Chimney Rock Sunset

by Jon Burch Photography

Title

Chimney Rock Sunset

Artist

Jon Burch Photography

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

Rising 470 feet above the North Platte River Valley, Chimney Rock in western Nebraska stands tall among the most celebrated natural geologic formations along the overland wagon routes to California, Oregon, and Utah. Chimney Rock served as an early landmark for fur traders, trappers, and mountain men as they made their way from the Rocky Mountains to the Missouri River. To later west bound emigrants, the solitary spire marked the end of plains travel and the beginning of the rugged mountain portion of their journey.

Chimney Rock is composed of Brule Clay with interlayers of volcanic ash and Arickaree sandstone with the formation top 325 feet above the base. Thousands of travelers carved their names in the soft sandstone only to have these records disappear through the forces of nature. This eroded landmark is now smaller than that which greeted early visitors to the area, but its future presence for generations is secure.

In 1941 the eighty acres containing the site were transferred to the Nebraska State Historical Society by the Roszel F. Durnal family. In 1956 Norman and Donna Brown deeded additional land to the Society. In that same year Chimney Rock was designated a National Historic Site by the federal government.

Some digital effects were applied to the original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition. Your finished photograph will not contain the watermark.

Image copyright 2020 Jon Burch Photography.

Uploaded

December 1st, 2020

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