When the pioneers stopped midday this May 20th in 1847 they looked across the river and saw a grove of trees. Could it be Ash Creek, noted on John C. Fremont's map, where the Oregon Trail reached the North Platte?

Today, you can cross the North Platte on this bridge, but in 1847, four of the pioneers went across in a small boat they were hauling. Indeed, they found Ash Hollow, as it came to be known, a favored stop on the Oregon Trail.

Parley P. Pratt:

"THE OREGON ROAD COMES IN THROUGH AN OPENING IN THE BLUFFS IN WHICH THERE IS SOME ASH TIMBER, ALSO MOUNTAIN CHERRY AND WILD CURRANTS."

Today, Ash Hollow is an Historic Site maintained by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.