Upper Oak Creek Descent Ruts of the Woodbury Cutoff, Ox Bow Trail of the California Road facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Creating Upper Oak Creek Descent Ruts of the Woodbury Cutoff, Ox Bow Trail of the California Road
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The descent ruts can be seen as parallel striations in the ground, roughly parallel to the fence and lying between the fence in the background and the deeply-eroded swale in the foreground.
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 Location in Nebraska
Location in the United States
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| Location | Rural southeastern Butler County, Nebraska |
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| Built | 1847 |
| Architect | Daniel Phineas Woodbury |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001572 |
| Added to NRHP | November 27, 1992 |
Imagine a path worn deep into the ground by thousands of wagons! The Upper Oak Creek Descent Ruts are like a historical highway. They are part of the old Ox Bow Trail in Butler County, Nebraska. This trail was used by pioneers heading west long ago. It connected to famous routes like the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail. These ruts are very important. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Contents
Journey West: Pioneer Trails
In the 1840s, many American pioneers moved west. They traveled to places like Oregon, California, and Utah. These areas later became states in the United States. Pioneers followed long paths called trails. The most famous were the Oregon and Mormon trails.
Famous Westward Trails
The Oregon and Mormon trails ran through what is now Nebraska. They followed along the Platte River. The Oregon Trail was on the south side of the river. The Mormon Trail was on the north side. Both trails had many starting points. These included towns like Independence and St. Joseph. Other starting points were Nebraska City and Council Bluffs-Omaha. From these towns, many smaller routes led to the main trails.
The Woodbury Cutoff
As more pioneers moved west, the U.S. Army looked for places to build forts. These forts would protect the travelers. Lieutenant Daniel Phineas Woodbury was in charge of finding new fort locations. He helped build Fort Kearny. He also found a new path from Nebraska City to Fort Kearny. This path was discovered in 1847. It became known as the Woodbury Cutoff or Woodbury Trail. The Upper Oak Creek Descent Ruts are found along this historic Woodbury Trail.
What Are the Upper Oak Creek Ruts?
The ruts are deep grooves in the ground. They were made by wagon wheels from 1847 to 1860. Pioneers used these wagons to move their belongings west. This preserved section of ruts is about a quarter of a mile long. It runs through prairie land that has never been plowed.
Why These Ruts Are Special
Most of the Woodbury Cutoff has disappeared. This is because of farming in eastern Nebraska. So, these ruts are one of the few parts left. The ruts are about 20 feet wide at their start. They follow a ridge for about an eighth of a mile. Then, the trail turns west. It goes down 110 feet to Oak Creek. In 1992, the remaining wagon wheel ruts were 2,315 feet long.
