History of this land began long before written records. In prehistoric times, the landscape was swampy and inhabited by dinosaurs. Thousands of years later Native Americans claimed the land. The first white men moving through the area with any regularity were mountain men. The river, with its pleasing waters, welcomed the dehydrated traveler. The waters were made all the sweeter by the crossing from the Platte across the dusty and arid alkali plains. Nevertheless, what initially seemed most inviting about the river –its gentle, steady flows soon turned into a persistent roadblock. The emigrants, unlike the river itself, were not content to meander haphazardly over the landscape. To follow each bend would expend an additional day or more of travel. Time being too precious, they crossed the river nine different times. By then, most were glad to leave the river behind, although that marked the beginning of a long dry stretch over the South Pass.
The area has evolved from dinosaur tracks to wagon tracks to railroad tracks to modern interstate highways. You have to close your eyes to imagine the excitement of wild horses, buffalo, and other wildlife running free and the spectacular beauty of sand dunes and mountain passes...h/font>
