Miles:
810
Courthouse & Jail Rocks
While you are stopped, learn about: Pioneer Trails Museum
Bridgeport, Nebraska; Morrill County
Courthouse and Jail Rocks are massive monoliths made of Brule clay and Gering sandstone. Over time, wind and water erosion slowly sculpted the rocks into their current courthouse or castle shapes. The rocks became well-known milestones for settlers traveling northwest from Ash Hollow and were popular subjects in diary entries and sketches.
The rocks are well known for their many layers made mostly out of clay and silt that eroded from mountains to the west. At the foot of Courthouse Rock, you stand on sediments laid down 35 million years ago. The top layers at the valley rim are about 10 million years younger. The river carved a path down through these layers. In time it became a broad valley.
How did they get their names? Travelers along the Oregon-California-Mormon trails called the main butte “the Court House” or sometimes “the Solitary Tower,” “the Church,” “the Capitol,” or “the Castle.” The smaller rock was “the Jail” or “Jail House.” Today the rocks are open to the public.
Resources:
While you are stopped, learn about: Pioneer Trails Museum
Located in the heart of what used to be the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, and Pony Express Routes the Bridgeport Pioneer Trails Museum offers visitors an opportunity to learn about the early settler history and view the museum’s collection of related objects. It is the stop for Courthouse and Jail rock visitors in the Summer.
Coming up next:
Chimney Rock
Rising 470 feet above the North Platte River Valley, Chimney Rock is one of the most celebrated of all natural formations along the overland routes to California, Oregon, and Utah. Chimney Rock served as an early landmark for fur traders, trappers, and mountain men as they made their way from the Rockies to the Missouri River. Later, to settlers and trail workers, the rock spire marked the end... Read more
Greener Gardens Greenhouse
Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Scotts Bluff County
The Greener Gardens Greenhouse, part of the North Platte Natural Resources District (NRD), is an outdoor educational facility featuring a geothermal greenhouse, a learning/classroom area, and various plantings. The geothermal greenhouse was chosen for its water and energy efficiency, aligning with the North Platte NRD’s conservation teaching goals. The facility also includes a solar array to meet electricity needs. The greenhouse offers educational... Read more
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