Ash Hollow State Historical Park is located south of
Lewellen in
Garden County,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. The park comprises two attractions located from each other: Ash Hollow Cave and Windlass Hill.
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Ash Hollow Cave
A spring in the vicinity of Ash Hollow Cave made it an attractive site for periodic human habitation. Archaeological explorations of the cave have revealed that at least four distinct indigenous cultures occupied this area, during a period of more than 1,500 years. These include the Apache from A.D. 1675-1725; the Central Plains tradition from A.D. 900-1450; the Woodland tradition from A.D. 0-1100; and the Late Archaic tradition from 1000 B.C.-A.D. 500. The cave was used as a base camp for hunting and food collecting.
From the early 18th century, this became an area predominantly of Lakota Sioux occupation. The September 1855 Battle of Ash Hollow
The Battle of Ash Hollow, also known as the Battle of Blue Water Creek or the Harney Massacre,, 2004, Nebraska State Historical Society; accessed 15 August 2016Warren, G.K. (Lt.) Report of September 4, 1855, and sketch of Battle Ground at Blue Wa ...
took place near here. The United States Army, with 600 troops, made a punitive attack on a Brule Sioux encampment, killing a total of 86 people, including women and children, and taking another 70 women and children as captives.[ The attack on the Lakota Sioux was launched as a result of The Grattan Massacre of 1854 near Ft Laramie, Wyoming.
In 1962, the site was protected as part of a 312-acre Nebraska state park.][ Ash Hollow Cave was named as a ]National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1964, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1966. The surrounding area was named the Ash Hollow Historic District in 1975.[ In 1978, a visitor center was built overlooking the canyon.][
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Windlass Hill
Windlass Hill is located along the Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
- California Trail. The hill marked the entrance from the high table lands to the south into the Ash Hollow area and the North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 In a ...
valley. Wagon ruts are visible on the hill.[ The name "Windlass Hill" was not used by the emigrants,][ and the source of the name is unknown. Emigrants had a hard time going down the hill at a 25-degree angle, going down for about 300 feet.
]
See also
* Courthouse and Jail Rocks
*List of Registered Historic Places in Nebraska
__NOTOC__
This is a list of more than 1,100 properties and districts in Nebraska that are on the National Register of Historic Places. Of these, 20 are National Historic Landmarks. There are listings in 90 of the state's 93 counties.
Current ...
Bibliography
* Champe, J.L. ''Ash Hollow Cave, A Study of Stratigraphic Sequence in the Central Great Plains.'' University of Nebraska Studies, 1946.
References
External links
Ash Hollow State Historical Park
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Ash Hollow State Historical Park Map
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
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Archaic period in North America
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska
California Trail
Protected areas of Garden County, Nebraska
National Historic Landmarks in Nebraska
Native American history of Nebraska
State parks of Nebraska
Oregon Trail
Protected areas established in 1962
1962 establishments in Nebraska
National Register of Historic Places in Garden County, Nebraska