During my early December migration from California east to Indiana, I made a brief stop at California Hill, which is located west of Ogallala, Nebraska on Highway 30. This hill marked the first significant elevation gain that had to be tackled for those traveling west toward the Pacific Coast back in the 1800s. Supposedly, the last wagon to make the trek west on the Oregon Trail was in 1906. After parking just north of Highway 30, a short 1/4-1/2 mile hike brought me to deep ruts produced by thousands of wagons. It was a very surreal experience to be standing in the tracks made by those hearty migrants over a hundred years ago. And the vast openness of the prairie, the same prairie they looked out upon, probably in misery, also provided an extra connection to the past. The map location of California Hill is located here.
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