The Great Platte River Road
Posted by: 
NevaP
N 40° 39.086 W 099° 05.086
14T E 492833 N 4500067
A marker telling of travel in this area before the transcontinental railroads.
Waymark Code: WM1C7H
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 04/01/2007
Views: 54
The marker stands by Rt. 44 just south of the Platte river.
The marker text reads:
The Trail Which followed the south side of the Platte River was the main route to Oregon and California. Fur traders going to the Rocky Mountains took the first wagons over the trail in 1830. Oregon-bound missionaries followed in the mid-1830s, and the first group of settlers embarked for Oregon in 1841. The number of emigrants reached 40,000 in 1849 after gold was discovered in California.
Most emigrants traveled in ox-drawn wagons averaging about fifteen miles a day. In the 1850s and 1860s, freight wagons and stagecoaches carrying passengers and mail used the road. From April 1860 until October 1861, the Pony Express carried mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California.
Fort Kearny (1848-1871), east of here, provided protection and supplies for travelers. Supplies could also be purchased at nearby Dobytown. One of many road ranches along the Oregon-California trail was located just southeast of this marker.
Wagon travel on this overland route declined following the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.
The marker ,#364, was placed by the Nebraska State Historical Society and Citizens of the Area
Marker Name: The Great Platte River Road
City: yes
Roadside: yes
Other: yes
Web Address if available:: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post Pictures:
1. Close up of historical marker
2. Picture of surrounding area (would prefer to have the marker in the picture also). Thanks!