80-539: Scotts Bluff National Monument is located west of the City of Gering in western Nebraska , United States. This National Park Service site protects over 3,000 acres of historic overland trail remnants, mixed-grass prairie, rugged badlands, towering bluffs and riparian area along the North Platte River . The park boasts over 100,000 annual visitors. The monument's north bluff is named after Hiram Scott , who
160-501: A National Monument on December 12, 1919; they were placed for management under the National Park Service , created just three years prior. The Oregon Trail Museum and Visitor Center was built at the base of the bluff which serves as a start for hiking tours of the bluffs. Exhibits focus on the westward expansion and pioneers, the drawings and paintings of William Henry Jackson , and the geology and paleontology of
240-469: A distance. Who built the road through Mitchell Pass about 1850 is unknown, although one possibility includes soldiers from Fort Laramie . Many emigrants preferred this route rather than trying to traverse the badlands on the north side of the bluffs or detouring south to the older trail at Robidoux Pass. Use of the Emigrant Trail tapered off in 1869 after the trail was superseded by the completion of
320-739: A final decision by the United States Board on Geographical Names rendered on June 11, 1941, the name Scotts Bluff (without an apostrophe) was officially adopted. The nearby town of Scottsbluff is spelled as one word. The oldest rocks visible within the monument are the Oligocene siltstones and mudstones of the Orella Member of the Brule Formation . The overlying Whitney Member in the same formation has volcaniclastic siltstones originating from volcanic centers to
400-423: A margin of error of +/- $ 5,611) and the median family income $ 75,284 (+/- $ 16,092). Males had a median income of $ 33,358 (+/- $ 6,266) versus $ 32,025 (+/- $ 2,992) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $ 32,416 (+/- $ 2,996). Approximately, 7.1% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.3% of those ages 65 or over. At
480-537: A person or event, though unlike a National Historical Site, may or may not be placed at a specific historical location. Several national memorials are on the National Mall , such as the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial . National seashores and national lakeshores offer preservation of the national coast line, while supporting water–based recreation. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
560-476: A small tributary of the north branch of the Nebraska, about sixty miles above the cliffs just mentioned. Here, one of their party by the name of Scott was taken ill; and his companions came to a halt, until he should recover health and strength sufficient to proceed. While they were searching round in quest of edible roots they discovered a fresh trail of white men, who had evidently but recently preceded them. What
640-537: A special resource study of a site to determine its national significance and suitability to be part of the National Park System. The NPS uses over 20 different titles for the park units it manages, including national park and national monument . National parks preserve nationally and globally significant scenic areas and nature reserves. National monuments preserve a single unique cultural or natural feature. Devils Tower National Monument
720-937: A weekend full of activities. The Oregon Trail Days weekend kicks off with the community barbecue on Thursday night. Friday morning is the Annual Kiddie Parade on 10th Street, with the International Food Fair in Downtown Gering Friday night. Saturday morning the community gathers for the annual Oregon Trail Days Parade. This is followed by the annual Chili-Cookoff in Oregon Trail Park, and a concert at Five Rocks Amphitheater on Saturday evening. Gering has been served by public transit since January 10, 2018, with two bus routes provided by Tri-City Roadrunner . National Park Service The National Park Service ( NPS )
800-676: Is New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve at 1,164,025 acres (4711 km ). The smallest is Benjamin Franklin National Memorial at less than 0.01 acres (40 m ). While there are laws generally covering all units of the National Park System, they are subject to management policies of individual pieces of authorizing legislation or, in the case of national monuments created under the Antiquities Act , Executive Order . For example, because of provisions within their enabling legislation, Congaree National Park
880-521: Is Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve , Alaska. At 13,200,000 acres (53,000 km ), it is over 16 percent of the entire system. The smallest unit in the system is Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial , Pennsylvania , at 0.02 acres (80 m ). In addition to administering its units and other properties, the NPS also provides technical and financial assistance to several affiliated areas authorized by Congress. The largest affiliated area
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#1732783376536960-601: Is a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) paved trail that leaves from the summit parking lot and overlooks the North Platte River Valley. Visitors can reach the highest point on the bluff at 4,659 feet (1,420 m) above sea level. The South Overlook Trail is a 0.4-mile (0.64 km) paved trail that leaves from the summit parking lot towards the south. From the overlook, visitors can see the Visitor Center and Mitchell Pass. Saddle Rock Trail begins at
1040-491: Is almost entirely a wilderness area devoid of development, yet Yosemite allows unique developments such as the Badger Pass Ski Area and the O'Shaughnessy Dam within its boundaries. Such irregularities would not be found in other parks unless specifically provided for with exceptions by the legislation that created them. Most NPS units have been established by an act of Congress, with the president confirming
