Upper Oak Creek Descent Ruts of the Woodbury Cutoff, Ox Bow Trail of the California Road

During the early 1840s, early American pioneers began migrating west to places such in Oregon, California, and Utah, which would later become states of the United States. They followed the Oregon and Mormon trails, which followed on either side of the Platte River in what is now modern day Nebraska. The Oregon Trail ran along the south side of the Platte and the Mormon Trail ran along the North side. Both the Oregon and Mormon trails had multiple starting points along the Missouri River. The major starting points included Independence, St. Joseph, Nebraska City, and Council Bluffs-Omaha. From each of these locations (and others) there were multiple routes to the main Oregon and Mormon trails. The Upper Oak Creek Descent Ruts are along the Woodbury Trail in Butler county, Nebraska. ==Description==

The ruts were created from 1847 to 1860 by the wagon wheels of the wagons pioneers used to move westward. The segment of preserved ruts is approximately in length running through unploughed prairie. This segment of ruts is one of the few remaining remnants of the Woodbuy Cutoff due to extensive agriculture in eastern Nebraska where the trail once ran. The ruts are approximately wide at their eastern edge and run southwest along a ridge for about at which point the trail curves to the west. As the trail turns west, it descends to Oak Creek. As of 1992, the total length of the remaining wagon wheel ruts was . ==References==