Omaha daily bee., 1915-08-08
The Overland Trails

|. Each of the old overland trails which
crosses Nebraska from the MISSOURI
river to the mountains has a story. 1t Is
a story written deep In the lives OF men
and women, and in the record OF the
westward march of the American people
The story of these overland trails was
also written in broad deep burrows across
our prairies. Along these trails jour
neyed thousands of men, women and
children with OK teams. carts, wheel
barrows. and on foot. to settle the great
country beyond. over them marched the
soldiers who built forts TO protect tho
settlers. Then the long freighting trains
loaded with food. tools and clothing
passed that way. So there came to be
great beaten thoroughfares 100 or 200 feet
wide, deeply cut in the earth by the
wheels of wagons and the feet OF pill
grims.
The Oregon trail was the first and most
famous OF these In Nebraska. II started
from the Missouri river at Independence,
Mo-, ran across the northeast corner OF
Kansas, and entered Nebraska near the
point where Gage and jefferson counties
meet on the Nebraska Kansas line 1t
followed the course of the Little Blue
river across jefferson. Thayer, Muck
oils, Clay and Adams county, then across
the divide to the Platte near the head OF
Grand Island in Hall county. then along
the south side of the Platte through
Kearney, Phelps. Gosper and Dawson, to
a point In Keith county about seven
miles east Of Big Springs. where It
crossed the South Platte and continued
up the south side OF the North Platte
through Keith, Garden. Morrill, and
Scott's Bluff counties, where 1t passed
out OF Nebraska into Wyoming
The beginnings OF the oregon trail In
Nebraska were made In 1913 by the little
band of returning Astorians as they,
leading their one poor horse, tramped
their weary way down the Platte valley
to the Otoe village. where they took
canoes for their journey down the river.
These first Oregon trailers left no track
deep enough to be followed They SIM
ply made known the way. After them
fur traders on horseback and afOot fol-
lowed nearly the same route. On April
10. 1880. Milton Sublette with ten wagons
and one milch COW left st. Louis and
arrived at the Wind River mountains on
July l6. They returned to st. Louis the
same summer, bringing back ten wagons
loaded with furs and the faithful COW
which furnished milk all the way. Theirs
were the first wagon wheels ON the
oregon trail across Nebraska. The track
they made from the mouth Of the Kan
sas river up the valley of the Little
Blue and up the south side of the Platte
and North Platte was followed by others.
and thus became the historic trail. Their
famous COW, and the old horse which
seventeen years before carried the bur
dens for the Astorians are entitled TO a
high place among the pioneers OF the
west
In 1892. Captain Bonneville. whose story
Is told by Washington Irving. followed
over Sublettes trail from the Missouri
river to the mountains. In the same
year Nathaniel ]. Wyeth. following the
same traH. pushed through the South
Pass in the mountains and on TO oregon,
thus making an open road from the Mis-
souri, river TO the Pacific ocean. With
slight changes this road remained the
Oregon trail through the years OF over
land travel. Every spring In May the
long emigrant trains left the Missouri
river and arrived on the Pacific coast IN
November II was a wonderful trip
Every day the train moved fifteen or
twenty miles. Every night IL camped
Every day there were new scenes and