1120-668: Is an agency of the United States federal government , within the US Department of the Interior . The service manages all national parks ; most national monuments ; and other natural, historical, and recreational properties, with various title designations. The United States Congress created the agency on August 25, 1916, through the National Park Service Organic Act . Its headquarters
1200-432: Is essential to a National Park Service that is science-informed at all organizational levels and able to respond with contemporary strategies for resource management and ultimately park stewardship." The "Revisiting Leopold" report mentioned climate change three times and "climate refugia" once, but it did not prescribe or offer any management tactics that could help parks managers with the problems of climate change. Hence,
1280-586: Is in Washington, D.C. , within the main headquarters of the Department of the Interior. The NPS employs about 20,000 people in 431 units covering over 85 million acres (0.34 million km ) in all 50 states , the District of Columbia, and US territories . In 2019, the service had more than 279,000 volunteers. The agency is charged with preserving the ecological and historical integrity of
1360-404: Is increasingly untenable, presenting practical and philosophical challenges for managers. As formerly familiar ecological conditions continue to change, bringing novelty, surprise, and uncertainty, natural resource managers require a new, shared approach to make conservation decisions.... The RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) decision framework has emerged over the past decade as a simple tool that captures
1440-751: Is known as the "Badlands." The collection of bluffs was first charted in 1812 by the Astorian Expedition of fur traders traveling along the river. The expedition party noted the bluffs as the first large rock formations along the North Platte River where the Great Plains started giving way to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains . Their findings were not widely communicated because of the War of 1812 . Explorers rediscovered
1520-489: Is not a complicated site. National historical parks are larger areas with more complex subjects. Historic sites may also be protected in other unit types. National military parks , battlefield parks , battlefield sites , and battlefields preserve areas associated with military history. The different designations reflect the complexity of the event and the site. Many of the sites preserve important Revolutionary War battles and Civil War battlefields. Military parks are
1600-500: The 2010 census there were 8,500 people, 3,361 households, and 2,278 families living in the city. The population density was 1,976.7 inhabitants per square mile (763.2/km ). There were 3,601 housing units at an average density of 837.4 per square mile (323.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 89.6% White, 0.6% African American, 1.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.2%. Of
1680-716: The National Wilderness Preservation System , which consists of federally managed lands that are of a pristine condition, established by the Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577) in 1964. The National Wilderness Preservation System originally created hundreds of wilderness zones within already protected federally administered property, consisting of over 9 million acres (36,000 km ). Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) began with Executive Order 13158 in May 2000, when official MPAs were established for
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#17327833765361760-430: The transcontinental railroad . The town of Gering, Nebraska , was founded near the base of the bluff in 1887, and the city of Scottsbluff was founded across the North Platte River from the bluff in 1900. Separated (or joined) by the river, the two cities have since grown together and now form the 6th-largest urban area in Nebraska. Once permanent settlements had been established nearby, residents and travelers went to
1840-541: The 1830s. Beginning in 1841, multitudes of settlers passed by Scotts Bluff on their way west along the Great Platte River Road to Oregon , and later California and Utah . All these groups used the bluff as a major landmark for navigation. Although a natural gap existed between South Bluff and Scotts Bluff, the area was not easily traversed. So initially the Oregon Trail passed to the south of
1920-861: The 2021 report specific to the need for climate adaptation : "Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD): A Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager." This "Natural Resource Report" has ten authors. Among them are four associated with the National Park Service, three with the US Fish and Wildlife Service , and two with the US Geological Survey — all of which are government agencies within the US Department of Interior. The report's Executive Summary, points to "intensifying global change." "... The convention of using baseline conditions to define goals for today's resource management
2000-399: The 3,173 households 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.5% of households were one person and 14.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93. The age distribution was 24.6% under
2080-400: The 3,361 households 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.1% of households were one person and 14.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size
