If you are reading History of the West with Jemmey Fletcher Tyrant’s Road, you understand a few ways pioneers tried to make the tricky descent. Although passable, Windlass Hill is extremely steep and required extra effort and preparation to descend. Luckily, at one point, rises a tall hill called Windlass Hill that was possible to descend. Most of these canyons would have been nearly impassable for wagons. However, there was a price to pay for admission into Ash Hollow, and that was the treacherous Windlass Hill.Īsh Hollow lies at the bottom of a labyrinth of canyons, each snaking their way from the south toward the drainage at the north end of the hollow. After drinking the sandy soils of the Platte for so long, the cool spring that bubbles up at Ash Hollow would have been welcome for sure. Named for the small grove of ash trees that were available very early in the trail period, this small hollow offered what pioneers wanted and needed a little timber along with cool and clear water. Ash HollowĬalled “ the gateway of the North Platte Valley”, Ash Hollow was generally noted by the emigrants as a good place to camp. The landmarks are listed from east to west, and as a result, are in the sequence pioneers would have seen them. Let’s take a quick look at some of these most famous landmarks of the Oregon Trail. In fact, Elizabeth Goltra herself would describe these places as “ stupendous,” “God’s gift”, and “splendid scenery…to cheer a weary emigrant.”
![oregon trail 2 supplies oregon trail 2 supplies](https://www.myabandonware.com/media/screenshots/o/oregon-trail-ii-4is/oregon-trail-ii_2.jpg)
However, there were certain famous landmarks of the Oregon Trail that emigrants made particular notes about, and many of those famous landmarks appeared in a stretch along the North Platte River from Ash Hollow to Fort Laramie. Although beautiful in their own right, these landscapes don’t generally bring out the poet in people. Depending on where they were on the trek, it could have been miles and miles of endless grass, sagebrush, or desert. Like Goltra, many of the journals recorded by Oregon Trail emigrants don’t appear to be blown away the landscape. What Goltra may or may not have known were the natural wonders waiting not far ahead up the trail.
![oregon trail 2 supplies oregon trail 2 supplies](http://www.lesstravelednorthwest.com/oregon_northeast/southern_blue_mtns/data1/images/baldy_lake_trail.jpg)
Nothing of striking interest has occurred, except we see plenty of wolves, antelope, buffalo, prairie dogs and dog towns etc.” - Elizabeth Goltra 1853Īs Elizabeth Goltra states in her journal, emigrants along the early stretches of the Oregon Trail found the scenery “quite pretty, though not enchanting.” In other words, “eh, it’s nice I guess.” This entry was recorded just west of present-day North Platte, Nebraska, which is just outside of the Nebraska panhandle. The scenery along the river is much the same, quite pretty, though not enchanting. Had considerable of rain, which is the most unpleasant part of it. The grass has been quite good most of the way. For the last ten days we have been traveling up the Platte Bottom, a distance of 125 miles.
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Many of the most famous landmarks of the Oregon Trail were located along the North Platte River valley.