On our way back from Fort Laramie, we moved on to Chimney Rock National Historical Site. It has both a National Park Service visitor center, as well as a Nebraska State Historical Society piece of land closer to Chimney Rock with hiking trails to allow for great viewing of the formation.
As the NPS site says, “Visible for miles, Chimney Rock was more than a wonder of nature. It was also a significant landmark in measuring the emigrants’ progress west. This natural feature was a “grand and splendid object” to emigrants who had never seen the geology of the American West. As they traveled alongside the North Platte River, they peered eagerly ahead for their first view of the rock. As such, it was mentioned in more emigrant diaries than any other landmark on the Oregon Trail!”
Fun fact, the “chimney” part is now 80 feet shorter than it was in 1850