2160-716: The 7th largest urban area in Nebraska. Gering has been served since its founding by the Gering Courier newspaper. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.30 square miles (11.14 km ), all of it land. Gering is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area . The 2020 United States census counted 8,564 people, 3,089 households, and 2,261 families in Gering. The population density
2240-583: The Interior Stewart Udall . This report came to be referred to in later years by its chairman and principal author, A. Starker Leopold . The Leopold Report was just fourteen pages in length, but it set forth ecosystem management recommendations that would guide parks policy until it was revisited in 2012. The Leopold Report was the first concrete plan for managing park visitors and ecosystems under unified principles. Park management issues and controversies addressed in this report included
2320-494: The Interior bureau or program. The NPS budget is divided into two primary areas, discretionary and mandatory spending. Within each of these areas, there are numerous specific purposes to which Congress directs the services activities. The NPS budget includes discretionary spending which is broken out into two portions: the direct operations of the National Parks and the special initiatives. Listed separately are
2400-522: The Mountains in 1842 by John C. Frémont labeled the feature Scott's Bluff (with an apostrophe). Another early military map of Nebraska and the Dakotas published in 1875 by G.K. Warren dropped the apostrophe and labeled the feature simply as Scotts Bluff . There are numerous other examples in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in which the name has been spelled with or without an apostrophe. In
2480-535: The NPS could not meet. In 1951, Conrad Wirth became director of the NPS and began to bring park facilities up to the standards that the public was expecting. In 1952, with the support of President Dwight D. Eisenhower , Wirth began Mission 66 , a ten-year effort to upgrade and expand park facilities for the 50th anniversary of the Park Service. New parks were added to preserve unique resources and existing park facilities were upgraded and expanded. In 1966, as
Scotts Bluff National Monument - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-535: The National Park Service, which have a wide variety of titles or designations. The system as a whole is considered to be a national treasure of the United States, and some of the more famous national parks and monuments are sometimes referred to as " crown jewels ". The system encompasses approximately 85.1 million acres (0.344 million km ), of which 2.6 million acres (0.011 million km ) remain in private ownership. The largest unit
2640-552: The Park Service turned 50 years old, emphasis began to turn from just saving great and wonderful scenery and unique natural features to making parks accessible to the public. Director George Hartzog began the process with the creation of the National Lakeshores and then National Recreation Areas . A 1963 report titled "Wildlife Management in the National Parks" was prepared by a five-member advisory board on Wildlife Management, appointed by United States Secretary of
2720-640: The Scotts Bluff area at Robidoux Pass and the Mormon Trail passed to the north of the bluff, on the other side of the North Platte River. In the early 1850s a road was constructed in the gap, which later became known as Mitchell Pass . Beginning in 1851, this new passage became the preferred route of the Oregon and California Trails ; although the Mormon Trail continued to pass the bluff only at
2800-424: The Visitor Center and climbs 435 feet (133 m) in 1.6 miles (2.6 km). The first third of the trail is relatively level from the Visitor Center to Scott's Spring. From here, the trail climbs rapidly most of the 435 feet (133 m) in 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the summit parking lot. The Oregon Trail Pathway is a short trail ascending 85 feet (26 m) in 0.5 miles (0.80 km). The trail begins at
2880-401: The action by signing the act into law. The exception, under the Antiquities Act , allows the president to designate and protect areas as national monuments by executive order. Regardless of the method used, all parks are to be of national importance. A potential park should meet all four of the following standards: Before creation of a new unit, Congress typically directs the NPS to conduct
2960-412: The age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. The median household income was $ 35,185, and the median family income was $ 42,378. Males had a median income of $ 32,750 versus $ 22,026 for females. The per capita income for
3040-479: The base of the bluff that is now the center of Scotts Bluff National Monument . Although settled in 1886, Gering officially became a town in 1887 by a corporation headed by Oscar Gardner of Broken Bow, Nebraska and named for Martin Gering, a pioneer merchant with whom Gardner started the first dry goods store. Gardner, who was also a lawyer and Gering's first notary public, started the post office 1887, becoming Gering's first Postmaster. Union Pacific Railroad platted
3120-466: The bluff as a destination because of its extensive views of the flat land stretching to the east, the hills and mountains to the west, and the river valley in between. Developers built various trails up the bluff over the years, but most were precarious and dangerous. In the early 20th century, the National Park Service constructed a safer, more modern trail for improved access. The Department of Interior designated Scotts Bluff and several nearby bluffs as
3200-400: The city of Scottsbluff, Nebraska , were named after the landmark. Although called "Scotts Bluff National Monument," the site includes two separate bluffs, "South Bluff" and the northern bluff called "Scotts Bluff." There are five major outcroppings on the bluffs, known as Dome Rock, Crown Rock, Sentinel Rock, Eagle Rock and Saddle Rock. The area between Scotts Bluff and the North Platte River
