Near Kearney in Kearney County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Great Platte River Road
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., February 19, 2012
1. The Great Platte River Road Marker
The trail which followed the south side of the Platte River was the main route to Oregon and California. Fur traders going to the Rocky Mountains took the first wagons over the trail in 1830. Oregon-bound missionaries followed in the mid-1830s, and the first group of settlers embarked for Oregon in 1841. The number of emigrants reached 40,000 in 1849 after gold was discovered in California.
Most emigrants traveled in ox-drawn wagons averaging about fifteen miles a day. In the 1850s and 1860s, freight wagons and stagecoaches carrying passengers and mail used the road. From April 1860 until October 1861, the Pony Express carried mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California.
Fort Kearny (1848-1871), east of here, provided protection and supplies for travelers. Supplies could also be purchased at nearby Dobytown. One of many road ranches along the Oregon-California trail was located just southeast of this marker.
Wagon travel on this overland route declined following the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.
Erected by Citizens of the Area and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 364.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles
this page online
Location. 40° 39.083′ N, 99° 5.087′ W. Marker is near Kearney, Nebraska, in Kearney County. It is on 25th Road (Nebraska Route 44) 0.1 miles south of W Road, on the left when traveling south. Marker is at a roadside rest area sponsored by local Kiwanis clubs, about one mile south of Intersate 80 Exit 272. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kearney NE 68847, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and on the prairies. 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 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dobytown (approx. 2.2 miles away); Boyd House (approx. 2.3 miles away); German Baptist Church of the Brethren (approx. 2.3 miles away); Loup River Freighter Hotel (approx. 2.3 miles away); Shelton Union Pacific Depot (approx. 2.3 miles away); Baldwin Engine 481 (approx. 2.4 miles away); Historic Kearney (approx. 2.4 miles away); The Great Plains (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kearney.
Additional commentary.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., February 19, 2012
2. The Great Platte River Road Marker
