September 21, 2023 – Lake McConaughy State Rec Area, NE

Thursday morning, we drove to Ash Hollow State Historical Park which got its name from the grove of ash trees that pioneers discovered on their stopover along the Oregon/California/Mormon Trails. We were disappointed when we arrived to find that the visitor center was closed.

We hiked a short steep trail down to Ash Hollow Cave which has an interpretative center built over the entrance, but it was also closed.   Archaeological excavations in the area indicate that early man used the area as much as 6,000 years ago. One of the latest groups was the Dismal River People, ancestors of the Plains Apache.



We continued down the steep trail to the Ash Hollow Spring Pond.  This was a stopping place for travelers on the Oregon/California/Mormon Trails.







Ash Hollow with its water, wood and grass was a welcome relief and travelers usually stopped for a period of rest and refitting.






After hiking back up the steep trail we drove across the park to the Stone School House built in 1903.  This rock building replaced an older sod schoolhouse. 


 




We could not go in the building, but the door had plexiglass we could look through.





A short distance from the school is the foundation of an old trading post/ mail station built in 1854.  In April of 1855, Little Thunder’s band of Brule Sioux raided and burned the station.





A little over two miles down the highway is the Windlass Hill section of the park.  This brick covered wagon has displays about the wagons that used the Oregon Trail.





Windlass Hill is the steep hill the pioneers had to descend to get to Ash Hollow.  We hiked another steep trail to the top.



Tacky on the Oregon Trail.







The top of Windlass Hill where the wagons started the steep descent.  It is hard to imagine taking a covered wagon down the hill.






This ravine towards the bottom of Windlass Hill started as a set of wagon ruts.  Time and erosion have turned the ruts into this deep ravine.  The trail we hiked to the top was surfaced to prevent further erosion.

We enjoyed our visit to Ash Hollow even though the building were closed.  











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