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Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about the Chimney Rock National Historic Site

Chimney Rock National Historic Site by MPSharwood from

Chimney Rock rises like a beacon on the Great Plains, at roughly 325 feet tall from peak to base. Thousands of immigrants risked their lives to trek westward, and it was one of the most beloved sights in the Nebraska panhandle. Oh, and it was also included in one of the most popular video games ever. Fill your cart with additional Chimney Rock information.

1. Chimney Rock stands as a testament to America’s volcanic heritage

Chimney Rock, Western Nebraska by Gene Brown from

Chimney Rock is a hoodoo, which is defined as a vertical stack of rock layers (or strata). The oldest layer dates back 34 million years, while the youngest was created 23 million years ago. In several of the layers, volcanic ash was a major component. A succession of volcanoes erupted in Nevada, Utah, and Colorado around 37 million years ago.

The Great Plains were blanketed in ash clouds caused by their eruptions, which mixed with sands, silts, and clays. The plains’ surface was uplifted after several million years. The layers were then eroded away, revealing Chimney Rock’s present form. A firm sandstone top at the summit may be preventing the weaker, more susceptible strata underneath it from dissolving as quickly as they would otherwise.

2. The Native American name for Chimney Rock translates to “elk penis”

The Lakota Sioux named it “Elk Peak,” “Elk Brick,” “Nose Mountain,” and “The Chimney,” while early white settlers and explorers dubbed it “Elk Peak,” “Elk Brick,” “Nose Mountain,” and “The Chimney.” Despite the fact that documented accounts of this formation date back to 1830, the name “Chimney Rock” didn’t appear on paper until 1842.

3. Chimney Rock served as a landmark for Oregon Trail travellers

The historic Oregon Trail, which extended from Missouri to the Pacific Northwest, was about 2000 miles long. During the 19th century, it is believed that up to 500,000 people travelled this difficult journey (and others like it).

Seeing Chimney Rock was a cause for jubilation for many of them because it meant the first (and simplest) part of their long trek was nearly complete. As a result, historian Merrill Mattes discovered more references to Chimney Rock than any other site in an examination of 300 journal entries recorded by Oregon Trail pioneers.

4. Chimney Rock was also crossed by the California and Mormon Trails

Chimney Rock by Allen Stutheit from

The California Trail, which was popularized during the Gold Rush of the 1840s and 1850s, spanned much of the same terrain as the more well-known Oregon Trail. The Mormon Trail, a 1300-mile trail from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Utah’s Great Salt Lake, did as well. Chimney Rock was visible from both paths.

5. Chimney Rock was formerly carved with the names of pioneers

鈥淚 saw hundreds of names out in the rock, some at a dizzying height,鈥� wrote one traveller in 1850. 鈥淚 wrote mine above all except two and theirs were about 8 feet higher than mine.鈥� Weathering and erosion have long since destroyed most of this graffiti, although a few monogram-covered rock samples have been removed from the site and preserved for posterity.

6. On August 9, 1956, Chimney Rock was designated as a National Historic Site

Visit the Ethel and Christopher J. Abbott Visitor’s Center in Bayard, Nebraska, to see it in person and learn more about the region’s rich history. There’s a viewing area featuring a small Chimney Rock ring-toss game, as well as an interactive museum showcasing the rocky tower in all its magnificence.

7. The Nebraska state quarter features Chimney Rock

The United States Mint launched the 50 States Quarters Program in 1999. To encourage coin collection, the agency issued a series of limited-edition commemorative quarters with artistic tributes to each U.S. state on the backsides. A covered wagon drives through Chimney Rock on Nebraska’s quarter, which was published in 2006.

The design was chosen above representations of the state building in Lincoln, the human figure atop the capitol and Ponca leader Standing Bear [PDF] by then-governor Dave Heineman.

8. Chimney Rock knocked out two nearby attractions when it first appeared in the Oregon Trail video game series

Don Rawitsch, a Minnesota history teacher, and his housemates came up with the idea for Oregon Trail in 1971. However, the first versions omitted any of the topographical sights that genuine emigrants would have encountered along the Oregon Trail. In 1984, a designer named Philip Bouchard was charged with updating the game for the Apple II. He included some real-life natural beauties to increase the appearance. “Chimney Rock was one of the most well-known of them all, therefore it was an unavoidable inclusion,” says the author.

In 2019, Bouchard told the Scottsbluff Star Herald. He removed two equally stunning structures that greeted travellers on the Oregon Trail: Scotts Bluff and Courthouse Rock, in order to spread out the game’s landmarks. Bouchard believed they were “too close to Chimney Rock for me to put them in the game” because they were both in western Nebraska.

9. Today, Chimney Rock is continually deteriorating

In 2019, Bouchard told the Scottsbluff Star Herald. He removed two equally stunning structures that greeted travellers on the Oregon Trail: Scotts Bluff and Courthouse Rock, in order to spread out the game’s landmarks. Bouchard believed they were “too close to Chimney Rock for me to put them in the game” because they were both in western Nebraska.

10. The rock has over 100 names on it 

Hundreds of names have been cut into Chimney Rock’s structure, as numerous pioneers and tourists traversed the region in the early nineteenth century, leaving their imprint in the form of etched names. However, owing to erosion and years of exposure to the changing atmosphere, the graffiti was washed away from the rock layer.

With its image, the ancient Chimney tower also has a currency. The state quarter of Nebraska features Chimney Rock. The coin was chosen by the State Governor in 2006 as a limited-edition coin to honour the state’s historical significance with aesthetic flare.

The Chimney Rock National Park, on the other hand, is a fantastic destination to visit since it is home to some of the most unusual animals, such as the black-footed ferret, bald eagle, and peregrine falcon, and whooping crane. The Chimney Rock plays a vital role in promoting tourism in Nebraska. On their way to Nebraska and Chimney Rock, visitors may stop at a number of other neighbouring parks.