Courthouse and Jail Rocks are two rock formations located near Bridgeport in the Nebraska Panhandle. The Oregon-California Trail, the Mormon Trail, the Pony Express Trail and the Sidney-Deadwood Trail all ran near the rocks. The pair of rock formations served as a landmark along the trails for many pioneers traveling west in the 19th century. Many travelers would stray as much as from the Oregon Trail just to get a glimpse of the rocks. Hundreds of westward-bound emigrants mentioned Courthouse Rock (originally also McFarlan's Castle) in their travel logs and journals. The name "Courthouse" was first used in 1837. In 1845, one traveler described the rock as "resembling the ruins of an old castle hichrises abruptly from the plain....It is difficult to look upon it and not believe that art had something to do with its construction. The voyagers have called it the Courthouse; but it looks infinitely more like the Capitol."Mattes, M.J. 1987. The Great Platte River Road. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, p. 349-350 Courthouse and Jail Rocks, which rise above the North Platte Valley, are composed of Brule clay, Gering sandstone and

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, produced during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to r ...

. The rock formations are listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and in the Nebraska Natural Areas Register.

History

Robert Stuart (explorer) first recorded Court House and Jail House Rock in 1812. By 1849 and the California Gold Rush, the promontories had been described as Castles, a Church, and Coffins. The name Court House and Jail House became the most common.Court House and Jail House Rock; National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form; Carl Hugh Jones, Nebraska State Historical Society; Department of the Interior; Washington, D.C.; March 27, 1973 Pumpkin Creek forms an oxbow near the buttes where a meadow with trees make a suitable campsite. There is evidence that fur trappers, Native Americans, gold seekers on their way to California and the Black Hills, and the military once camped in this bend. Further to the southeast on Pumpkin Creek, is the site of a Pony Express Station. The Pony Express and the military used a shorter route on the west side as did the Sidney-Black Hills Trail. The buttes are the first promontories along the trail coming from the east. Even for those emigrants who used the Julesburg, Colorado crossing of the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwestern United States, Midwest and the American Sou ...

, the buttes are mentioned in their diaries.

Geology

Court House and Jail House Rocks are remnants of an ancient

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

, that was split by the

North Platte River The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 I ...

. They are remnants of the nearby hills that have become separated over time. At an elevation of above sea level they rise above Pumpkin Creek. Courthouse and Jail Rocks, which rise above the North Platte Valley, are composed of Brule clay, Gering sandstone and volcanic ash. The rock formations are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and in the Nebraska Natural Areas Register.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courthouse And Jail Rocks California Trail Mormon Trail Tourist attractions in Morrill County, Nebraska Oregon Trail Rock formations of Nebraska Latter Day Saint movement in Nebraska Landforms of Morrill County, Nebraska Natural features on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Morrill County, Nebraska

History

Geology

See also

References