Historian leads local tours of Oregon Trail history

History has been preserved beneath our feet in western Nebraska, if one only knows where to look. Public historian Sandra Reddish knows where, and she plans to show people this summer with her specialized driving tour “Where’s the Ruts?”

The idea was born in Studio B in Scottsbluff when Reddish was chatting with owner Priscilla Sandoz about how tourists always seem to end up downtown, looking for things to do. Reddish said that even when she was with Legacy of the Plains and History Nebraska, people would be asking “Where’s the ruts? Where’s the ruts?”

Knowing the right people and places to send them to, Reddish would send them on their way. As she and Sandoz chatted, they realized a guided tour might just be what these tourists need.

Reddish gave Sandoz a short prototype tour, and Sandoz couldn’t believe what she saw.

“Holy cow, she took me out on the first little ditty there, and it was great,” she said. “I had no idea. I’ve lived here all my life and didn’t know that this was right under our feet. And it’s really how America was founded. This is how it got here. It’s a big piece of history that we own in Scottsbluff.”

The tour would include classic stops like Chimney, Jailhouse and Courthouse Rocks, but it would also be interspersed with little known gems even to locals, ruts left by the half a million wagons that passed through and historical context you really couldn’t get anywhere else in one place.

“You’re going to get the context of what’s going on in the United States in the 1840s to about 20 years up until the Civil War, understanding what’s going on on the Great North Platte River Valley, and how that goes for the whole Platte River area. So yeah, everything is going to be in context,” Reddish said. “Nothing just happens in a vacuum. There is always a cause and effect.”

Reddish said that this tour would help people see the Oregon Trail come to life and give a realistic visual of the stories Nebraskans learn and read about in fourth grade. It’s not exactly what you might have seen in the movies or on TV.

“Whatever images that you still think of that Hollywood produced, no,” she said. “You pretty much walked. The only time you’re riding in the wagon is maybe if you’re sick, but even then it’s not going to be a great feeling. … The Hollywood image of sitting in the wagon — probably not.”

Reddish said the tour is a bit of an experiment right now to see if something like this would be successful for the area, but Sandoz said she couldn't believe it wasn’t being done already.

“We just don’t know what we’re looking at, and when she (Reddish) shows you, the historical aspect of where they were, where the markers are, and what it did to the ground — changed the earth — once you see that, it’s astonishing that it’s so obvious,” she said. “I don’t know why people haven’t done it. Because they’re interested. When they come to town, when tourists come to town, and I have conversations with them, they’re definitely interested.”

There are three different types of tours available: a half day, full day, and day and a half. It is a driving tour throughout the North Platte River Valley with your own vehicle as you follow Reddish to her tour stops. She will take at most six people on each tour and encourages appropriate hiking attire, including hiking shoes or boots. Prices are available upon inquiry. All tours are by appointment only.

If interested in taking one of these tours to explore western Nebraska’s rich history more in depth, contact Sandoz at 308-637-4466 or stop by Studio B at 1715 Broadway, Scottsbluff.

This article originally appeared in the Gering Courier on June 18, 2021.