Chimney Rock

After breakfast, we drove east to Chimney Rock, perhaps the best known landmark on the pioneer trails. Along the way we stopped at the grave of Rebecca Winters, one of the Mormon emmigrants. Unlike most of the emmigrants who died on the trail without a marker, one of her companions marked her grave by engraving her name on an iron wagon tire. This tire was found later, and her grave is now well marked, with a gravestone and an historical marker.


Chimney Rock has a visitor center run by the Nebraska Historical Society. There are many artist images of the rock, all a little different. The rock we see today may not be the same as the pioneers saw, due to erosion, but it is still impressive.

After our visit to Chimney Rock, we stopped by the grocery store, and then visited the North Platte Valley Museum in Gering. This turned out to be surprisingly interesting, with artifacts ranging from arrowheads to a 1919 Patriot truck. The lady running the museum was very enthusiastic, and started off by demonstrating an old music box, with metal disks that would play different tunes. There was a large diversity of artifacts, and a lot of care and love in this small town museum.