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The History and Wonder of Courthouse and Jail Rocks · Nebraska History Podcast

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The following episode features a
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Nebraska History magazine. This article may reflect the
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language and attitudes of its time and while it offers
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valuable insight into the past, may contend expressions or
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viewpoints that are outdated or offensive by today's standards.
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Any outdated terms do not reflect the current views or
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perspectives of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
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Welcome to the Nebraska History podcast.
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I'm your host, Chris Goforth. Each episode we explore articles
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written and published in Nebraska History Magazine.
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When travelers on the Oregon, Mormon, and California trails
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pass through the Panhandle of Nebraska, Chimney Rock was the
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most documented landmark on their journey.
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However, two other iconic landmarks help guide travelers
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westward, Courthouse and Jail Rock.
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Today we explore these two formations and how they capture
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the imaginations of pioneers through the 1962 Nebraska
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History Magazine article Courthouse and Jail Rocks
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Landmarks in the Oregon Trail,
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One of the most famous landmarks
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Nebraska, is Courthouse rock. Modern authors of historical
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narratives have frequently neglected this migrations site,
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but its prominence is attested
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to it in Diaries, letters, and
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military men, traitors, trappers, and explorers on their
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way to Oregon, California, and
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Courthouse Rock and its less famous counterpart, Gel Rock,
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are located in Morrill County,
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Bridgeport. Their elevation is about 4100
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feet, or about 400 feet above the North Platte River.
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Deposits of soft sand and gravels were spread over this
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region from the Rocky Mountains during uplifts there some 60
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million years ago. Later volcanic action in these
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mountains also added ash and other sediments which were
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easily eroded into valleys where
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occurred. Bluffs were left standing.
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Courthouse and Gel rocks are examples of these.
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Courthouse rock is divided into 4 separate sections.
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The lower 4th is composed of Brule clay, the middle half,
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known as the Gering Formation,
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sandstone, and the top 1/4, known as the Arrikaree
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Formation, has Gray sands, volcanic ash, and is capped
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with concretions. These hard concretions have
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saved the bluff from erosion. Courthouse and Gel rocks are
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detached Bluffs at the East End of the Ridge which separates the
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This Ridge, which begins with these two landmarks, is at first
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30 miles away. Famous landmarks and gaps in
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this Ridge include Roundhouse Rock, Chimney Rock, Sheep
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Mountain, Twin Sisters, Smokestack Rock, Castle Rock,
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Table Rock, Steamboat Rock, Robidoux Pass, Rifle Site Pass,
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Mitchell Pass, and Scotts Bluff.
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Only Courthouse and Jail Rocks, Chimney Rock, Castle Rock, and
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Scotts Bluff were referred to by
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The term Scott's Bluffs included
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Rifle Site and Mitchell Passes
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in the vicinity. Other landmarks were named when
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homesteaders began to settle in the area.
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As the immigrants moved West across the broad plains, the
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altitude increased and the air
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its rays with more intensity on the long columns of wagons.
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Keepers of Diaries and journals evidently became less able to
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judge distance. Many of The Pioneers mentioned
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going over to examine Courthouse
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be but a mile or two away from the trail.
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Actually, the trail was 6 or 7
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Most of the travelers returned
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places without getting a close
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Immigrants traveling on the north side of the river also
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mentioned it, but few of these
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closely. Courthouse Rock was a landmark
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not only on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails
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which passed from east to West
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Sydney and Deadwood Stagecoach
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Trail as well. This trail passed under the
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shadow of Courthouse Rock and crossed the North Platte River
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over the Camp Clark Bridge just West of present day Bridgeport.
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Known to travelers on the Oregon
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Courthouse and Jail Rocks were
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Express, which had a station Nebraska station #33 known as
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the Courthouse Rock Pony Express
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This was located about 5 miles
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Bridgeport. Before the Pony Express, as
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early as 1858, the Hockaday and Leggett mail coach ran over the
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Oregon Trail past Courthouse Rock.
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This company was purchased by Jones Russell and Company in May
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of 1859. In 1861, the transcontinental
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Telegraph line was constructed
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This line, like the Pony Express
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north from Julesburg, Colorado and joined the trail about 9
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miles northwest of the landmark.
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This year also saw the beginning of the overland stage and mail
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south the next year. The first recognized mention of
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Courthouse Rock was recorded in 1835 by the Reverend Samuel
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Parker, who referred to it as the Old Castle.
