photograph by Pete Zarria via Flickr
Oregon Trail Ruts, WY: Worn from 2 to 6 feet into an eroded sandstone ridge on the south side of the North Platte River, this roadbed gives clear physical evidence of the route followed by thousands of pioneers who migrated westward across the Plains in the mid-nineteenth century. The trail's first recorded use was in 1812 and it continued in use until completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869 provided a shorter, surer, safer journey.