Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska, United States Aug. 31, 2025

Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska, United States

Long before GPS, natural landmarks like Scotts Bluff rose high above the prairie, signalling to travellers that they were on the right path heading west. Before Gering became a town in 1887—and decades before Nebraska achieved statehood in 1867—these sandstone and siltstone formations were already serving a purpose. They had long guided thousands along the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. Scotts Bluff National Monument is named after Hiram Scott, a fur trader with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company who died under mysterious circumstances nearby in the 1820s.

© Hawk Buckman/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Aug. 31, 2023Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
How sweet to be a star, floating in the blue.
Aug. 31, 2024Rocks and sand in the Sahara, Algeria

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct. 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
Apr. 9, 2024World Ski and Snowboard Festival
Sep. 24, 2024Skaftafell, Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland
Jul. 7, 2025Northern gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Her legend and mystery endure
Jun. 11, 2025Greater flamingos, Lüderitz, Namibia
Oct. 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon
Aug. 10, 2025World Lion Day
Jun. 2, 2024Annas hummingbird
Jun 9, 2026Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
Jan. 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia
Is a hug really that magical?
Jan. 21, 2026Eurasian red squirrel
Jun. 17, 2024Pollinator Week
Apr. 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Oct. 18, 2024Jasper Dark Sky Festival, Alberta
Apr. 10, 2026Siblings Day
Oct. 8, 2024World Octopus Day
Sep. 9, 2025A female Eurasian red squirrel, Switzerland
Rainbow around the sun
Nov. 10, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
Surrounded by a sea of sand
Jan. 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
Aug. 8, 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
An endless stretch of sky
Oct. 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado
Dec. 31, 2025New Years Eve
Apr. 1, 2025National Frog Month
A mirror reflecting natures beauty
May 30, 2026Plains zebra foal in Etosha National Park, Namibia