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However, other travelers of the Platte River route certainly saw
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presented a rather colorful series of events revolving
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around the site. The Pawnees had heard of a
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wonderful herds of buffaloes that were in this part of the
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country, and they decided to drive the Sioux farther westward
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the rear, as was their custom,
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ranks was a brave whose conscience would not permit him
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to go forward and leave his poor
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and jeers of the other warriors.
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He returned to the lodge of the old woman and assisted her on
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the forward journey. After many days of travel and
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hardship they reached the base of the eminence, which was
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afterwards given the name of Courthouse Rock.
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A short distance from this eminence the Pawnee village
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settled, for there were many buffaloes in this part of the
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country. In one of the large herds there
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was a spotted calf, and the chief announced that the warrior
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The poor young man who went back
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to help his grandmother on the
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had been discarded along the wayside, and the other Braves
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laughed at him, but the horse heard them and spoke to the
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young man, thus saying, Quote,
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me with mud, my legs, my head,
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End Quote. The young man did as the horse
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directed, and the cry of the "loo-ah", the old Dun horse
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covered with mud, speed away so fast to the Indians he seemed
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to fly, and when the other Braves came up to where the
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herd had been, they found the young man skinned the spotted
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calf. The other Braves returned to the
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They told her of the young man's good fortune, and when he came
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meat and the spotted robe, there was great rejoicing in the
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again, saying, Quote, the Sioux war parties are coming and they
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are now near the Wigwam, End Quote.
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Meaning a landmark which was later named by the fur traders
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and our people will meet them about halfway.
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When we meet, ride among them and kill their chief and return.
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another chief and return. Do this again and again four
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times only, for if you go the fifth time some disaster will
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befall you and me. End Quote.
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As the horse had said, there was
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between the Pawnees and the Sioux.
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The young man and the old Dun horse were there, and as they
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were in the thick of the conflict there were many arrows
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in the air. But the young man found the
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chief of the Sioux, slew him, and returned unhurt.
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For the 4th time he rode among
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killed a chief and came back unharmed.
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The battle continued, and the young man, disregarding the
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instructions of his faithful horse, plunged into the fray the
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fifth time, when the horse was
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The young Pawnee, however, fought his way out of the Sioux,
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and again returned to his people
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But after the battle in which the Pawnees were victorious, the
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young man mourned the loss of his horse, and he went out on
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the planes and gathered up the
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them in a pile. Then he went up on the rim of
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the rocks to mourn. It would not return to the
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village to celebrate with people
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Sioux. In the night there came a
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roaring mountain storm. The lightning flashed, the
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Thunder roared, and there was a deluge of rain. 2 black arms
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reached down from the dark clouds to the field of battle.
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When the storm had passed, the
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the battlefield. They came to another storm,
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fiercer than the first, and when
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form of an old horse. Then came another storm, and the
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lightning was brighter. The Thunder was louder in the
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rain, harder than the other two,
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down to the battlefield where he
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the clay and mud washed off its legs, head and back, and it was
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in the same poor and pitiful condition as when he first found
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it, and this made the young man very sad.
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The horse said to the young warrior quote Tiwara, meaning
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the God of the Courthouse Rock
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And for your devotion to your grandmother and for your kind
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treatment to a poor old horse,
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returned. But in the future you must do as
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I tell you, no more and no less.
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Now lead me through Yonder gap and to the other valley, and
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leave me, but return alone tomorrow and tomorrow 10
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Successive tomorrow's in all. End Quote.
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The young man followed the orders given him by his faithful
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rode back to the village, and each day upon his return to the
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old horse he found with it another young horse of a
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different color, until he had 10 young horses more beautiful and
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better than any of the other horses rode by the Pawnee
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Braves. The old horse was then brought
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young man for several years. Now the young man was rich, and
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he reminded the chief of his pledge, and spread before him
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the spotted robe. The chief thereupon gave the
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young warrior his beautiful daughter, and the Pawnee held a
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rich hunting ground for a number of years.
