Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Gering in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
 

Remnant Highlands

These bluffs are isolated remnants of the ancient high plains

 
 
Remnant Highlands Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Connor Olson, August 23, 2020
1. Remnant Highlands Marker
Inscription.
The bluff you are standing on and the ones adjacent to it are known collectively as Scotts Bluff. Like the famous Chimney Rock to the east, Scotts Bluff is an outlier formation of the Wildcat Hills, visible along the horizon to your right.

Twenty million years ago, the surface of the plains was as high as Scotts Bluff – a gently sloping landscape composed of sediments from high lands to the west. About 5 million years ago, the Platte River and its tributaries began to erode the high plains. Bit by bit, water carried away massive volumes of soil and rock, creating canyons that grew wider and wider.

Today only Wildcat Hills, Scotts Bluff, and other erosion-resistant remnants of the high plains remain. On the multi-layered cliff face ahead you can see many of the rock layers that once covered the region.
 
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
 
Location. 41° 50.12′ N, 103° 41.967′ W. Marker is in Gering, Nebraska, in Scotts Bluff County. Marker can be reached from Old Oregon Trail, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located in Scotts Bluff National Monument, along the South
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
Overlook Trail at the summit of the bluff. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gering NE 69341, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Landscape Changed Forever (within shouting distance of this marker); Before the Wagons (within shouting distance of this marker); The Many Faces of the Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); A Landmark for the Ages (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Saddle Rock Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Eroding Landmark (approx. 0.2 miles away); Scott Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Way West (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gering.
 
More about this marker. A picture of the landscape appears on the right side of the marker. A photograph at the bottom of the marker has a caption of “Hard, pipe-like concretions, like these along the Saddle Rock Trail, help to hold Scotts Bluff together.
 
Remnant Highlands Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
2. Remnant Highlands Marker
This is a previous iteration of the marker that has since been replaced.
Markers at Scotts Bluff image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
3. Markers at Scotts Bluff
View from the Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
4. View from the Marker
The series of rock layers that once covered the region can be seen on this cliff face.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 389 times since then and 6 times this year. Last updated on September 13, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. Photos:   1. submitted on November 11, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin.   2, 3, 4. submitted on August 17, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
 
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the current marker. • Can you help?

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=156140

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024