12 Duckburg landmarks

Dan Shane danshane at bellsouth.net
Tue Jul 2 15:49:43 CEST 2002


SIGVALD SAYS:

> This looks great. However I still think that Mount
> Demontooth should be removed from this list. I can
> give several reasons for this:
> a) A mountain is boring. It has no history since it
> has always been there.
> b) The 11 other landmarks are constructions built by
> people.

I can't follow that logic.  A mountain definitely marks the land, and I
never found any tall peak to be boring.  One of the most famous landmarks in
America is Chimney Rock in Nebraska.  It was not built by people, but I
doubt any manmade structure had so large an impact on this country's
history, at least as far as a point of reference for travelers.  Here is the
text of the historical marker at the site:

"No single sight along the Oregon and Mormon trails attracted more attention
than Chimney Rock, 1 [&] 1/2miles south of here [(a point on Nebraska State
Highway 92, southerly, from Bayard, Nebraska)]. Rising 475 feet above the
Platte River, the natural tour served as beacon to pioneers.

"Tired travelers described it in many ways during the three to four days it
was part of their horizon. For some it created mirage-like effects. Some
judged it to be 50 feet high, others 700.  Many tried to scale it, but none
succeeded. Later it became the setting for pony express, telegraph, and
stage stations.

"Many pioneers speculated on the fragility of the tower. They feared the
Brule clay with interlayers of volcanic ash and Arikaree sandstone would
soon crumble to nothingness on the prairie.

"Hundreds of names were scratched on the soft base. The names have washed
away, but the tower remains, as do references in faded diaries that attest
Chimney Rock was one of the celebrated landmarks on the pioneer trunklines
to the west."

Marker Text Copyright © "[Nebraska] Historical Markers Council"





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