Key
to listings along the journey roughly east-to-west: |
| Abbreviations |
NP
SP |
National Park
State Park |
SHP
SHS |
State Historical
Park
or Site |
|
NM |
National
Monument |
NRA
SRA |
National or
State
Recreation Area |
|
Photo |
Point of interest
as featured in Emigrant Road |
Light Gray |
Point of interest
also featured in Emigrant Road |
Dark Gray |
Point of interest
not featured in Emigrant Road |
| |
| Things to see and do along today's Oregon
Trail |
| |
|
Independence
Landing, off Wayne City Rd., n of Independence, MO (view of Missouri River
where emigrants unloaded from eastern steamships) |
|
Arabia
Steamboat Museum, 400 Grand Ave, Kansas City, MO (period items recovered from
1850's sternwheeler as preserved in Missouri River mud) |
 |
Missouri
River Queen cruise, 1 River City Dr, Kansas City, KS (sternwheeler cruises) |
 |
The
Scout and Pioneer Mother statue, Penn Valley Park, Kansas City, MO (on
top of the hill) |
 |
Jim
Bridger statue, in tiny Pioneer Park, Westport (blink and you'll miss
it, in with several other pioneers) |
 |
Jim
Bridger grave, Mt. Washington Cemetary, Independence (final resting place for
a mountain man) |
 |
Brady
Cabin, Independence (period homestead, staffed by volunteers) |
 |
Courthouse Square, Lexington Ave. & Liberty St.,
Independence (Start of the Oregon Trail marker, next to Independence
Courthouse—see below) |
 |
Independence Courthouse, Lexington Ave. & Liberty
St., Independence (Jackson County Historical Society, Harry Truman's office) |
|
Harry S.
Truman Library, US24 at Delaware St., Independence (presidential library,
biographical exhibits, Truman graves) |
|
Harry S.
Truman Home, 219 N. Delaware St at Truman Rd., Independence (guided tours) |
|
1827 Log
Courthouse, 107 W. Kansas Ave., Independence (historical exhibit) |
 |
National
Frontier Trails Center, 318 W Pacific Ave., Independence (National historic
trails exhibits, Merrill Mattes research library, and headquarters of OCTA—Oregon
California Trails Association) |
|
Minor Park,
Red Bridge Rd., Kansas City, MO (swale and Santa Fe Trail monument) |
|
LOOK AT THE MAP |
 |
Great
Heartland Trails Festival, Lenexa, KS, July (craft fair,
activities, encampments, re-enactments, wagon rides) |
 |
Junction
of Oregon & Santa Fe Trails, near Gardner (historical marker) |
|
Oregon
Trails Adventure Company, Serenata Farms, Big Springs, 1895 E. 56 Rd, off Hwy 40 (trail
rides) |
 |
Ward-Meade
Park, near Kansas River, Topeka (period buildings) |
 |
Kansas
Center for Historical Research, 6425 SW 6th, I-70 Exit 356, Topeka (1848
Pottawatomie Mission building, research library) |
|
Konza
Prairie, Manhattan, north of I-70 Exit 313 (virgin prairie, trails) |
|
Oregon
Trail Park, ne of Belvue (nature trails, painted silo, picnic area) |
 |
Vieux
Cemetary, ne of Wamego (pioneer graves, now restored after vandalized in
1998) |
|
Red
Vermillion River Crossing, ne of Wamego (unmarked graves) |
 |
Vieux Elm, ne of Wamego (150-year-old tree virtually
destroyed by vandals in 1997)
 AUDIO:
129Kb .wav file |
|
Oregon
Trail Park at Scott Springs, Hwy 99, ½ mi south of Westmoreland (trails,
covered wagon sculpture) |
 |
Alcove Spring, north of Blue Rapids, (James
Reed signature, "Alcove Spring" inscription, Sarah Keyes monument, swale)
AUDIO:
382Kb .wav file |
|
Pony
Express Museum, 106 S 8th St, Marysville (eclectic collection of memorabilia) |
|
Pony
Express Rider Statue, w off Hwy 36, Marysville (rider in motion) |
|
Hollenberg
Ranch Pony Express Station SHS, e of Hanover (exhibits) |
|
LOOK AT THE MAP |
 |
Rock Creek
Station SHP, se of Fairbury, NE (wagon rides, blacksmith demonstrations,
period buildings, visitor center, deep trail ruts)
AUDIO:
117Kb .wav file |
|
Homestead
NM, nw of Beatrice (tall-grass prairie) |
|
World's
Largest Porch Swing, Hebron city park (big long swing, but it's not on
anybody's porch) |
|
Pawnee
Indian Village SHP, Courtland, KS, n of US36 on SR266 (Pawnee indian village
interpretive center) |
|
Willa
Cather Home, Red Cloud, NE, US281 & 136 (author's childhood home) |
|
Stuhr
Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Grand Island, NE, US281 & 34 (exhibits,
pioneer town, living history) |
|
LOOK AT THE MAP |
 |
Harold
Warp Pioneer Village, Minden (Wm. Henry Jackson paintings, huge museum
displays, period buildings) |
 |
Fort Kearny SHP, se of Kearney (grounds, buildings and
stockade, interpretive trails) |
|
Sod House
Museum, Gothenburg, I-80 exit 211 on SR47 (exhibits, gift shop, sod home) |
|
Pony
Express Station, Ehmen Park, Gothenburg (gift shop, carriage rides) |
|
Valley
View Guest Ranch, sw of Ft. McPherson Cemetary (trail rides, fishing,
camping, "frontier town" playground) |
|
Sioux
Lookout SHM, se of North Platte (steep climb to viewpoint) |
|
Buffalo
Bill SHP, North Platte, nw on US 30 & Buffalo Bill Ave (home and barn) |
|
O'Fallon's
Bluff, I-80 rest stop, eastbound between exits 158 and 164 (interpretive
trails, wagon ruts) |
|
California
Hill, Brule (trail ruts) |
 |
Lake McConaughy, n of I-80 (fishing,
boating, camping) |
|
LOOK AT THE MAP
HEAD BACK
MOVIN' RIGHT ALONG
 |
