Quickly becoming a starting point for the Oregon Trail, Courthouse and Jail Rock are in the Platte River Valley, six miles south of Bridgeport, Nebraska. They were one of the first landmarks the pioneers saw. These two large clay and sandstone monuments rising more than 400 feet from the plains bear a likeness to a courthouse and neighboring jail and the name was easily adopted. However, some emigrants called the monument Castle Rock or Solitary Tower.
Chimney Rock National Historic Site is 12 miles west of Courthouse Rock and has become one of the most famous landmarks on the Oregon Trail. It was important to the pioneers as well, marking the transition from the plains to the Rocky Mountains. Many of them described or drew sketches of the monument in their journals. The Ethel and Christopher J. Abbot Visitor Center is less than two miles south of State Highway 92 on Chimney Rock Road and has museum exhibits, a "load-your-wagon" children's activity, group tours and a store with a large inventory of Oregon Trail-related items.
Laramie Peak is an important landmark associated with the Oregon Trail. As the emigrants traveled west, putting the Great Plains behind them and passing Fort Laramie, Laramie Peak was a pioneer's first look at the Rocky Mountains. As it appeared on the horizon it brought a wide spectrum of emotions to the travelers. The excitement of seeing the mountain range was often clouded by the anxiety caused by knowing the difficult travels ahead. Laramie Peak would be in view of and guide the pioneers on the Oregon Trail for a week; however, the landmark does not lie on the trail itself.
Located 55 miles south of Casper, Wyoming, Independence Rock was a famous resting spot for emigrants on the Oregon Trail. It is now part of a rest stop off State Highway 220. It was also the "guest book" of the West, as more than 5,000 pioneers painted, scratched and carved their names into the gigantic piece of granite. Many of the names are still visible on the rock today. Independence Rock stands approximately 130 feet high and is 5,900 feet around. Walking around the rock would be more than a one-mile hike.
Devil's Gate is five miles west of Independence Rock. It took the emigrants a day to reach this formidable obstacle where the Sweetwater River carved a 1,500-foot long, 370-foot deep cleft in the Sweetwater Rocks. The small canyon was too narrow for wagons to navigate, which forced them to take the longer route south. Even knowing they would have to detour around the mountain range, the emigrants made the trek to the gate to explore, hike and carve their names in the rock.
