Court House Rock, Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluffs

The panel's closing phrase is the title of Merrill J. Mattes's book The Great Platte River Road. Born in Illinois in 1910, he joined the National Park Service at Scotts Bluff National Monument in 1935, was acting historian at Fort Laramie from 1941 to 1946, and regional historian in Omaha from 1946 to 1966. His Platte River Road Narratives of 1988 catalogued the accounts travelers left of the route. He helped found the Oregon-California Trails Association in 1982, which names its best-article prize for him. The book was named among the Nebraska 150 Books in 2017.

What the plaque says

Court House Rock, Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluffs Traveling northwest from Ash Hollow, the emigrants encountered three natural features of the North Platte Valley which became well-known milestones. First was Court House Rock, rising abruptly from the plains as the vanguard of the bluffs farther on. Observers likened this gigantic formation to some great public building or medieval castle. However, no single sight along the trail attracted as much attention as Chimney Rock. The tower, which could be seen for miles, served as a beacon for the weary travelers. Many camped nearby, and Chimney Rock is mentioned in more trail accounts than any other landmark. Although the spire is slowly crumbling due to erosion, Chimney Rock remains a unique natural wonder. As the wagon trains approached the end of their journey across Nebraska, they were greeted by a series of citadel-like eminences, dominated by the imposing bulk of Scott's Bluffs. Named after fur trader Hiram Scott, the Bluffs are now a national monument. Visible traces of the great migration still survive in some areas, and the landmarks remain for the modern traveler who chooses to follow the route of the Great Platte River Road. 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

• Ash Hollow: Gateway to the North Platte Valley — steps away
• Ogallala and the Platte Valley — steps away
• Escape of the Northern Cheyenne — 1.1 mi
• Alkali Station — 4.4 mi