Overland Trails of Nebraska
By Addison Erwin Sheldon, 1913
Nebraska, a state etched with the narratives of westward expansion, holds within its borders a rich tapestry of overland trails. Each of these routes, stretching from the Missouri River towards the towering mountains, carries a unique story. These are not just geographical pathways; they are chronicles deeply embedded in the lives of pioneers, reflecting the relentless march of the American people. The story of the Overland Trails of Nebraska isn’t confined to historical texts; it is physically imprinted upon the land, etched as broad, deep furrows across the prairies. Along these trails, thousands of individuals – men, women, and children – embarked on arduous journeys, utilizing ox teams, carts, wheelbarrows, and even their own two feet, all in pursuit of settling the vast and promising territories beyond. Soldiers, tasked with safeguarding the burgeoning settlements, marched along these routes to construct protective forts. Subsequently, long freight trains, laden with essential supplies like food, tools, and clothing, traversed these same paths. Over time, the constant traffic transformed these routes into substantial thoroughfares, some reaching widths of one or two hundred feet, deeply scarred into the earth by the relentless passage of wagon wheels and the tireless steps of countless pilgrims.
The Oregon Trail holds the distinction of being the first and most celebrated of these Overland Trails of Nebraska. Originating from the Missouri River at Independence, Missouri, the trail navigated the northeastern corner of Kansas before entering Nebraska. Its entry point lay near the intersection of Gage and Jefferson Counties on the Nebraska-Kansas border. From there, it traced the course of the Little Blue River, meandering through Jefferson, Thayer, Nuckolls, Clay, and Adams counties. The trail then traversed the divide to reach the Platte River, near the head of Grand Island in Hall County. Continuing its westward trajectory, it followed the south side of the Platte River through Kearney, Phelps, Gosper, and Dawson counties. The trail reached a point in Keith County, approximately seven miles east of Big Springs, where it crossed the South Platte. From there, it ascended the south side of the North Platte, passing through Keith, Garden, Morrill, and Scotts Bluff counties, before finally exiting Nebraska and entering Wyoming.
The genesis of the Oregon Trail in Nebraska can be traced back to 1813, when a small group of returning Astorians – fur traders associated with the Astoria trading post in present-day Washington – made their arduous journey. Leading their lone, weary horse, they trudged down the Platte Valley towards the Otoe village, where they acquired canoes to continue their journey down the river. While these early Oregon Trailers didn’t leave behind a deeply etched track, they played a crucial role in mapping and publicizing the route. In their wake, fur traders, both on horseback and on foot, followed a similar path. A significant milestone occurred on April 10, 1830, when Milton Sublette, accompanied by ten wagons and a single milk cow, departed from St. Louis, Missouri. They reached the Wind River Mountains in present-day Wyoming on July 16. The same summer, they returned to St. Louis, bringing with them ten wagons filled with furs and the ever-faithful cow, which had provided milk throughout the journey. Their expedition marked the first instance of wagon wheels traversing the Oregon Trail across Nebraska. The track they established, extending from the mouth of the Kansas River up the valley of the Little Blue River and along the south side of the Platte and North Platte, served as a foundation for others and ultimately evolved into the historic trail. Their famous cow, along with the old horse that had carried burdens for the Astorians seventeen years prior, rightfully deserve recognition as pioneers of the West.
In 1832, Captain Bonneville, whose adventures were immortalized by Washington Irving, followed Sublette’s established trail from the Missouri River to the mountains. Simultaneously, Nathaniel J. Wyeth followed the same route through the South Pass in the mountains, continuing onward to Oregon. This pivotal journey effectively created an open road connecting the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. This route, with minor modifications over the years, remained the primary path of the Oregon Trail throughout the era of overland travel. Every spring, in May, long emigrant wagon trains departed from the Missouri River, typically arriving on the Pacific coast by November. It was a remarkable undertaking, a testament to human endurance and determination.
Each day on the trail brought new experiences and challenges. The wagon trains typically covered 15 to 20 miles daily, establishing camp each night. Travelers encountered novel landscapes and events, forged new friendships, and faced life’s milestones along the way. Births, weddings, and even funerals occurred on the trail, transforming the journey into a mobile city, traversing 2,000 miles from river to ocean.
The history of the Oregon Trail can be divided into five distinct periods. The first period, characterized by exploration and trail blazing, spanned from the return of the Astorians in 1813 to Wyeth’s wagon expedition in 1832. The second period encompasses the early Oregon migration, lasting from 1832 to the discovery of gold in California in 1849.
The third period, marked by the gold rush, extended from 1849 to 1860. During this era, the Oregon Trail became the most heavily trafficked highway in the world, surpassing even city streets in width and use. Hundreds of thousands of individuals traversed its path. The fourth period witnessed the decline of the Oregon Trail, from 1860 to 1869.
Father De Smet, a knowledgeable observer of the Oregon Trail, offered a vivid description of its appearance upon his first encounter with it in 1851, accompanied by his party of Indians from the Upper Missouri River:
"Our Indian companions, who had never seen but the narrow hunting paths by which they transport themselves and their lodges, were filled with admiration on seeing this noble highway, which is as smooth as a barn floor swept by the winds, and not a blade of grass can shoot up on it on account of the continual passing. They conceived a high idea of the countless white nations. They fancied that all had gone over that road and that an immense void must exist in the land of the rising sun. They styled the route the ‘Great Medicine Road of the Whites.’"
