A trading post, built by Jules Reni at this river junction, provided supplies to the emigrants as they reached the point where they had to ford the river in order to continue up the North Platte. The mail couriers also had to ford the river, which posed a problem when the stream grew wider and rougher during the springtime runoff. Horse and rider often had to risk swimming these swollen streams. Once safely across the rider sped on past the buttes, spires, and mesas that dotted the landscape, grateful for the recognizable landmarks that showed him the way, landmarks such as Courthouse Rock, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff. The pony route along the North Platte as far as Casper, Wyoming, is paralleled today by U.S. Highway 26.
Every neck is stretched further, and every eye strained wider.
Away across the endless dead level of the prairie a black speck appears against the sky and it is plain that it moves. Across America is available from the Adventurous Traveler Bookstore. Click here to visit Fulcrum Books Article copyright Fulcrum Books . All rights reserved. All rights reserved.