INTRODUCTION
By Marian Albright Schenk
FOREWORD
By Dean Knudsen
SECTION 1
Primary Themes of Jackson's Art
SECTION 2
Paintings of the Oregon Trail
SECTION 3
Historic Scenes From the West
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| In 1871 William Henry Jackson made his second trip into the wilds of Wyoming with the U.S. Geological Survey. Under the leadership of Ferdinand Hayden, the expedition entered the legendary Yellowstone country. In this photograph of an informal meal Jackson is standing to the right, while Hayden is seated in front of him. (SCBL 2774) |
Section 2: Paintings of the Oregon Trail
CHIMNEY ROCK
Early emigrants on the Oregon and California Trails followed along the south bank of the Platte River, but after 400 miles of relatively simple traveling, they reached a point where they had to get their wagons across the river so they could follow the trail up the North Platte River Valley. There were a number of possible fords from which to choose.
The first was located near present-day North Platte, Nebraska and was known as Fremont's Ford.1 Named after John C. Fremont, who used the ford during his explorations of the West in 1842, this site was not used very often by later emigrants. For the next 40 miles there were a series of possible crossing sites, known by various names—such as the Lower, Middle and Upper Fords. Probably the most popular ford was the Lower California Crossing, near present-day Brule, Nebraska. It owes its name to the number of forty-niners who used it.
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| This painting, The North Platte River Valley, was recently donated to the Scotts Bluff National Monument museum collection by a descendant of William Henry Jackson. It was completed in 1932 and is very similar to Approaching Chimney Rock. (SCBL 2207) |
By 1866, when Jackson was making his way west, most of the road traffic used the Upper California Crossing, near Julesburg, Colorado. Here the wagons crossed the South Platte River, then followed Lodgepole Creek west before turning north. This route avoided the steep hills around Ash Hollow, but required the emigrants to travel for two days without fresh water.
After passing Mud Springs, which was actually a welcome stopover, the wagon trains first came within view of some of the most famous rock formations in the West. The first to come into view was Courthouse and Jail Rock, which could be seen to the northwest. A few miles farther north the trail struck the North Platte River and turned west once again. After passing Courthouse Rock, the emigrants encountered a series of captivating rock formations, and the first of these was Chimney Rock.
Chimney Rock is undoubtedly the best known landmark on the Oregon Trail. After the long and monotonous trip across the Nebraska Plains, the early emigrants were starved for something different on the horizon. And these bluffs, of which Chimney Rock is only one feature, certainly filled the bill. Few emigrants failed to mention Chimney Rock in their journals, and William Henry Jackson was no exception.
Wednesday August 1st. Out quite early and reached Chimney Rock. Distances are very deceptive, particularly so in the case of this rock. The other rocks in this neighborhood are quite fantastic. Made several sketches.2
Jackson made a pencil sketch of Chimney Rock and its neighbor, Castle Rock, at the time, and later referred to his sketch when composing what has become his best known painting, Approaching Chimney Rock. The composition is striking and gives the work a depth which stretches to the far horizon. Both the wagon trains and the bluffs seem to stretch off into infinity, and the bright yellow sky with a tinge of orange gives the impression that the viewer has entered an uncommon world unlike anything seen before.
1. Haines, Historic Sites, 71-78.
2. Hafen, Jackson Diary, 58.
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| Approaching Chimney Rock. Signed and dated 1931. 25.4 x 38.0 cm. (SCBL 25) |
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scbl/knudsen/sec2h.htm Last Updated: 14-Apr-2006 |
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