In the late 19th century, the Sidney-Black Hills Trail emerged as a vital lifeline, connecting the town of Sidney, Nebraska, to the gold-rich Black Hills region. Between 1876 and 1887, this historic trail played a crucial role in facilitating the westward expansion, as miners, prospectors, businessmen, and others embarked on the arduous journey overland from the railroad hub in Sidney to the promise of riches in the Black Hills. Let’s step back in time to explore the town of Sidney and the challenges faced by those who set out on the Sidney-Black Hills Trail.
In 1875 Edwin A. Curley, author of Guide to the Black Hills, described the town of Sidney as a… “scene of crowded life, stirring business activity, and tumult and confusion of building enterprise scarcely equaled elsewhere in the West”.
As the jumping-off point for the Sidney-Black Hills Trail, the town of Sidney in the late 19th century was a bustling hub fueled by the energy of westward expansion. Established as a railroad town, Sidney served as a crucial stop for trains heading west and as an outfitting point for the miners and prospectors traveling to the gold fields north in the Black Hills. Arriving in Sidney, travelers encountered a mix of wooden storefronts, dirt streets, and a vibrant, rowdy atmosphere fueled by adventurers, outlaws, gamblers, and the soldiers from nearby Fort Sidney.
For those preparing to embark on the Sidney-Black Hills Trail, the town offered a last bastion of civilization and an opportunity to gather essential supplies. At one time, Front street, which paralleled the train tracks in downtown Sidney, boasted as many as 80 saloons. There were also numerous gaming halls, brothels and the world’s first 24-hour theater for the more adventurous traveler.
A correspondent, identified only as Jack, from The Daily State Journal of Lincoln on March 29, 1877 described the scene:
“The first place we were steered to was one that is visible to any and all passengers from the windows of the cars on the track of the Union Pacific, and situated on Front street, known as the SENATE. Entering this famous resort and saloon, we find at all hours of the evening the proprietor, whose cognomen is ‘Texas,’ gracefully perched behind the bar, waiting upon his many customers. . . . A large archway divides the saloon into two separate rooms, and in the rear one we find almost every kind of a gambling game played. There is a constant uproar there all the time, every dealer of the games endeavoring to rope in the many gazers on.”
The next establishment Jack visited was “Joe Lane’s Centennial Dance Hall. Upon arriving, we thought that it was indeed a ‘Lane,’ and moreover, one of those that has no turning–a long one. Filled to a red hot capacity, and still a ‘hotting’ . . . . To stand and look on at a pack of intoxicated men and dancehouse women endeavoring to dance, was not what we desired to see, and consequently we left the ‘centennial’ a better and wiser man.”
The next place Jack visited was a different story; “Thiele & Wagner have the finest concert Hall in the State, and they are receiving a large share of patronage. Unlike the other places mentioned, this is a pleasant resort to pass away a few spare hours in the evening. Becoming somewhat fatigued (we do not mean ‘boozed’) we left for home, concluding to take in the remainder of the town at some future time.”
Merchants, eager to capitalize on the influx of travelers, stocked their stores with essentials, makeshift dwellings and provisions such as flour, bacon, beans, and coffee. Freight firms receiving supplies from the train, utilized the trail to haul everything the new communities in the Black Hills needed on a daily basis; from food, clothing, and house wares to mining equipment and building supplies. Sidney’s economy was shaped by the wants and needs of the miners and the entrepreneurs who set up businesses to serve the miners. Entrepreneurs of all kinds set up shop or purchased one or two wagons that were then called “Shot-gun freighters”, hauling scarce commodities such as cats, whisky, eggs and potatoes to the gold fields up north. Life in Sidney during the gold rush was a blend of opportunity and uncertainty for these silent cornerstones of the community. It meant long hours and hard work, as they catered to the needs of the influx of miners passing through their town and those already up north needing life’s necessities. But it was also a time of prosperity and growth, as the demand for goods and services surged with each wave of hopeful prospectors. The streets echoed with the sounds of commerce, the clinking of coins, and the chatter of eager adventurers swapping stories and strategies. In this bustling frontier town, the spirit of entrepreneurship thrived, fueled by the dreams of striking it rich in the rugged terrain of the Black Hills.
It was not only miners and prospectors heading north from Sidney. Businessmen, entrepreneurs, laborers, investors, service providers and others made their way by horseback, stagecoach, bull trains and wagons to the Black Hills to make their fortune. Stagecoaches were more expensive but offered a more comfortable experience, and were on a schedule that traveled established routes between towns and settlements, allowing passengers to cover longer distances with relative speed and safety.
In the March 9, 1877 edition of the Omaha Daily Republican in an article about Sidney and the Sidney route there was a report on the stage lines out of Sidney:
“…The Sidney and Black Hills stage line, Marsh & Stephenson proprietors, furnishes the only first-class passenger and express accommodations between Sidney and Deadwood, and intermediate points. The stage leaves Sidney on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week regularly, Cheyenne to the contrary notwithstanding. Remming [stage line] leaves Deadwood for Sidney on those same days. The through trip is made in four days. The line is stocked with four-horse coaches and Concord stages, and on some subdivisions of the route there are six horses to each stage. They carry the U.S. Mail and express mail. The distance of the entire line is two hundred and sixty miles.. .The stages are running full all the time.. .and with the arrival of the Concord stages tomorrow all passengers will be sent through promptly…”
From this account, the travel seems simple and domestic, however, this isn’t the only experience documented. One of the negative accounts of a ride to the Black Hills by way of Sidney comes from a reporter for the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. The correspondent F.J. C. wrote:
“…With my last, I left you at Sidney, Neb. As we had wedged ourselves in a small sized coach with nine passengers inside and two outside and about ten hundred pounds of baggage and express. Left Sidney at 10 o ’clock, passed over rolling country with fair roads and at one o’clock made the first station and changed horses and were off again over similar country. The last part was rougher with scattering of pines on the hills… Caught sight of Scottsbluff and Chimney Rock… Here Tooting’ commenced, the sand being loose and the stage was a good load for the team of four… Just as darkness was setting in, we drew up to the station at the North Platte and changed teams… Between the Platte and Willow Creek station the road passes over a rolling country, covered with loose sand, through which we had to walk… He ended his article by writing his recommendation to the traveler… “As to the Sidney route and stages, I will say that if there was no other stage line by which I could get out I would buy a wheelbarrow, load my baggage, and pull out by the Pierre route before I would go back by that route, for by doing so I would only have to pull my own baggage and no coach. The company running the stages seem only to care for money, regardless of the comfort of passengers, and overload their stages with passengers.”
With supplies secured and wagons laden with essentials, adventurers, pioneers and prospectors set out from Sidney, following Highway 66 and turned north just past the current Fairgrounds entering a small canyon called Deadwood Draw and then up past Courthouse and Jail Rocks to present-day Bridgeport where they crossed the North Platte River via the Clarke Bridge. It would take these travelers four days to travel the trail, marked by ruts from countless wagon wheels, cutting through the vast prairies, rolling hills, and looming bluffs as it made its way north into South Dakota. The challenges were many – from unpredictable weather to encounters with bandits and Native American tribes protective of their lands.
The Sidney-Black Hills Trail, spanning the years 1876 to 1887, represents a pivotal chapter in the westward expansion of the United States. As we look back at the town of Sidney and the preparations made by those who ventured onto the trail, we gain a deeper understanding of the grit and determination that fueled these entrepreneurs in their pursuit of opportunity and prosperity in the Black Hills. The legacy of the Sidney-Black Hills Trail endures, etched into the landscape and the collective memory of a bygone era.