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

Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska, United States

Long before GPS, natural landmarks like Scotts Bluff in Nebraska, United States, rose high above the prairie, signaling 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 guiding 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 30, 2023International Whale Shark Day
How sweet to be a star, floating in the blue.
31 Aug 2024Rocks and sand in the Sahara, Algeria

More Desktop Wallpapers:

6 Dec 2025Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
19 Mar 2024Cave Dale and Peveril Castle, Derbyshire
17 Nov 2023Meon Hill, Gloucestershire
An island park
A smooth landing, feet first
13 Aug 2025Corona Arch near Moab, Utah, United States
19 Aug 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
8 Jul 2025Seceda, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy
In a world of their own
Bright blue lakes and rugged mountains
28 Jan 2026Whanganui National Park, Retaruke, New Zealand
2 Feb 2025Alpine marmot
1 May 2025Lei Day
Come on, guys, this way!
9 May 2025International Chameleon Day
22 Sep 2025Autumn equinox
8 Aug 2025Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
10 Jan 2026The Matterhorn reflected in Lake Stellisee, Zermatt, Switzerland
5 Nov 2023Guy Fawkes Night
25 Jun 2024Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA
Nap your worries away
31 Jan 2026International Zebra Day
4 Apr 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC, United States
23 Aug 2025European fallow deer in England
12 Jan 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Rising with the sun
Celebrating the tropics
22 Feb 2026Mam Tor, Derbyshire, England
9 Dec 2024Guanacos, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
An endless stretch of sky