Last
in the series of geologic wonders the emigrants encountered
was a group of formations known as Scotts Bluffs (now called
Scottsbluff or Scotts Bluff).
Emigrant
Ada Vogdes:
"This Scottsbluff is grand beyond description. It
looks exactly like a splendid old fort all in thorough order,
equipped and manned and ready for service, at a moment's
notice."
Emigrant
Thomas Eastin:
"How can I describe the scene that now bursts upon
us? Tower, bastion, dome and battlement vie in all their
majesty before us. A dark cloud is rising in the northwest.
A more beautiful and majestic scene cannot be conceived.
How wonderful, how great, how sublime are Thy works, O God!"
Unlike
Chimney Rock or Courthouse Rock, Scotts Bluffs were something
of an obstacle for the emigrants. In the early years, the
Trail veered south, avoiding the bluffs. But after 1850
a shorter route through the bluffs at Mitchell Pass gained
favor. In some places, the ruts at Mitchell Pass cut eight
feet deep into the soft stone. It was a treacherous and
difficult cutoff and in the end it was about the same distance
as the old route.
Scotts
Bluff National Monument
Official site of the National Park Service
