Walking West with Robert Campbell

Mile 975- O’Fal­lon’s Bluff

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2012 Image on the South Plat­te with a Por­tion of O’Fal­lon’s Bluff in the Background

After depart­ing Grand Island, Robert Camp­bell and com­pa­ny would have trav­elled west fol­low­ing the Plat­te Riv­er. Robert states in his narrative;

At O’Fallon’s Bluff, the expe­di­tion was joined by Bill Fal­lon, after whom the bluffs were named. His name was Fal­lon; not O’Fallon. He had win­tered there. His father was a wag­on mak­er in Saint Louis. He was a strong, ath­let­ic man, as spry as a cat, and a great horse­man. His weight was 200 pounds. He could mount a horse on the run and pick up a six­pence from the ground whole on the gallop”

O’Fallon’s bluffs are locat­ed in west­ern Nebras­ka on the South Plat­te riv­er. These bluffs con­sist of a 20 mile long stretch of hills that come very close to the riv­er near mod­ern day Suther­land, Nebras­ka. O’Fallon’s Bluffs would lat­er become a stop on the Ore­gon Trail, host­ing the Don­ner Par­ty at one point. It would also become the home of a Pony Express station.

Ore­gon Trail Mark­ers Near Mod­ern Day Suther­land, Nebraska