01Summary
An 800-foot bluff named for fur-trapper Hiram Scott, who died near it in 1828.
02History
Scotts Bluff rises 800 feet above the North Platte plain, a remnant of the ancient Brule Formation. It takes its name from Hiram Scott, a fur trapper for William Ashley's company who was abandoned, sick, by his companions in 1828 and died alone near the bluff. His skeleton was found the following spring.
Until 1851 emigrant trains detoured eight miles south through Robidoux Pass to avoid the steep terrain near the bluffs. In 1851 a route was scouted directly through Mitchell Pass, a narrow gap between the bluff and a smaller outlier, and from then on it became the standard route, saving roughly a day's travel.
Wagon ruts worn into the soft soil at Mitchell Pass are still visible today, in places worn three to six feet deep into the rock by tens of thousands of iron-rimmed wheels.
03Today
Scotts Bluff National Monument preserves the bluff, Mitchell Pass, the wagon ruts, and a visitor center designed in the 1930s by the National Park Service.
05Stops nearby
The Oregon Trail ran roughly 2,170 miles from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City. The stops immediately before and after this one are linked below; show Scotts Bluff on the interactive map for the full route.