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But with their ease and prosperity, and with the thought
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and it died of neglect and starvation soon following the
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death of the young man's first born child, and its body was
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wrapped in the spotted robe and was buried in the Cottonwood
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tree. Other misfortunes and disasters
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came to the Pawnees, and finally the Sioux returned to
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give them battle and to retrieve their rich hunting
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ground. The Pawnees were forced to
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retreat, but the Sioux followed them, and there was a terrible
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battle between the two tribes from early morn until late at
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night. The warriors of both tribes have
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shot away all of their arrows,
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axes, Tomahawks and clubs until more than 100 warriors lay cold
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in death. A detachment of the Pawnees took
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refuge on top of Courthouse Rock, among whom was the young
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brave who had been kind to his
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married the daughter of the chief, and who had also been
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kind to the old Dun Horse. The Sioux surrounded the Rock
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with the intention of killing the Pawnees if they came down,
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or starving them to death if they remained on top.
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In the night time. The young Pawnee, who had many
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times before delivered his people from disaster, would go
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alone and plead with the God of Courthouse Rock, or Tiwara, to
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come and to rescue of himself and his companions.
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And finally, just as they were
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good Tiwara showed him the way
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down through a crevice and with the aid of a number of lariats
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that he had tied together. This crevice at the top of the
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rock was the outlet of a well at
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He let himself down into this well, and he discovered that the
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outlet was unguarded. He climbed back to the top, and
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the next night called his companions together and told
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them how they could all make their escape from the prison
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rock. One by one, by the aid of the
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rope, they let themselves down
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well, and crawled through the hole and made their escape.
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And after many days of travel and hardship they joined their
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people far to the east, where they have been driven by the
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Sioux. After these many years, it is
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said if one will go to the top
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time when all is quiet, even though the darkness, he can see
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the Sioux Sentinels waiting for the Pawnees to come down, and
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he can hear them marching, marching, and he can also feel
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the presence of good Tiwara directing the Pawnees on how to
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make their escape from the elevated outdoor prison.
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Zenas Leonard, who passed through the area in 1831,
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presented a general description of the region but did not
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specifically mention Courthouse Rock, he wrote.
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Quote, as we traveled up the river, we occasionally came in
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contact with cliffs and rocks of
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above the level of the plain. End Quote.
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He did, however, describe Chimney Rock.
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Even before the young mountain
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area. Others who had kept Diaries and
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journals of their proceedings had given general descriptions
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of the North Platte Valley but
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Robert Stewart and his six companions were the first known
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white men to travel this route.
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In 1812, they started back to the Saint Louis area from the
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trading establishment of Astoria, which they had found at
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Stewart, who had kept a diary, did not mention any of the
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landmarks along the North Platte River by name.
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After the route was rediscovered by some of General Ashley's
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mountain men in 1824, more and more use was made of this easy
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track in the virgin sod for the others to follow were the
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westbound wagons of the Smith Jackson Sublette Fur Trading
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Company of 1830. Other travelers followed who
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kept Diaries or accounts of their journeys as well.
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Among them were Warren Ferris in 1830, Captain Benjamin Bonville
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in 1832, Nathaniel Wyeth in 1832, William Anderson 1834, and
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describe at least one of the other landmarks in the valley.
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through the area with Sir William Drummond Stewart in
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1837, is the first to give the rock its name.
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Quote. In its immediate neighborhood,
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trappers have given names indicative of their approach and
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After 1937, the landmark was mentioned more and more
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frequently by travelers along the trail, although many of them
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Doctor Wislizenus, who passed away in 1839, called it an old
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castle. Rufus B Sage gave it a specific
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name, Mcfarland's Castle, while others referred to it as the
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Solitary Tower. How did it get the name
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Courthouse Rock? Some said that it simply
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resembled such a structure. Captain Howard Stansbury, who
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passed with a group of military in 1849, stated that the quote
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voyagers, most of whom are originally from Saint Louis, had
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given this name from a fancied
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structure in their own city. End Quote.
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In 1850, George Reed states that
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House in Jefferson City, MO to
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That same year it appeared like the courthouse at Louisville,
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KY to Richard F Burton in 1860.
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Quote. Courthouse Rock resembles
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anything more than a courthouse. End Quote.
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Regardless of the other appellations given to the
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landmark, courthouse seemed to be the most popular and widely
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One interesting, if somewhat imaginative description of the
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He wrote quote. The whole country seems
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overspread by the ruins of some of the loftiest and most
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magnificent palaces the imagination of man can reach in
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its most extravagant conceptions.
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Here lays the ruins of a lofty pyramid, there a splendid
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castle. On one hand it's a tremendous
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citadel, on the other hand a grand hall of legislation.
