Exploring Sowbelly Canyon
Western hospitality, tales of the Old West – and "the View"
Story and photography by Steve and Bobbi Olson
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We stumbled on the canyon by accident. When we first saw the sign with the canyon name and an arrow pointing east, we smiled at each other. It seemed completely out of place – we looked across high, grass-covered plains in all directions.
“Where is the canyon and why would anyone pick the name Sowbelly?” we asked aloud. Curious, we turned onto the sandy road bordered by barbed wire fences that were punctuated with singing meadowlarks. Wildflowers spilled out of the grasslands and into the roadway. Within minutes, a line of pine trees came into view and the road dropped abruptly. From there on, it was 12 miles of “wow.”
It helps to know the story behind the naming of Sowbelly Canyon . The most colorful local tale is that Wild Bill Hickok and several soldiers were fleeing Indians and sought refuge there. For three days, they hid under a rocky overhang and survived on salt pork, commonly called “sowbelly.” Finally, Hickok grew impatient with the delay. He left the hiding place and faced the pursuers in hand-to-hand combat. The diversion allowed the soldiers to escape unnoticed. Hickok, meanwhile, overcame his opponents and rejoined his comrades.
Other, less sensational versions of the tale leave out Hickok and tell only of soldiers, railroad workers or homesteaders. In any case, the proper ladies of Sioux County didn't care for the name, and proposed “ Castle Canyon ” instead – but Sowbelly stuck…
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| Pants Butte, Sowbelly Canyon |
(The complete story appears in the November/December 2005 issue of Nebraska Life Magazine.)