Gering in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Bullwhackers
Ox-drawn wagons carried freight here in the 1860’a and 70’s
By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
1. The Bullwhackers Marker
After the great migrations of settlers and goldseekers passed here in the 1840’s and 50’s, the Oregon Trail remained an important communications and supply route. Wagon trains hauled provisions to Ft. Laramie and other army posts west of here. The heavy wagons were pulled by teams of oxen prodded along by trail-hardened men known as “bullwhackers.”
William Henry Jackson, later a renowned frontier artist and photographer, trudged West as a bullwhacker at the age of 23. Jackson and his bull train camped at this site in 1866 during a six-month journey from Nebraska City to Salt Lake City. From sketches made here, Jackson later produced this painting of Mitchell Pass. Other Jackson paintings of scenes along the Oregon Trail are on display at the Visitor Center.
“Bullwhacking is an art not to be learned in a week or a month . . . Only a cunning hand can make an 18-foot whip crack out like a rifle shot – or cut a notch in a lagging bull’s hind quarter.”
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 41° 49.942′ N, 103°
By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
2. The Bullwhackers Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Oregon Trail (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Traces of the Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Oregon Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away); Scott's Bluff Pony Express Station (approx. 0.4 miles away); Scott Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); Eroding Landmark (approx. 0.8 miles away); Saddle Rock Trail (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Way West (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gering.
More about this marker. A William Henry Jackson painting of Bullwhackers guiding oxen-drawn wagons through Mitchell Pass appears at the center of the marker. The right of the marker contains a Self-portrait of William Henry Jackson with his bull whip.
By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
3. The Bullwhackers Marker
By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
4. The Bullwhackers Marker
By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
5. Wagons on the Oregon Trail
Wagons like this were guided along the Oregon Trails by the Bullwhackers.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 338 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 16, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.
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