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25-30 miles west of Ogallala, NE via Hwy 26 and a few miles south of the little town of Lewellen is Ash Hollow. Oregon Trail travelers entered Ash Hollow from the south and traversed down "Windlass Hill". The descent was accomplished by tying ropes to the back of the wagons by which to hold them back and slow them and by locking the wheels. Although many emigrants commented on the steepness of the grade, there were few accidents. Today, you can still see the ruts etched by the wagons as they slid down Windlass Hill. Road-weary pioneers rested here and made repairs while their mules and oxen grazed the lush grasses. Emigrant guidebooks of the period indicated that Ash Hollow Springs provided the best water of any stop along the Overland Trail. Most of the wagon trains would rest at Ash Hollow for a day or two. There is a sod house or "soddy" at the edge of Windlass Hill in Ash Hollow. While not the original, it's built on the site of a soddy that was often used by the emigrants as a makeshift post office. Emigrants would leave letters & money for postage at the house for relatives back in the East and hope that some eastbound traveler would take it "back to the States" with them.
Ogallala, later on in the western frontier and cattle drive days, was known as the "Gomorra of the Plains." Today, you can visit Front Street and Boothill for recollections of these days.
