The Great Platte River Road
The Platte River Valley is located north of the Colorado Piedmont, and runs a corridor from east to west. "In addition to being a strip of irrigated agriculture across the Great Plains, the Platte River's broad valley is one of the oldest transportation routes in North America." (Hudson, pg. 292) The Platte influenced much of America's expansion westward, and played a key role in the nation's transportation history. The region is also noted for being one of the most heavily irrigated in the United States.
Transportation
Wagon Train in 1847
"The broad, flat valley of the Platte with its easy ascent to the foothills of the Rockies provided westward-moving Americans with one of the world's great natural highways, and the Platte Valley became the funnel through which America literally spilled over into the West." (Olson, pg. 54) The river itself was not navigatable, but the roadbed provided an excellent trail for wagons. It was first reported as a potential wagon route in 1813 by Robert Stuart, the first white man through the valley. This route became a "superhighway" of sorts, and went on to become the most important wagon road in it's day. "It was followed by all of the long-distance pioneers who traversed the Oregon Trail, The Morman Trail, and the Forty-Niners (California gold rush) Trail,", as well as the Pony Express. (Hudson, pg 292) Also, in 1862, after the Civil War had ended, the government enacted the Pacific Railroad Act, and construction on the first transcontinental railroad began. It traveled from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California, which included a course along the north bank of the Platte River. This area carries a rich transportation history that helped to shape and influence the rest of the country in a countless number of ways. "Today the I-80/Union Pacific corridor across Nebraska and Wyoming (arguably the nation’s busiest intercontinental highway) carries on the role that trails and wagon roads played 150 years ago." (Hudson, pg. 292)
Irrigation
The Platte River Valley is also one of the most heavily irrigated regions in the nation. "Severe drought in the 1930s led to the boom in irrigation. After leveling off in the moist
1940s, well drilling accelerated in the dry early 1950s and peaked at over four thousand wells in 1956." (Baltensperger, pg. 185) Sugar beets and irrigated corn crops are two of the dominant crops in the area. Because irrigation-water withdrawal produces a deficit in the water level, it has "been the subject of much legislation and litigation" over the years. (Olson, pg. 314). Today, it has peaked conservative interests, as many are "seeking to preserve migratory bird nesting grounds in the valley." (Hudson, pg. 293) However, irrigation in the region continues.
Sources
Athearn, R. G. (1971). Union pacific country. US: Rand Mcnally & Company.
Baltensperger, B. H. (1985). Nebraska: A geography. Colorado: Westview Press.
Hudson, J. C. (2002). Across this land: A regional geography of the united states and canada. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Nebraska Department of Economic Development. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.neded.org/content/view/397/34/
Olson, J. C. (1966). History of nebraska. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Sheldon, A. E. (1913). The overland trails of nebraska. Retrieved from http://www.legendsofamerica.com/NB-OverlandTrails.html