By Sandra Scott

In 1865, when Horace Greely wrote in the New York Tribune "Go West, young man, and grow with the country," people were already moving west - by the thousands. Before 1.6 million homesteaders moved west there were more than 400,000 who followed the 2,170-mile route from Missouri to Oregon or California, braving everything from disease to accidents to rushing river crossings. Babies were born and people died. Most walked, and they had to get to Missouri first. The trip took four to six months traveling 15 miles a day. It was one of the largest mass migrations of people in the world.

The 325-foot Chimney Rock in western Nebraska was a sign the plains were coming to an end. After that it was on to Scotts Bluff and Mitchell Pass, then the mountains. Most travelers left journals or wrote about their journey later. Catherine Sager's tale of how her 14-year-old brother managed to get his family — which, after the death of his parents on the trail, consisted of seven children, the youngest only 5 months old — to Oregon is beyond incredible.

The visitor center at Scotts Bluff has replicas of covered wagons with costumed interpreters to answer questions and offer visitors a piece of hardtack, the staple food for pioneers. The center provides a shuttle bus to the top of the bluff, where there is a sweeping view of the plains.

At that time the Pony Express had only been in operation for 18 months, but it holds a permanent place in the mythology of the Old West, probably because many were young boys who signed an oath not to drink, smoke, cuss or gamble, and it was mandatory that they carry a Bible. Today the people who belong to the National Pony Express Association ride through here on the route each year carrying a typical mochilla (mail bag).

As more and more people moved into the area soldiers were sent to provide security. Fort Robinson State Park in Crawford was an active military post from 1874 to 1948 and is where Crazy Horse was killed. He was the leader of the Oglala Lakotas who led a group of like-minded Native Americans in a fight against the U.S. government to protest its encroachments on their land. He and his followers finally surrendered to U.S. troops and Crazy Horse was imprisoned, but on Sept. 5, 1877, he was bayonetted to death by a guard who said he was trying to escape. And Crazy Horse's is just one of the stories of Fort Robinson.

The Visitors Center is in a 1909 red-brick building with white pillars that look a bit like a Southern mansion but was actually the men's barracks. Today it is a destination where people can stay, dine, tour, enjoy sports and even go to a Broadway-like production.

The fort's museum has Native American artifacts as well as displays dealing with the African-American cavalry units. The 9th Cavalry, nicknamed "Buffalo Soldiers," was one of the U.S. Army's regiments set aside for black enlisted men. They participated in numerous frontier campaigns, plus they fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the attack on San Juan Hill, Cuba. In 1942 Fort Robinson became a War Dog Training Center. Nearly 5,000 dogs, half of all the dogs used by the Army in World War II, were trained at the center as guard, scout, messenger and sled dogs.

The museum also has a display about the time during that war when the fort became the temporary home of about 3,000 prisoners of war. One interesting display shows POW Dietrich Kohl in his uniform before he donated it to the museum in 1996.

Also here it's possible to go tubing on the Niobrara River and then attend a musical performance at the Post Playhouse. There was not enough time for me to do everything, and there was so much to see.

As I headed south on State Route 89 toward Alliance, much to my surprise Carhenge rose up out of the wheat fields. This free attraction is an assemblage of cars built to look like Stonehenge. In what must have been a unique family get-together, relatives decided to build a memorial to Jim Reinders. Thirty-eight vintage cars were placed in a 96-foot circle, some upright in pits 5 feet deep and others welded together to form the circle and then sprayed gray. At first local citizens wanted the "junkyard" removed; now they proudly advertise "Alliance: Home of Carhenge."

WHEN YOU GO

A good plan is to make a driving loop that includes Scotts Bluff, Fort Robinson, Ogallala (the cowboy capital) and Sidney (home of retailer Cabella's) and winds up in Denver.

For more information visit www.visitnebraska.com (402-471-3796) and/or www.westnebraska.com (866-684-4066).

Try these unusual places to stay: Barn Anew (www.barnanew.com) has authentic Arapaho artifacts and restored sheep-shearing wagons. High Plains Homestead (www.highplainshomestead.com) has rescued homestead-era buildings that create a typical homestead village with themed accommodations. Find other off-the-beaten-path places to stay and play at www.nebraskahighcountry.com.

Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska, is a memorial to Jim Reinders that is meant to resemble England's Stonehenge. Photo courtesy of Sandra Scott.

A display in the museum at Fort Robinson State Park in Crawford, Nebraska, recalls prisoners of war who were housed there during World War II. Photo courtesy of Sandra Scott.

The visitor center at Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, offers replicas of covered wagons with costumed interpreters to answer questions. Photo courtesy of Sandra Scott.

Sandra Scott is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.