Scotts Bluff National Monument
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Location:	Nebraska, USA
Nearest city:	Gering, NE
Coordinates:	41°50′8″N, 103°42′3″W
Area:	3003.03 acres (12.15 km²) 2,935.95 acres (11.88 km²) federal
Established:	December 12, 1919
Visitation:	107,715 (in 2004)
Governing body:	National Park Service

Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska includes an important 19th century landmark on the Oregon Trail. The National Monument contains multiple bluffs located on the south side of the North Platte River, but is named after one prominent bluff called Scotts Bluff which rises over 830 feet (330 m) above the plains at its highest point. Other bluffs within the monument are called Eagle Rock, Dome Rock, and Sentinel Rock. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 16th 200,520 km² 340 km 690 km 0. ... Gering is a city located in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 16th 200,520 km² 340 km 690 km 0. ... The Ox Team or the Old Oregon Trail 1852-1906 by Ezra Meeker. ... A U.S. National Monument is a protected area of the United States that is similar to a national park (specifically a U.S. National Park) except that the President of the United States can quickly declare an area of the United States to be a national monument without Congressional... The North Platte River The North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi (1,094 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. ...

Scotts Bluff County and the city of Scottsbluff, Nebraska were named after the landmark. Scotts Bluff County is a county located in the state of Nebraska. ... Movie theater in downtown Scottsbluff Scottsbluff is a city located in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. ...

Saddle Rock in Scotts Bluff National Monument

The collection of bluffs was first charted by non-native people in 1812 by the Astorian Expedition of fur traders traveling along the river. The expedition party noted the bluffs as the first large rock formations along the river where the Great Plains started giving way to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Their findings were not widely communicated, however, because of the War of 1812. In 1823 the route to the Rocky Mountains was rediscovered and the bluffs became a regular landmark for fur traders in the region. The most prominent bluff was named after a fur trader named Hiram Scott who died near the bluff in 1828. Saddle Rock in Scotts Bluff National Monument, near Gering, Nebraska (taken Oct. ... Saddle Rock in Scotts Bluff National Monument, near Gering, Nebraska (taken Oct. ... // Indian trade The fur trade (also called the Indian trade) was a huge part of the early history of contact in North America between European-Americans and American Indians (now often called Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada). ... The Great Plains is the broad expanse of prairie which lies east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States of America and Canada, covering all or parts of the U.S. states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota and the... White Goat Wilderness Area, Alberta, Canada The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ... The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and British Empire from 1812 to 1815, on land in North America and at sea around the world. ...

Fur traders, missionaries, and military expeditions began regular trips past Scotts Bluff during the 1830s. Beginning in 1841, multitudes of settlers passed by Scotts Bluff on their way west on the Emigrant Trail to Oregon, and later California and Utah. Wagon trains used the bluff as a major landmark for navigation. The trail itself passed through Mitchell Pass, a gap in the bluffs flanked by two large cliffs. Although the route through Mitchell Pass was tortuous and hazardous, many emigrants preferred this route to following the North Platte river bottom on the north side of the bluff. Passage through Mitchell Pass became a significant milestone for many wagon trains on their way westward. In one of its first enginnering deployments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, built a smoother road through Mitchell Pass in the early 1850s. Use of the Emigrant Trail tapered off in 1869 when the trail was made obsolete by the completion of the transcontinental railroad. A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... The Emigrant Trail is the name collectively applied to the network of wagon trails throughout the American West during the middle 19th century, used by emigrants from the eastern United States to settle lands west of Rocky Mountains. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 9th 255,026 km² 420 km 580 km 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... Poster announcing railroads opening The First Transcontinental Railroad was a transcontinental railroad in North America that was finished in 1869. ...

View northeastward from the summit of Mitchell Pass

The town of Gering, Nebraska was founded near the base of the bluff in 1887, and the city of Scottsbluff was founded across the North Platte River from the bluff in 1900. Separated only by the river, the two cities have since grown together and now form the 8th largest urban area in Nebraska. Scotts Bluff National Monument near Gering, Nebraska. ... Scotts Bluff National Monument near Gering, Nebraska. ... Gering is a city located in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. ... Movie theater in downtown Scottsbluff Scottsbluff is a city located in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. ...

Once permanent settlements had been established nearby, interest in climbing the bluff increased due to its breathtaking views of the flat land stretching to the east, the hills and mountains to the west, and the river valley in between. Various trails were forged up the bluff over the years, but most were precarious and dangerous until a safer, more modern trail was constructed in the early 20th century.

Scotts Bluff and several nearby bluffs were proclaimed a National Monument on December 12, 1919 and placed under the National Park Service, created just three years prior. A visitor center was built at the base of the bluff which serves as a start for hiking tours of the bluffs and a museum about the Oregon Trail. (Actual ruts from the wagon trains are still visible nearby.) In the 1930s, a roadway leading to the top of Scotts Bluff was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. As with all historic sites administered by the National Park Service, this national monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The road goes through three tunnels on its way to the top and provides easy access to the summit for locals and tourists. December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... A visitor center is a place where visitors to a location can get information on the areas attractions, lodging, maps, and other items relevant to tourism. ... Civilian Conservation Corps workers restoring the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. ... The National Register of Historic Places is the USAs official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

Mitchell Pass, looking eastward

The visitor center for Scotts Bluff National Monument is located on Nebraska Highway 92, a mile (2 km) west of its intersection with Nebraska Highway 71. Mitchell Pass in Scotts Bluff National Monument near Gering, Nebraska (view looking eastward) (taken Oct. ... Mitchell Pass in Scotts Bluff National Monument near Gering, Nebraska (view looking eastward) (taken Oct. ...

External links

• National Park Service: Scotts Bluff National Monument
• Photos of Scotts Bluff National Monument - Terra Galleria