Bayard, Nebraska July 4 – July 8, 2024
Cheyenne, Wyoming July 8 – July 11, 2024
You are probably wondering what in the world we were doing in Nebraska — Me too! We had a little mix up on our reservations for the 4th of July – that means we failed to make reservations for the 4th of July – so we found a pretty cool park near several National Historic sites and it turned out great.
We stayed in Bayard, Nebraska near Chimney Rock (not to be confused with Chimney Rock in North Carolina). Visible for miles, the rock is situated along the Oregon Trail and one of many significant landmarks that travelers used to mark their travel west. Chimney Rock has been slowly reducing in size. The rock was 80 feet higher in the time when travelers used the Oregon Trail. Our campground was very close to Chimney Rock.
Scotts Bluff National Monument was about 20 miles from Bayard and is also a landmark feature on the Oregon Trail. The Visitors Center has an adequate museum.
The bluff is about 800 feet high and is accessible by hiking or driving. The view from the top was amazing.
The museum contains watercolor paintings of the area by Alfred Jacob Miller.
We also visited Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. This site is in Nebraska out in the middle of nowhere. The site contains important information about the life of mammals in the Miocene Epoch, some 20 million years ago and was discovered by a farmer in the early 1900s. The fossils were actually found fully in tact. The Visitors Center had interesting exhibits and a short film. We walked a couple of miles to the site of the discovery where the excavation took place. Overall a pretty interesting national park.
Bayard was pretty close to the Wyoming border, so we drove over to Fort Laramie National Historic Site. Originally established as a private fur trading fort in 1834, Fort Laramie evolved into the largest and best known military post on the Northern Plains before its abandonment in 1890. The site is still under renovations, but currently eleven structures are now restored and refurbished to their historic appearance. Steve and I wandered through the fort and through the restored and unrestored buildings. Even today Fort Laramie appears to be in the middle of nowhere. I wonder how people found the place back in the 1800s.
Inside the officer’s quarters at Fort Laramie
Inside Non-commissioned Officers Quarters
After Bayard, we traveled down to Cheyenne for a few days. The downtown was pretty neat and had western boot statutes (kind of like the dolphins in Panama City, or the buffalos in Colorado). You can also buy any type of Western wear at The Wrangler (apparently a pretty famous store in Cheyenne). I have never seen so many boots in my life!
In Cheyenne we stopped in The Cheyenne Depot Museum. The museum is housed in the Historic Union Pacific Railroad Depot built in 1886. The museum has exhibits about the history of Cheyenne, the Transcontinental Railroad, and a large exhibit of model trains. I loved the model trains!
More model trains
The detour through Nebraska and Wyoming was very interesting – our next stop is Denver!
“Little Nebraska Town” by Rachel Price