Flora and fauna
Tall grass and yucca plants are very common in the region.
Climate
The climate of the region is semi-arid. It is a combination of desert and plains land. Chimney Rock is contained in a scenic and huge expanse called the North Platte River Valley. Inside the valley, the elevation is generally in the range of 3000-3500 feet 914-1066m. The bluffs surrounding the valley have an elevation in the range of 4000-5000 feet 1220-1524m. Summers have humid and hot temperatures, sometimes causing severe thunderstorms. Falls bring mild temperatures and comfortable conditions. Winters are usually more severe in this region of the state than in any other region. Blizzards are very common during the winter. Springs bring mild temperatures, along with a very unresting storm season.
Understand
Chimney Rock in far-western Nebraska is a sandstone rock formation which rises 325 feet over the North Platte Valley. It is noted for its strange spire formation and for its history with the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails.
History
Chimney Rock has had a lot of history in its existence. Before the rock was just one, it was a large bluff connected with a series of bluffs right next to it. It was part of the ancient High Plains. After a while, erosion destroyed the weaker parts of the bluff and the stronger parts stayed such as Chimney Rock. For hundreds of years, Native Americans used the rock formation to kill and chase buffalo down it. It is believed that when the Native Americans used it, the rock was almost as tall as the nearby Scotts Bluff National Monument, which is 830 ft. tall. It is also believed that since the Native Americans called the rock "teepee", it used to be in the form of a mountain peak and erosion wore it down to make it look like a spire. Through the years, though, erosion weakened the rock and made it smaller. In the 1800s, emigrants began traveling west for a better life on the Oregon and Mormon Trails. As the emigrants passed by this rock, most of them noted in their diaries or journals that they "were glad to see that they are going the right direction" and it "spired to the heavens." It was the most-noted landmark along the Oregon Trail. It was about 490 ft. when the pioneers passed it. As time passed through the early 1900's erosion made it shorter and shorter faster than ever. In the 1970's, the National Park Service agreed to make Chimney Rock a national historic site. In 1995, a visitors center and museum was built on the national historic site. There are no trails or roads leading to the rock, but in the future, there may be. In April 2006, Nebraska's state quarter was released with the rock on the back.