Near Stockville in Frontier County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Ft. McPherson Trail
From 1863 to 1880
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2021
1. Ft. McPherson Trail Marker
[manually inscribed on top of marker]
This trail crossed the divide between Deer and Medicine Creeks. From the Republican to the Platte.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1863.
Location. 40° 32.445′ N, 100° 19.527′ W. Marker is near Stockville, Nebraska, in Frontier County. It is at the intersection of State Highway 18 and Road 402, on the right when traveling east on State Highway 18. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Moorefield NE 69039, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska and in the Republican River Valley. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least one other marker is within 4 miles of this marker, measured as
this page online
Also see . . . Our History (Cambridge, Nebraska).
Excerpt: The Fort McPherson trail was used extensively in the days of 1863 when a fort was built near North Platte. This trail ran in a south-easterly direction between Medicine and Deer Creeks and thence across the Republican River into Kansas where it connects with a trail to Ft. Hayes. The government used it for hauling provisions and soldiers to the Platte River. The Ft. McPherson trail has no canyons to cross.(Submitted on June 22, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)General Custer used this route in 1867 when he battled with the Sioux Indians in the Little Big Horn. In 1869, Buffalo Bill Cody served as a scout with Major North who led officers and men of the 5th Cavalry and the Pawnee Scouts into what is now Furnas County. They were looking for Cheyenne and Sioux Indians who had their villages at the mouth of Deer and Medicine Creeks and farther west. Ft. McPherson trail markers were engraved by Frank Neiswanger who had a shop in Cambridge in 1928.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2021
2. Ft. McPherson Trail Marker (top of marker)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2021
3. Ft. McPherson Trail Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2021
4. Ft. McPherson Trail Marker
Looking east from Road 402. Nebraska Highway 18 is in the left background.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 22, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
