feet high & at its base 20 feet through . . . No conception can be formed of the magnitude of this grand work of nature until you stand at its base & look up. If a man does not feel like an insect then I don't know when he should."
Site Information
Location (1.5 miles south of Highway 92 on Chimney Rock Road near Bayard, Nebraska)
The Nebraska State Historical Society now manages Chimney Rock as part of a historic site. Viewing the rock is available from several places, including from the site's visitor center. This center houses a museum with interpretive and interactive exhibits about this natural feature and the emigrant trails. It also contains a small theater with a video presentation about the great migration West and a bookstore. Modest admission is charged.