Scotts Bluff |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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July 18, 1988 Location: North Overlook R.R., 19, of Scotts Bluff, Nebraska fell approximately 225 feet to his death near the North Overlook in the park. R.R. and two companions reportedly ignored signs advising visitors to stay on the trail near the overlook. Other visitors observed R.R. and his companions "horsing around" near the cliff edge just prior to the fall. The body was recovered by rangers with assistance provided by the Scotts Bluff Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol and the Gering Fire Department. Blood alcohol tests indicate that R.R. had been drinking.
Some time after 11:30 p.m. on the 7th, a person or persons threw two Molotov cocktails across the closed and locked entrance gate to the park. The devices did no damage. At about 1 a.m. on the 9th, another Molotov cocktail was thrown over the entrance gate. A sheriff's deputy on patrol in the area saw the fire and extinguished it. On the 11th, a maintenance worker found yet another Molotov cocktail on Highway 92 a third of a mile east of the Oregon Trail Museum, which is within the boundaries of the park. The bottle was unbroken, and is being checked for fingerprints. Park personnel are working with the sheriff's office and FBI in investigating the incidents; rangers have been dispatched from Jefferson National Expansion to assist the park. (Lisa Carrico, SCBL, via CompuServe message from RAD/MWRO).
The body of a 20-year-old Chadron, Nebraska, man was found in the parking lot at the top of Scotts Bluff by ranger Bob Manasek early on the morning of the 27th. Investigators believe that the man drove his car through a closed and locked road gate at the base of the bluff around 2:00 a.m. that morning, then drove to the parking lot and shot himself with a shotgun. The victim is the primary suspect in the sexual assault of a 21-year-old female convenience store employee in Gering, Nebraska, which occurred a short time before the victim took his life. The knife used in the assault was one of seven knives found in his vehicle. The investigation is being conducted by local law enforcement authorities. [Palma Wilson, CR, SCBL, via CompuServe message from Tom Thompson, RAD/MWRO, 1/28]
Just after dusk on November 23rd, R.B., 36, jumped from the top of Scotts Bluff and fell 800 feet to her death. R.B. had attempted to drive off the top of the monument in August, but trees in the vicinity of the parking area blocked her and she received only minor injuries. R.B. was subsequently hospitalized for emotional problems and placed on medication after she was released. Earlier on the 23rd, R.B.'s mother advised police that she had not taken her medicine and had left their residence. County deputies arrived at the monument about five minutes after she jumped. [Palma Wilson, CR, SCBL, via telefax from Rich Murphy, RLES, RAD/MWRO, 11/27]
Four-year-old J.W. was climbing in some loose rocks along Saddle Rock Trail while on a hike with his father on the afternoon of October 21st when he was bitten three times on the fingers of his left hand by a juvenile rattlesnake. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was given 20 vials of anti-venom and placed in the ICU. J.W. had surgery on his left hand and arm several days later, and is now making a complete recovery. An unusual aspect of the incident is that the snake was still active despite two measurable snowfalls and subfreezing temperatures earlier in the month. [Robert Manasek, ACR, SCBL, 11/1]
Thirteen-year-old V.M. was hiking on the park's Saddle Rock trail on June 16th when she was bitten by a prairie rattler. A family friend carried her a third of a mile to the visitor center, where rangers provided first aid and called an ambulance. V.M. underwent surgery to clean the wound and was treated with anti-venom. She spent the night in the hospital and was released the next day. [Glen Sherrill, CR, SCBL, 6/20]
A major rockslide on November 11th covered two portions of the Saddle Rock trail. The upper portion is covered along a narrow ledge 700 feet above the plain and completely blocked by several tons of material, including room-size boulders. This location is inaccessible to large equipment and will have to be cleared by manual labor. The lower portion, about 200 feet below, is blocked by smaller rocks. The Saddle Rock trail is one of the most heavily used trails in the park and is the only one to the summit of the bluff. Consultants from Denver Service Center, Midwest Regional Office, and a local fire department met with the park's staff to discuss a work plan which would avoid use of blasting, as there are serious concerns about additional slides. A device called a "boulder buster," which works under propellant technology, was borrowed from Bighorn Canyon NRA. The "buster" is currently being used to break up the large boulders with a minimum impact to surroundings. Workers are tied off on safety lines along the narrow ledge and steep drop- off. Work is expected to continue for at least a week. [CRO, SCBL, 12/2]
