Ash Hollow: Gateway to the North Platte Valley

Five years after Harney's attack, Little Thunder carried a paper from the general. On August 15, 1860, west of Fort Laramie, Richard F. Burton watched the Sicangu Lakota leader come to a stage station with four men and unfold a worn sheet, signed by Harney, certifying who he was. He was on his way to Fort Laramie to complain that the Indian agent was keeping half the rations and presents meant for his people. Burton's City of the Saints prints the meeting beside a soldiers' verse boasting that they had rubbed out Little Thunder.

What the plaque says

Ash Hollow Gateway to the North Platte Valley Although some wagon trains continued to follow the South Platte, most crossed at one of several fords in this area and took a northwesterly route toward the North Platte River. The trail then followed the North Platte Valley through the remainder of Nebraska. Today's traveler, by following U.S. Highway 26 northwest of Ogallala, will encounter several noted landmarks along this portion of the Platte River Road. One of these is Ash Hollow, a picturesque canyon, near present-day Lewellen. Because of the steepness of the descent, this part of the trail presented one of the most serious obstacles yet faced by the emigrants. Offering spectacular scenery as well as wood and water, Ash Hollow is mentioned in many overland diaries. Several graves, including that of young Rachel Pattison who died of cholera in 1849, testify to the rigors of the overland journey. Northwest of Ash Hollow on Blue Water Creek was the site of a significant Indian battle in 1855. Often known as the Battle of Ash Hollow, this fight resulted in the defeat of Little Thunder's band of Brule Sioux by United States Troops under General William S. Harney. Nebraska Department of Roads Nebraska State Historical Society

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lake McConaughy and Kingsley Dam — 6.4 mi
  Nebraska's largest reservoir, 22 miles of North Platte water and white sand beaches behind a 1941 hydraulic-fill dam, built so farms far downstream could water their crops.

More markers nearby

• Court House Rock, Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluffs — steps away
• Ogallala and the Platte Valley — steps away
• Escape of the Northern Cheyenne — 1.1 mi
• Alkali Station — 4.4 mi