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 The Oregon Trail - west of Hastings, NE Posted by:  The Snowdog
N 40° 34.090 W 098° 33.557
14T E 537305 N 4490914
As many as a quarter million people traveled from east to west on the Oregon Trail - west of Hastings, Nebraska.
Waymark Code: WM13M3E
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 01/04/2021
Views: 1
A quarter of a million settlers took the Oregon Trail from east to west, seeking new homes in new lands, in one of the largest migrations in United States history. California, in particular, saw a tremendous increase in population due to settlers from the east. This trend would continue with the establishment of the trans-continental railroads and the end of wagon trails such as this one.
The full text of the marker is
THE OREGON TRAIL
The most traveled of the overland routes passed this point on its way to the great Platte valley, highway to the west. The Oregon Trail started from Independence, followed the Kansas River west, and then the Little Blue north into Nebraska. It crossed this divide to reach the Platte near Fort Kearny.
In the 1830's trappers and missionaries recognized the Platte valley as a natural roadway. The first wagon train followed the 2,000-mile trail to Oregon in 1841.
An estimated quarter of a million travelers used this route in the twenty-five years after those first wagons. Moving slowly, only 10 to 20 miles a day on the three-month trip, thousands of hooves, shoes, and wheels pounded a wide trail into the prairie sod.
Oregon was an early goal. The '49'ers went this way to California. Settlers, stage coaches, freighting wagons, Pony Express riders, and military expeditions all used this prairie highway.
With the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869, this route fell into disuse, but the Oregon Trail has earned a permanent place in our history.
Historical Land Mark Council
Who placed it?: Historical Landmark Council, State of Nebraska
When was it placed?: unknown
Who is honored?: All who traveled west on the Oregon Trail
Website about the Monument: [Web Link]
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