"A Transportation Corridor" Wayside

Learn more about some of the people who traveled this trail in the past.

NPS/Walker Donnelly

Quick Facts

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Description of Wayside: Low-profile wayside that is 42 x 24 inches. It has a black rectangular base with two rectangular pillars supporting the wayside panel. The panel is framed in black metal. The wayside is located to the left of the gravel Oregon Trail Pathway within Mitchell Pass, a gap between two sandstone bluffs. 

Wayside Layout: At the top of the wayside is a thin black banner with white text. Aligned to the left is "Scotts Bluff National Monument". Aligned to the right is the text "National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior," and finally the National Park Service arrowhead. The title of the wayside is below the black banner in large black font. The panel has a cream-colored background. Black text is arranged in three columns in the upper half of the wayside. Below the text are three images. 

Wayside Title: A Transportation Corridor

Text: Traffic moved both east and west along the trails.

Most history books focus on the westbound travel along the trails, but what about eastward movement?

The first European-Americans to record seeing the bluffs were eastbound fur traders returning from the west coast. After that, fur traders traveled both ways to trap, trade and attend rendezvous. 

Once wagons traversed the trail, the reasons to travel along it multiplied with vast numbers of people moving west looking for land, riches and religious freedom. The number of people who turned around is unknown. 

Motives for returning to their starting points varied with the people. Some "saw the elephant" and quit in the midst of their westbound journey. Hardships, deaths and the realization that this was not what they wanted were all reasons to become a "go-backer" or turnaround. Other people made it to their destination and found it was not for them. Some returned for good and others came back only long enough to bring other family members to the west.

Traders drove massive freight wagons both ways on the trail. Army units also rode the trail east and west as they watched for problems along the route. The short-lived Pony Express galloped each direction as they carried mail between St. Joseph, Missouri and San Francisco, California.

With traffic running two ways through such a narrow pass, how do you think they avoided having traffic jams?

Image: A watercolor painting of a large group of men on horses. Two horses are each pulling carts. Another pair of horses is pulling a covered wagon. 

Image Caption: Fur traders attended rendezvous each year from 1825 to 1840, bringing back valuable furs for the wealthy. Credit: "Smith-Jackson-Sublette Expedition" watercolor by William Henry Jackson; Scotts Bluff National Monument Collection.

Image: A watercolor painting showing groups of travelers. Some of the travelers are facing the left side of the painting. Other groups of travelers are facing the right side of the painting. In the background a building and a mountain can be seen.  

Image Caption: Most of the trail was wide enough to allow room for travelers to pass each other. Credit: "Along the Sweetwater near Split Rock" watercolor by William Henry Jackson; Scotts Bluff National Monument Collection.

Image: A watercolor painting of a man riding on a galloping horse and holding a pistol in his right hand while he grasps the reins in his left.  

Image Caption: Pony Express riders braved the elements and other dangers to ensure mail was delivered faster than ever before. Credit: "Pony Express Rider" watercolor by William Henry Jackson; Scotts Bluff National Monument Collection.

• Mitchell Pass

  
  

  Stop 10 on the Scotts Bluff National Monument Oregon Trail Pathway Audio Tour

  Credit / Author:

  Audio Recording by Ray Richards

  Date created:

  07/22/2024

  Audio Transcript

  In 1843 Scotts Bluff witnessed its first mass migration as the emigrant families went west in search of better lives.  In the early years there were few guidebooks or accurate maps available.  Emigrants hired fur traders guides or used landmarks like the Scotts Bluff to guide them westward. 

  Here at the start of Mitchell Pass families lined up to take their turn through the bottleneck pass.  To the south is Sentinel Rock, to the north is Eagle Rock.   Prior to 1851, Robidoux Pass, located about eight miles to the South was favored.  Emigrants likely knew of Mitchell Pass but found it rough and unimproved until approximately 1851.  It’s thought that soldiers from nearby Fort Laramie made the improvements to Mitchell Pass to shorten their supply routes.     

  As you continue hiking you will notice the paved trail has ended and a new path is now dirt.  The dirt section represents an original segment of the historic trails.  Besides the Oregon Trail, three other trails converged along what many historians refer to as the Great Platte River Road.  These are the California, Mormon, and the Pony Express trails.  Depending on the weather you may experience this segment much like an emigrant traveler did, under oppressive heat of the sun, against winds you must lean into to keep upright, or in ankle deep mud that threatens to engulf your shoes. 

  In this segment many people expect to find two track wagon ruts.  You won’t see ruts at Scotts Bluff National Monument, but rather a swale, which is a large bowl-shaped indention in the ground.  Here the trails were carved through sandstone and siltstone both of which easily weather and erode in wind and the rain.  This bowl shape is wide at the beginning of the segment and narrows as you continue through the pass. 

  Continue along the trail to your next stop, the distance between these two stops is a little longer than what you have experienced along the trail so far.  When the trail surface becomes paved again you are just about to your next stop where you will be paralleling the historic trails.