A major rock slide occurred on February 21st, covering a portion of the Saddle Rock hiking trail and blocking most of one end of the only tunnel along the trail. A hiker on the trail at the time was able to avoid injury by entering the tunnel just as the rocks came down. The trail is now closed through that area. The park will likely employ the "boulder buster" used to break up the big slide that occurred last November (97-727) to reduce and remove the rocks. The number and size of the recent slides along this trail are unprecedented in park history. The park will also be experimenting with EMS/fire type air expansion bags on immediate hazards in the area that are difficult to work on safely. Technical rock climbers from Rocky Mountain NP and Badlands NP will help with this process. [CRO, SCBL, 2/24]
For the third time in three years, a major rockslide has closed the Saddle Rock trail. The recent wet snow and rain that fell on the park evidently contributed to the rockslide, which occurred on the evenings of October 6th and 7th. A large rock about the size of four large dump trucks fell at a pivotal point on the trail; several tons of rock and sand also fell and blocked the trail about 700 feet above the plain. The large rock is extremely unstable, which will make clearing the slide very difficult. The location is inaccessible to large equipment. Blasting is only a limited option due to the risk of causing serious additional slides. The trail is one of the most heavily used trails in the park and the only one to the summit of the bluff. Park staff have contacted experts for advice on clearing the trail, which will be closed indefinitely. [Eric Haugland, PR, SCBL, 10/11]
Last October, a rockslide closed Saddle Rock trail, the only hiking trail to the summit of Scotts Bluff. On May 5th, the 3,000 tons of rock and debris left by the slide were removed through a series of four blasts set off by six NPS blasters from Rocky Mountain NP and Badlands NP. The blasting took place after an environmental assessment was completed and a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) was approved. Park staff and cooperating agencies, operating under ICS, kept a major portion of the park closed off as a safety zone. Rain that fell throughout the day kept visitation to a minimum. There were no significant incidents. [Deb Qualey, CR, SCBL, 5/7]
A major rockslide closed the Saddle Rock trail in mid-October last year. A total of about 3,000 tons of rock and sand fell on the upper part of the trail, which leads to the summit of the bluff. Following an environmental assessment, a large block of rock weighing 1,200 tons was removed with explosives on May 5th, leaving a huge pile of rock debris. The park's seasonal trail crew has been working on clearing the trail since then, completing its work last week. The trail was reopened on July 27th. Due to the location of the slide, all work had to be done by hand, using pry bars, picks, shovels, a jackhammer, and expanding air bags. Additional work will be done on the trail in the future without major inconveniences to the public. The reopening of the trail brought intense media attention and led to extensive visitor use. [Eric Haugland, PR, SCBL, 7/27]
A major rock slide covered a portion of the Saddle Rock trail some time during the night of May 10th. The slide occurred between Scotts Spring and the tunnel. This area has seen several rock slides over the past twelve years, with three of these slides each closing the trail for several days. The trail remains open from the visitor center to Scotts Spring and from the summit parking lot to the foot tunnel. The cleanup operations will begin on Monday, May 22nd, and is expected to takes several days. About a thousand cubic yards of material currently covers the trail. [Robert Manasek, Resource Management Specialist]
The blizzard that struck Colorado and neighboring states on Wednesday and Thursday caused temporary closures in NPS offices in the Denver area and at two parks: Scotts Bluff NM - The storm closed the park for 24 hours from noon on Wednesday to noon on Thursday. About 10 inches of snow fell in the first eight hours. [Kyle Patterson, ROMO; Ken Mabery, SCBL]
At about 6:30 p.m. on the evening of February 28th, the park's resident ranger was notified that a 15-year-old boy had fallen off the bluff side of Scotts Bluff and was reportedly injured and hanging onto a rock outcropping. According to reports, three local juveniles had climbed the monument after dark. Two had descended down the summit road, but the third fell about 50 feet while attempted to climb down the side of the bluff. The resident ranger, chief ranger and local police, fire and SAR personnel responded and began searching for him. Efforts to find him were impeded by darkness and rough terrain, but he was eventually spotted from a local Airlink rescue helicopter. SAR personnel rescued him and got him to a waiting ambulance. He was found to be suffering from a dislocated elbow and mild hypothermia and was treated at a local hospital. [Pete Swisher, Chief Ranger] | |