Robidoux Pass, also known as Roubadeau Pass, Roubedeau Pass, Roubideau Pass, Roubidoux Pass and Roubadeau Pass Gap, is a gap passing through the

Wildcat Hills The Wildcat Hills are an escarpment between the North Platte River and Pumpkin Creek in the western Panhandle, in the state of Nebraska in the Great Plains region of the United States. Located in Banner, Morrill, and Scotts Bluff counties, th ...

near

Scottsbluff, Nebraska Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, Scotts Bluff County, in the western part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The population was 14,436 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. ...

about west of

Gering, Nebraska Gering is a city in, and the county seat of, Scotts Bluff County, in the Panhandle region of Nebraska, United States. The population was 8,564 at the 2020 census. History Gering was officially founded on March 7, 1887, being located at the bas ...

. The gap was on the

Great Platte River Road The Great Platte River Road was a major overland travel corridor approximately following the course of the Platte River in present-day Nebraska and Wyoming that was shared by several popular emigrant trails during the 19th century, including the Tr ...

section of the historic

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

Emigrant Trail In the history of the American frontier, overland trails were built by pioneers throughout the 19th century and especially between 1829 and 1870 as an alternative to sea and railroad transport. These immigrants began to settle much of North Ameri ...

. It is at an elevation of . Used by thousands of emigrants to the west from 1843-1851, the pass is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. The area was named for members of the Robideau family, either

Antoine Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guian ...

or Joseph E. Robideau (also spelled Robidoux), who in the 1840s maintained a trading post east of the gap and later one at Scottsbluff. It contained blacksmith and grog shops, as well as other goods. The pass lies a few miles west southwest of Scottsbluff, Nebraska in broken country south of 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 In a ...

and the Wildcat Hills. Scotts Bluff blocked wagon travel along the south bank of the North Platte River, forcing early travelers to swing south and go through Robidoux Pass, a natural gateway in the great bluffs. In 1850, a shorter route was opened through

Mitchell Pass Mitchell Pass is a gap through the bluffs near Scottsbluff and Gering, Nebraska. Beginning in 1851, two of the Westward Expansion Trails passed through the gap, as did the Pony Express in the early 1860s. Today the area is protected as part of S ...

, just south of the monument itself and much closer to the Platte River and eliminated the eight-mile swing south."Scotts Bluff National Monument/Mitchell Pass"
/ref> A local road, Robidoux Road, now passes through the gap. Robidoux Pass is located south of

Scotts Bluff National Monument 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, toweri ...

, south and west of

off

Nebraska Highway 71 Nebraska Highway 71 is a highway in western Nebraska. Its southern terminus is at the Colorado border south of Kimball, as a continuation of Colorado State Highway 71. Its northern terminus is at the South Dakota border northwest of Crawford, ...

on Robidoux Road.Robidoux Pass"
National Park Service website The site was declared a

in 1961.

References

External links

Quickview map USGS
{{National Register of Historic Places Road transportation infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Nebraska Landforms of Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska Landforms of Nebraska Natural features on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Mountain passes of Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska

See also

References

External links