For more information, go to www. www.nps.gov/scbl/index.htm.
While in Gering, stop by the Legacy of the Plains Museum at 2930 Old Oregon Trail, located adjacent to Scotts Bluff National Monument. The building is located on the prairie with views of the bluffs as a back drop. Gardens are located on the property and you can purchase some of the products inside the gift shop. I brought home some of the beans and they made a wonderful soup that reminded me of my visit to this beautiful place.
The third weekend in September, the annual Harvest Festival will be held. Visitors will be able to pick their dinner potatoes the old-fashioned way, by hand. The featured crop this year will be sugar beets. The Harvest Festival is the premiere agriculture living history event in Western Nebraska.
For more information on the museum, go to the website at www.legacyoftheplains.org.
OTHER SCENIC STOPS
Another scenic spot to stop along the Oregon Trail is the Chimney Rock National Historic Site in Bayard, Nebraska. Chimney Rock is the icon of the Oregon Trail and mentioned more than any other landmark by travelers on the Oregon Trail. It captured the imagination of travelers in the early days of exploration and it still does today. It is an icon for the state of Nebraska. A visitors center has a viewing area, displays on the trail, a16-minue film and a gift shop.
For more information on the Chimney Rock National Historic Site, check out the website at www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/rock.
Your adventure in Western Nebraska should also include a stop at Courthouse Rock and Jailhouse Rock. Located near Bridgeport, the Courthouse and Jail Rocks are the erosional remnants of an ancient plateau that bisected the North Platte River. The rocks sit at over 4,050 feet above sea level and rise more than 240 feet above nearby Pumpkin Creek. Like Chimney Rock, these rock structures have long been recognized by pioneers as prominent landmarks on the transcontinental journey west. The Courthouse and Jail Rocks were the first monumental rock features that emigrants would encounter heading west. The rocks also served as an important crossroads, where two major trunks of the Oregon and California Overland trails merged.
During our visit, Bern Miller, brought a little bit of history of the area alive with his “Warrior Horsemanship” presentation. Sitting atop his horse, with the rocks in the background, it made for a wonderful visual of days gone by at this historic location.
For more information on Courthouse and Jailhouse Rocks, go to www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/scotts_bluff/courthouse_jail_rocks.html.
FOSSIL BEDS
While in the area, it’s worth a drive out to the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (www.nps.gov/agfo/) where during the 1890s, scientists discovered dinosaur bones preserved in one of the most complete Miocene mammal sites in the world.
A pleasant surprises for visitors of Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is the James Cook Collection. This collection of Native American artifacts on display in the Visitor Center is truly unique. The collection includes a shirt which had belonged to Red Cloud, three generations of pipebags (one belonging to Red Cloud, his father and his son), and one of Crazy Horse's whetstones.
WHERE TO EAT
Two restaurants to add to your list while are Emporium Coffeehouse and Rosita’s.
Emporium Coffeehouse, located at 1818 1st Ave, Scottsbluff, offers steaks, fresh fish and gourmet Italian cuisine. Menu items include steaks cooked over an open flame, Atlantic sirloin and lamb sirloin. My entrée of a Gold Canyon ribeye steak with creamed spinach, smashed potatoes and topped with caramelized onions was a delight. For dessert, the chocolate roulade with white chocolate mousse and a strawberry coulis was a sweet ending to a wonderful meal and evening out with friends.
Another night we had a wonderful meal at Rosita’s, located at 1205 E. Overland Drive, Scottsbluff. I had the huevos rancheros and they were wonderful, as was the sopapillas we had for dessert.
WHERE TO STAY
A great place to make your headquarters while visiting the area is the Monument Inn & Suites, located at 1130 M. Street in Gering. The rooms are large and comfortable and a breakfast buffet is included with your stay. The rooms have a separate seating area with a sofa, microwave, refrigerator and sink area. The covered wagon out front of the inn is a nice touch. For more information, go to www.monumentinnsuites.com.
For those who enjoy a bed and breakfast stay, Barn Anew, located at 170549 County Road L in Mitchell is a great choice. The barn is owned by Cher and Allan Maybee who have both ridden the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. The property was an 1885 homestead for a widow and her three children. The bed and breakfast accommodations are located in a 1910 horse barn that has been lovely restored and decorated. It’s in a beautiful location with fields surrounding it and the hills in distance as a back drop. A delicious gourmet breakfast is served in the mornings.
For more information, go to www.barnanew.com.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
For more information on visiting the area, check out the following webistes: Gering Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.geringtourism.com, and Scotts Bluff County Tourism, www.visitscottsbluff.com.
For information on travel to Western Nebraska, check out the Nebraska Tourism Commission website at www.visitnebraska.com.
Angela Gary is an editor with MainStreet Newspapers Inc. She can be reached at AngieEditor@aol.com.