3280-473: The city was $ 18,775. About 5.9% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over. In 1922, Gering started its annual Oregon Trail Days, a celebration that takes place during the second week of July each year. Friends, families, Gering High School classmates, and the Old Settlers reunion all congregate in Gering for
Scotts Bluff National Monument - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-538: The concession-run campgrounds (1.42 million). In 2019, the NPS had an annual budget of $ 4.085 billion and an estimated $ 12 billion maintenance backlog. On August 4, 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law reducing the $ 12 billion maintenance backlog by $ 9.5 billion over a 5-year period beginning in FY 2021. As of 2022, the NPS had the largest budget allocation of any Department of
3440-415: The creation of the NPS. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act that mandated the agency "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations". Mather became the first director of
3520-611: The difficulties of managing elk populations in Yellowstone National Park and how "overprotection from natural ground fires" in California's Sequoia National Park , Kings Canyon National Park , and Yosemite National Park had begun to threaten groves of Giant Sequoia with catastrophic wildfires. The report also established a historical baseline that read, "The goal of managing the national parks and monuments should be to preserve, or where necessary to recreate,
3600-573: The display of a Murphy and Conestoga wagons and ends in Mitchell Pass. The Bike Path is the only trail available to users other than hikers. It runs from the Visitor Center to the eastern boundary of the park. It drops 50 feet (15 m) in 1.2 miles (1.9 km). Scotts Bluff County and the city of Scottsbluff were named after the landmark. During World War II , the United States built hundreds of T2 oil tanker ships and named many of them after national monuments. The SS Scotts Bluff
3680-413: The ecologic scene as viewed by the first European visitors." This baseline would guide ecological restoration in national parks until a climate change adaptation policy, "Resist-Adapt-Direct", was established in 2021. National Parks director Jonathan Jarvis charged the twelve-member NPS Advisory Board Science Committee to take a fresh look at the ecological issues and make recommendations for updating
3760-655: The entire decision space for responding to ecosystems facing the potential for rapid, irreversible ecological change." Here, the iconic species of Joshua Tree National Park is a leading example. The three RAD options are: The "Resist-Accept-Direct" Framework is first described in a July 2020 paper published in Fisheries Eighteen researchers from federal and state agencies and universities collaborated in this effort, which included short case studies of where and how this framework has already been applied. The National Park System includes all properties managed by
3840-404: The first time. The initial listing of U.S. areas was presented in 2010, consisting of areas already set aside under other legislation. The NPS has 19 park units designated as MPAs. The National Park System received over 325 million recreation visits in 2023. Park visitation grew 64 percent between 1979 and 2015. The 10 most-visited units of the National Park System handle around 30 percent of
3920-492: The most popular areas do charge entrance fees. Fees vary site to site and are charged either on a per-vehicle or per-person basis, with most passes valid for 7 days. The America the Beautiful Pass series waives the per-vehicle fee or per-person fee for the holder and up to 3 other adults (children age 15 and younger are admitted for free at most sites). Annual passes for single areas are also available for those who visit
4000-537: The name of this spot. A party who had been trading with the Indians were returning to the States and encountering a band of hostile savages, were robbed of their peltries and food. As they struggled homeward, one of the number, named Scott, fell sick and could not travel. The others remained with him, until the sufferer, despairing of ever beholding his home, prevailed on his companions to abandon him. They left him alone in
4080-671: The newly formed NPS. On March 3, 1933, President Herbert Hoover signed the Reorganization Act of 1933. The act gave the president the authority to transfer national monuments from one governmental department to another. Later that summer, new president Franklin D. Roosevelt made use of this power after NPS Deputy Director Horace M. Albright suggested that the NPS, rather than the War Department , should manage historic American Civil War sites. President Roosevelt agreed and issued two executive orders to implement
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#17327833765364160-553: The original Leopold Report. The committee published their 23-page report in 2012, titled, "Revisiting Leopold: Resource Stewardship in the National Parks". The report recommended that parks leadership "manage for change while confronting uncertainty." "... New and emerging scientific disciplines — including conservation biology, global change science, and genomics — along with new technological tools like high-resolution remote sensing can provide significant information for constructing contemporary tactics for NPS stewardship. This knowledge
4240-400: The overall visits. The top 10 percent of parks (43) handle over 64 percent of all visits, leaving the remaining more than 380 units to accommodate around 36 percent of visits. (Note that only 380 sites recorded visitors during 2021 due to COVID-19-related closures). Most areas of the National Park System do not charge entrance fees and are completely supported by tax dollars, although some of
