California Hill
About this property
California Hill is a hill in Nebraska, and the first major hill ascended by emigrants on the Oregon Trail. East of O'Fallon's Bluffs, the trail begins to turn southward along the South Platte River. The migrants had to make a decision of where to cross the river and then over the divide between the north and south branches of the Platte River. The North Platte River was the preferred route towards Fort Laramie and Casper, Wyoming. A variety of fords was used, but the most often chosen was named the California Crossing. Having travelled 53 miles (85 km) west of O'Fallon's Bluffs this crossing was the most direct to Ash Hollow and the North Platte River. While shallow, the South Platte's sandy bottom created a major obstacle for heavy wagons. Quicksand and moving water were the cause of wrecks, drownings, and deaths from exposure. This was accentuated as the main crossing season was in May and early June when the rivers became swollen from the spring melt in the Rocky Mountains to the west. Once over, the emigrants faced California Hill. This climb of 240 feet (73 m) was over a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) before reaching the plateau that stretches between the two forks of the Platte. While not as steep as the hills ahead of them on the trail, this was the first major hill that they faced.
Location
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was California Hill listed on the National Register?
California Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1974.
What type of historic resource is California Hill?
California Hill is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for California Hill?
The period of significance for California Hill is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near California Hill?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near California Hill will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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