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Yonder is the facsimile of our nation's capital at Washington,
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and there again is the City Hall at New York, only enlarged
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perhaps a dozen times or more. On all sides lay the ruins of
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more grandeur than man has ever had a conception of.
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Even the ruins of Rome, Athens, Baghdad, and Petria fall into
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perfect insignificance by the sight of these apparent ruins of
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It is in vain to attempt a description of those enchanting
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wonder. Even the strange creations of
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fancy which gives to Aladdin's lamp such wonder working powers
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could never display to the dreamy mind a 10th of such
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astonishing grandeur as is displayed on the places where
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nature has made such mocking of the works of art.
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End Quote. Jail Rock was as interesting and
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Jail was not applied until much later in the migrations.
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Samuel Parker in 1835 mentions, quote, large guard houses
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standing some rods in front of the main building.
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End Quote. In 1849, Alex Ramsey stated that
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courthouse with the clerk's office at a distance of about 20
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Alonzo Delano also mentioned it. Quote.
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Near it. Courthouse Rock on the East End
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was another blunt, pointed rock, not quite as high, which
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was not particularly remarkable, but which is
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embraced in the same view. End Quote.
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Others mentioning Jail Rock, but not by name were Orange Gaylord
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of 1850, ES Ingles in 1850, James Bennett in 1850, and Helen
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Quote. There is a large rock on the
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South of courthouse which resembles A jailhouse, End
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Quote. Thomas Flint in 1853 states
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quote. The jail is represented by a
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square bluff just east of the courthouse, End Quote.
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The last mention of jail rock is given by Julius C BIrge in 1866.
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It has a worthy associate not far away.
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Another prominence known as the Jail.
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End Quote. Either David or John Dinwiddie
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in their diary of 1853 thought
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lighthouse. With only three or four mentions
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of Jail Rock and the many journals and Diaries which have
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been handed down to us, it might
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smaller elevation has kept that name.
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However, this appellation appears to outnumber the others
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given it and has also remained
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Not a few of the immigrants and other travelers took the time
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to get a closer look at the two landmarks.
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Some even climbed Courthouse Rock, among whom were Joel
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Palmer, C.W. Smith, Walter G.
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Pigman and three companions, James Bennett and two boys in
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the party of Mrs. Sarah A Wisner.
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John Bidwell, guiding the first immigrant wagon train West in
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1841, narrates the reason why so many started for the famous
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landmarks only to turn back to their trains or camps before
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reaching them. Quote It's distance from us.
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No one supposed more than 1 1/2 miles, yet it was at least 7.
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This deception was owning to the pure atmosphere through which it
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End Quote from the entries concerning Courthouse Rock to be
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The following quotations indicate the impression that
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Courthouse and Jail Rocks and their companions made on the
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travelers. The Reverend Samuel Parker wrote
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neighborhood of a great natural curiosity, which, for the sake
21:54
It is situated upon the South side of the Platte, and on
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plain, some miles distant from any elevated land, and covers
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more than an acre on the ground, and is more than 50 feet high.
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appearances of an old enormous building, somewhat dilapidated,
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but still you see the standing wall, the roof, the turrets,
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embrasures, the Dome, and almost the very windows and large guard
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Alfred Jacob Miller wrote in 1837.
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In Chimney Rocks immediate neighborhood are formations not
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less singular, to which the trappers had given names
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indicative of their approach and form to different structures in
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civilized life. For instance, the Courthouse,
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Cathedral. Doctor FA Wislizenus in 1839
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wrote, so the first Cliff in the first chain, perhaps 8 miles
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from the river, presented quite the appearance of an old
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castle or citadel. More remarkable still is the
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last Cliff of the same chain. It's tower like top is seen from
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called the Chimney. Many other mentions of
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Courthouse and Jail Rock are noted in diaries and journals of
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Birge wrote. For many miles we observed the
23:37
Not far away, another prominence known as the Jail.
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Courthouse Rock has the appearance of some vast, ancient
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ruin. Thank you for listening to the
23:47
Nebraska History Podcast. To learn more about Nebraska
23:50
History Magazine, to listen to
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support the podcast by becoming a member of the Nebraska State
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Historical Society, go to history.nebraska.gov/podcast.
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And don't forget to subscribe to
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Until next time, I'm Chris Goforth.