The distinctive Red Buttes stand above Bessemer Bend, the last fording site on the North Platte River on the Mormon Trail. When early emigrants tried to capitalize on the commercial potential of the Mormon trail, they established toll ferries and bridges across the North Platte River. Bessemer Bend, located upstream, became a favorite free crossing because when the water was low. It was also the emigrants' last chance to cross the Platte on their journey west. There is a BLM interpretive site at the crossing.