Last updated: November 2, 2021
Place
"The Many Faces on the Trail" Wayside
NPS/Eric Grunwald
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
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 at the south end of the South Overlook Trail, overlooking the visitor center complex and 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 on the top half of the wayside. There is one image that takes up the entire bottom of the panel.
Wayside Title: The Many Faces on the Trail
Text: The bluffs have witnessed a wide variety of travelers.
The river is life. Animals made thier paths along it and leading to and from it. Humans followed next; the first traveled lightly, leaving little trace of their passing. Occasionally they would climb the tall bluffs where the height allowed them to see far across the plains.
It was not too long ago that new men started to use the river as a guide. These men looked for wealth. Fur traders traveled to and from the fur rich mountains to the west. Beaver and other furs were in demand for the fashonable people in the east. Soon buffalo robes were also popular.
The traders tended to be loners who left little mark on the land since they rarely had more than a couple of horses or mules to carry their furs.
Once South Pass was discovered and wagons could travel through the Rocky Mountains, the impacts on the land increased. Farmers coveted the fertile land in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. They brought families and friends to settle with them. When word of gold reached the eastern states in 1848, thousands traveled west. Few families crossed the plains as men flooded the trail expecting to become rich quickly in California, then return home.
Many emigrants moved west for religious reasons. The earliest wagons belonged to missionaries; the Marcus Whitman party was the first. Later, Mormons fled persecution in the east using the lesser traveled trail on the north side of the Platte River.
The bluffs now watch over people who have chosen to live here as well as those who travel by. Modes of travel have changed, but the bluffs still serve as a landmark to those following the river.
What events has a landmark near your home seen?
Image: A watercolor painting that serves as a timeline for different groups and methods of travel along the Oregon Trail. Starting from left to right, here is what is depicted:
Wild Animals; a cluster of evergreen trees are seen with elk.
Native Americans ??? - 1900; Groups of people dressed in traditional native clothing are seen along with dogs and horses dragging travois.
Fur Traders 1812 - 1850; Three men ride horses. Other horses are loaded with packs. In the background is a cluster of trees and a snow-capped mountain.
Euro-American Emigrants 1836 - 1869; A man and woman stand on the tall promontory facing west. Behind them are men with mules carrying tools and packs of gear. Behind the mules is a horse-drawn wagon. Behind the horse-drawn wagon is a covered wagon being drawn by oxen.
Pony Express 1860 - 1861; In the lower right hoand corner of the painting is a man on horseback, waving his hat in the air.
Stagecoach 1861 - 1869; On the far right side of the painting is a stagecoach being drawn by three pairs of horses.
Railroad 1869 - present; In the distance, behind the stagecoach is a steam-powered train.
Automobile 1886 - present; Behind the sagecoach, but forward of the train, a car is seen.
Airplane 1914 -present; An airplane is seen flying above the stagecoach on the far right side of the painting.
Image Caption: William Henry Jackson lived almost 100 years and witnessed a wide range of people and modes of transportation as they traveled across the plains. His watercolor painting, "Westward America," is a tribute to those people. Credit: "Westward America" watercolor by William Henry Jackson; Scotts Bluff National Monument Collection.
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 on the top half of the wayside. There is one image that takes up the entire bottom of the panel.
Wayside Title: The Many Faces on the Trail
Text: The bluffs have witnessed a wide variety of travelers.
The river is life. Animals made thier paths along it and leading to and from it. Humans followed next; the first traveled lightly, leaving little trace of their passing. Occasionally they would climb the tall bluffs where the height allowed them to see far across the plains.
It was not too long ago that new men started to use the river as a guide. These men looked for wealth. Fur traders traveled to and from the fur rich mountains to the west. Beaver and other furs were in demand for the fashonable people in the east. Soon buffalo robes were also popular.
The traders tended to be loners who left little mark on the land since they rarely had more than a couple of horses or mules to carry their furs.
Once South Pass was discovered and wagons could travel through the Rocky Mountains, the impacts on the land increased. Farmers coveted the fertile land in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. They brought families and friends to settle with them. When word of gold reached the eastern states in 1848, thousands traveled west. Few families crossed the plains as men flooded the trail expecting to become rich quickly in California, then return home.
Many emigrants moved west for religious reasons. The earliest wagons belonged to missionaries; the Marcus Whitman party was the first. Later, Mormons fled persecution in the east using the lesser traveled trail on the north side of the Platte River.
The bluffs now watch over people who have chosen to live here as well as those who travel by. Modes of travel have changed, but the bluffs still serve as a landmark to those following the river.
What events has a landmark near your home seen?
Image: A watercolor painting that serves as a timeline for different groups and methods of travel along the Oregon Trail. Starting from left to right, here is what is depicted:
Wild Animals; a cluster of evergreen trees are seen with elk.
Native Americans ??? - 1900; Groups of people dressed in traditional native clothing are seen along with dogs and horses dragging travois.
Fur Traders 1812 - 1850; Three men ride horses. Other horses are loaded with packs. In the background is a cluster of trees and a snow-capped mountain.
Euro-American Emigrants 1836 - 1869; A man and woman stand on the tall promontory facing west. Behind them are men with mules carrying tools and packs of gear. Behind the mules is a horse-drawn wagon. Behind the horse-drawn wagon is a covered wagon being drawn by oxen.
Pony Express 1860 - 1861; In the lower right hoand corner of the painting is a man on horseback, waving his hat in the air.
Stagecoach 1861 - 1869; On the far right side of the painting is a stagecoach being drawn by three pairs of horses.
Railroad 1869 - present; In the distance, behind the stagecoach is a steam-powered train.
Automobile 1886 - present; Behind the sagecoach, but forward of the train, a car is seen.
Airplane 1914 -present; An airplane is seen flying above the stagecoach on the far right side of the painting.
Image Caption: William Henry Jackson lived almost 100 years and witnessed a wide range of people and modes of transportation as they traveled across the plains. His watercolor painting, "Westward America," is a tribute to those people. Credit: "Westward America" watercolor by William Henry Jackson; Scotts Bluff National Monument Collection.