Scotts Bluff National Monument

We already have footpaths that cling to the spines of mountain ranges in the East, the West, and along the Rocky Mountains, but what would you think of one that roamed the prairies from Canada down to the high peaks of northwestern Texas?

Earlier this year we ran a story by former Park Service historian Richard West Sellars that examined how fully the National Park Service at Fort Laramie National Historic Site recounts the history of the 19th Century Indian Wars. The following article from Robert Pahre takes a broader look at how the National Park Service interprets Native American history.

Greetings from the visitor center at Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska. It is Wednesday afternoon and outside it is hot and windy. The monument is a few miles outside the town of Scottsbluff, where we spent last night in the municipal campground.

A coming infusion of $330,000 will help five units of the National Park System improve their trail networks.

This park offers dramatic views from a trail named Saddle Rock, formations with names such as Eagle Rock, and compelling tales of pioneers who made their way over Mitchell Pass. It also houses the world's largest collection of original sketches, paintings, and photographs by a famous American artist and photographer.