4320-478: The places entrusted to its management and with making them available for public use and enjoyment. Artist George Catlin , during an 1832 trip to the Dakotas, was perhaps the first to suggest the concept of a national park. Indian civilization, wildlife, and wilderness were all in danger, wrote Catlin, unless they could be preserved "by some great protecting policy of government ... in a magnificent park ... A nation's Park, containing man and beast, in all
4400-413: The population was under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 92.9 males. The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $ 62,764 (with
4480-586: The region. In the 1930s, a roadway leading to the top of Scotts Bluff was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps , organized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's administration. The road goes through three tunnels on its way to the top and provides easy access to the summit. All historic sites administered by the National Park Service were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, when it
4560-582: The reorganization. These two executive orders transferred to the NPS all of the War Department's historic sites as well as national monuments that the Department of Agriculture had managed and parks in and around Washington, D.C. that an independent federal office had previously operated. The popularity of the parks after the end of the World War II left them overburdened with demands that
4640-494: The route to the Rocky Mountains in 1823, and fur traders in the region relied on the bluffs as a landmark. European Americans named the north, and most prominent bluff, after Hiram Scott , a fur trader who died in 1828 near the bluffs. The local Native Americans had called it Me-a-pa-te, "the hill that is hard to go around." Fur traders, missionaries , and military expeditions began regular trips past Scotts Bluff during
4720-429: The same site often. Over 15 million visitors spent a night in one of the national park units during 2015. The largest number (3.68 million) were tent campers. The second largest group (3.38 million) stayed in one of the lodges, followed by miscellaneous stays (on boats, group sites—2.15 million). The last three groups of over-night visitors included RV campers (2.26 million), backcountry campers (2.02 million) and users of
4800-425: The site. Big Cypress National Preserve and Big Thicket National Preserve were created in 1974 as the first national preserves. National reserves are similar to national preserves, but the operational authority can be placed with a state or local government. New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve was the first to be established in 1978. National historic sites protect a significant cultural resource that
4880-506: The sites of larger actions, such as Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park , Vicksburg National Military Park , Gettysburg National Military Park , and Shiloh National Military Park —the original four from 1890. Examples of battlefield parks , battlefield sites , and national battlefields include Richmond National Battlefield Park , Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site , and Antietam National Battlefield . National memorials are areas that officially memorialize
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#17327833765364960-501: The town in 1887, but did not lay any track until 1910. In November 1888, Scottsbluff county split from Cheyenne County , and Gering became the new county seat. The city of Scottsbluff was founded across the North Platte River from the bluff in 1899, by a subsidiary of the Burlington Railroad , and had track and a makeshift depot by 1900. Separated only by the river, the two cities have since grown together and now form
5040-408: The trail. They succeeded in overtaking the party of which they were in quest, but concealed their faithless desertion of Scott; alleging that he had died of disease. “On the ensuing summer, these very individuals, visiting these parts in company with others, came suddenly upon the bleached bones and grinning skull of a human skeleton, which by certain signs, they recognized for the remains of Scott. This
5120-627: The west. An unconformity separates the Brule from the overlying Gering Formation , composed of fluvial sediments . Next in the geologic sequence is the Miocene Monroe Creek – Harrison Formations that include eolian features such as cross-bedding and ripple marks . These formations include the caprock , composed of hard, lime-cemented ledges called “pipy” concretions formed when calcium carbonate (lime) precipitated from groundwater . Summit Trails The North Overlook Trail
5200-451: The wild[ness] and freshness of their nature's beauty!" Yellowstone National Park was created as the first national park in the United States. In 1872, there was no state government to manage it (Wyoming was a U.S. territory at that time), so the federal government managed it directly through the army, including the famed African American Buffalo Soldier units. The movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands
5280-409: The wilderness, several miles from this spot. Here human bones were afterwards found; and, supposing he had crawled here and died, the subsequent travelers have given his name to the neighboring bluff. There has always been some disagreement as to the proper spelling of this geomorphic feature, specifically with regard to the apostrophe. For example, an 1843 map titled Map of an Exploratory Expedition to
