Hazardous Travel
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
Hazardous Travel
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile east-west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon.
In 1841, the first group of emigrants, a wagon train of 80 people known as the Bidwell-Bartleson Party, passed through the Scotts Bluff region on their way to settle in the fertile farmland of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Accompanying the party was well known Catholic missionary, Father Pierre-Jean De Smet. Missionaries had long traveled throughout the western wilderness seeking American Indians converts and were among some of the first travelers along the Oregon Trail. As homesteaders sent positive reports of the Oregon territory back east, interest in the region spread and more settlers embarked on the arduous journey.
Many physical hardships were encountered along the way including, as shown here, speed bumps in form of ditches, gullies, streams and storms.
Mitchell Pass is a gap through the large hills near Scottsbluff and Gering, Nebraska. Beginning in 1851, two of the Westward Expansion Trails passed through this opening, as did the Pony Express in the early 1860’s. Today the area is protected as part of Scotts Bluff National Monument.
The Old Oregon Trail Highway through Mitchell Pass is shown in this image. Sentinel Rock sits high in the background.
Some digital effects were applied to the original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition.
Image copyright 2022 Jon Burch Photography.
Uploaded
November 26th, 2022
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