In another account, Father De Smet described the large government wagon trains he encountered on the Oregon Trail in 1858:
"Each train consisted of 26 wagons, each wagon drawn by six yokes of oxen. The trains made a line fifty miles long. Each wagon is marked with a name, as in the case of ships, and these names served to furnish amusement to the passers-by. Such names as The Constitution, The President, The Great Republic, The King of Bavaria, Louis Napoleon, Dan O’Connell, Old Kentuck, were daubed in great letters on each side of the carriage. On the plains, the wagoneer assumes the Captain’s style, being placed in command of his wagon and twelve oxen. The master wagoneer is the admiral of this little land fleet of 26 captains and 312 oxen. At a distance, the white awnings of the wagons have the effect of a fleet of vessels with all canvas spread."
A second significant trail across Nebraska originated near Bellevue and Florence, along the banks of the Missouri River. This trail followed the north side of the Platte and North Platte Rivers to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, where it converged with the older Oregon Trail. This route was used by the returning Astorians in 1813 and some early fur traders. In 1847, the Mormons established this as a wagon road when their large company, having wintered at Florence and Bellevue, traveled this way to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Consequently, it became known as the Mormon Trail. Some immigrants bound for Oregon and California also utilized this route, leading to its occasional designation as the Oregon Trail or California Trail. This north side trail experienced less traffic compared to the trail south of the Platte River, primarily due to the presence of more sand. The trail passed through the counties of Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Colfax, Platte, Merrick, Hall, Buffalo, Dawson, Lincoln, Garden, Morrill, and Scotts Bluff.
The Denver Trail represents a third notable trail across Nebraska, connecting the Missouri River to Denver. This trail featured numerous branches between the Missouri River and Fort Kearney. Near Fort Kearney, these branches converged and continued along the south bank of the Platte River towards Denver, Colorado. The route from Omaha to Denver ascended the north bank of the Platte to Shinn’s ferry in Butler County, where it crossed to the south side and proceeded up the river to Fort Kearney. A road also existed from Nebraska City, following the south bank of the Platte River, which eventually merged with the Omaha Road after its river crossing. This road was known as the Fort Kearney and Nebraska City Road. In 1860, a new, more direct road was established from Nebraska City westward through the counties of Otoe, Lancaster, Seward, York, Hall, and Kearney. This became the shortest and most efficient route to Denver and was thus called the Nebraska City Cut-off. From 1862 to 1869, it gained significant popularity, attracting thousands of immigrants and freighters. The Denver Trail served as a vital artery for Pike’s Peak emigrants and the transport of supplies and machinery required for opening mines in Colorado.
In subsequent years, mail, stagecoaches, and the Pony Express adopted these Overland Trails of Nebraska, following in the footsteps of the emigrant and freight wagons. In 1850, the first monthly mail coaches began operating between the Missouri River and Salt Lake City, Utah, and California. However, the severe winter of 1856-57 caused a disruption, blocking the route for several months. The California mail coach was then rerouted south through Arizona. With the onset of the Civil War, the mail route was shifted north again, and in 1861, the first daily overland mail service commenced from the Missouri River to California. This mail initially originated from St. Joseph, Missouri, but after a few months, it began its journey from Atchison, Kansas. It joined the Oregon Trail a few miles south of the Nebraska state line and followed it to the crossing of the South Platte near Julesburg, Colorado. From there, it diverged, establishing a new road called the Central Route, traversing the mountains towards Salt Lake City.
This was considered the greatest stage line globally. From 1861 to 1866, daily coaches operated in both directions, with the exception of a few months during the Indian War in 1864. The Pony Express also utilized this line from April 3, 1860, until the completion of the telegraph line to San Francisco, California, eighteen months later.
The Pony Express involved a lone rider on horseback, carrying a mailbag and riding at the horse’s maximum speed. As the horse and rider, covered in dust and sweat, arrived at a station, another rider would immediately snatch the bag and race towards the next station. This relay system ensured that letters and dispatches were transported day and night across the plains and mountains, connecting the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. The Pony Express achieved its fastest time in March 1861, when President Lincoln’s inaugural address was delivered from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California – a distance of 1980 miles – in a remarkable seven days and seventeen hours.
The Overland Trails of Nebraska gradually fell into disuse following the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869. While short segments connecting various settlements continued to serve as local roads, they no longer functioned as major thoroughfares for long-distance travel. Sunflowers and tumbleweeds reclaimed the furrows, and for many years, these trails could be identified across the Nebraska prairies by wide ribbons of vegetation. Over time, plows traversed the wagon tracks, smoothing away the traces of history. Today, across much of the state, the old Overland Trails of Nebraska can only be located through early surveyor records and the memories of a dwindling number of old-timers. However, in the far western regions of Nebraska, particularly along the Oregon Trail on the south side of the North Platte River, remnants of the old wagon tracks remain visible, and long stretches of sunflowers still mark the routes of these historic trails across the land. The Overland Trails of Nebraska represent an important part of our history.
By Addison Erwin Sheldon, 1913. Compiled & edited by Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated May 2025.
Excerpted from the book, History and Stories of Nebraska, by Addison Erwin Sheldon, 1913. However, the text as it appears is not verbatim, as it has been edited for the modern reader. Addison Erwin Sheldon (1861-1943) was the director of the Nebraska Historical Society and wrote numerous books devoted to the history of Nebraska. Sheldon also took and drew many of the photographs and illustrations in his many texts.
Also See:
- The California Trail – Rush to Gold
- Oregon Trail – Pathway to the West
- Pony Express – Fasted Mail Across the West
- Tales & Trails of the American West