5360-404: Was 1,543.1 per square mile (596.0/km ). There were 3,426 housing units at an average density of 617.3 per square mile (238.4/km ). The racial makeup was 80.63% (6,905) white , 0.89% (76) black or African-American , 2.0% (171) Native American , 0.63% (54) Asian , 0.06% (5) Pacific Islander , 6.17% (528) from other races , and 9.63% (825) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race
5440-402: Was 2,067.8 inhabitants per square mile (798.4/km ). There were 3,332 housing units at an average density of 888.9 per square mile (343.2/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 91.48% White, 0.13% African American, 1.14% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.56% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.40% of the population. Of
5520-400: Was 2.99. The median age was 38.7 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. At the 2000 census , there were 7,751 people, 3,173 households, and 2,170 families living in the city. The population density
5600-400: Was 24.0% (1,998) of the population. Of the 3,089 households, 36.9% had children under the age of 18; 51.6% were married couples living together; 25.7% had a female householder with no husband present. 20.0% of households consisted of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 2.9. 24.2% of
5680-596: Was a clerk for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and died near the bluff in 1828. The bluff served as an important landmark on the Oregon Trail , California Trail and Pony Express Trail , and was visible at a distance from the Mormon Trail . Over 250,000 westward emigrants passed by Scotts Bluff between 1843 and 1869. It was the second-most referred to landmark on the Emigrant Trails in pioneer journals and diaries. Scotts Bluff County and
5760-494: Was built in 1944, served in the war, and then its name was changed when it was sold to France in 1948. Gering, Nebraska Gering is a city in and the county seat of Scotts Bluff County , Nebraska , United States, in the Panhandle region of the state. The population was 8,564 at the 2020 census , making it the 17th most populous city in Nebraska . Gering was officially founded on March 7, 1887, being located at
5840-420: Was created in 1937. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore , created in 1966, were the first national lakeshores. National rivers and wild and scenic riverways protect free-flowing streams over their length. The riverways may not be altered with dams, channelization, or other changes. Recreational pursuits are encouraged along the waterways. Ozark National Scenic Riverways
5920-624: Was created in 1968 and consists of two major components: National scenic trails are long-distance trails through some of the most scenic parts of the country. They received official protection in 1968. The Appalachian Trail is the best known. National historic trails commemorate the routes of major historic events. Some of the best known are the Trail of Tears , the Mormon Trail , and the Santa Fe Trail . These trails are administered by several federal agencies. Wilderness areas are part of
6000-504: Was established in 1964. National recreation areas originally were units surrounding reservoirs impounded by dams built by other federal agencies, the first being Lake Mead National Recreation Area . Some national recreation areas are in urban centers, such as Gateway National Recreation Area and Golden Gate National Recreation Area , which encompass significant cultural as well as natural resources. The National Trails System preserves long-distance routes across America. The system
6080-440: Was established. According to Washington Irving , around 1825 a fur trapping party was “descending the upper part of the (Nebraska) River in canoes when their frail barks were overturned and all their powder spoiled. Their rifles being thus rendered useless they were unable to procure food by hunting and had to depend upon roots and wild fruits for subsistence. After suffering extremely from hunger, they arrived at Laramie’s Fork,
6160-405: Was sixty long miles from the place where they had abandoned him; and it appeared that the wretched man had crawled that immense distance before death put an end to his miseries. The wild and picturesque bluffs in the neighborhood of his lonely grave have ever since borne his name.” Another version of the legend portrays Scott's companions in more favorable terms: A melancholy tradition accounts for
6240-401: Was spearheaded by business magnate and conservationist Stephen Mather . With the help of journalist Robert Sterling Yard , Mather ran a publicity campaign for the Department of the Interior . They wrote numerous articles that praised the scenic and historic qualities of the parks and their possibilities for educational, inspirational, and recreational benefits. This campaign resulted in
6320-561: Was the first in 1906. While the National Park Service holds the most national monuments, a monument may be managed or co-managed by a different entity such as the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service . National preserves are for the protection of certain resources and operate similar to many National Parks, but allow limited resource extraction. Activities like hunting, fishing, and some mining may be allowed depending on
6400-550: Was to be done? By a forced march they might overtake this party, and thus be able to reach the settlements in safety. Should they linger they might all perish of famine and exhaustion. Scott, however, was incapable of moving; they were too feeble to aid him forward, and dreaded that such a clog would prevent them coming up with the advance party. They determined, therefore, to abandon him to his fate. Accordingly, under pretense of seeking food, and such simples as might be efficacious in his malady, they deserted him and hastened forward upon
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