26 Nebraskaland • April 2024
reported in print. A man in a Paige
luxury car, believed to be a retired
Fort Robinson officer, "was found to
have crashed into the embankment
with such force as to drive the top
and windshield on top of the engine,
crushing the life out of the driver,"
wrote the Harrison Sun.
The winding road, with its steep
7-percent grade, became especially
treacherous to unfamiliar nighttime
drivers who speedily approached the
canyon from the relatively flat section
to the west. A prime example of the
road's tendency to turn drivers' smiles
to frowns occurred in October 1963.
"Smiley Canyon, the truckers'
nemesis, claimed two trucks and a
car in less than 48 hours in some sort
of record the past week," a Crawford
Tribune reporter wrote, introducing
a tale of the two cattle haulers that
went off the road hours apart in nearly
the same spot, spilling a combined 123
head yearling steers and calves. The
drivers survived, but the 105 bovines
TOP: In the early years, the road's three bridges were considered a contributing
factor to many fatal accidents. In the 1950s, they were replaced with culverts.
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG1517
BOTTOM: The bison are a favorite photo subject of those traveling the road.
RIGHT: A horseback rider enjoys an outing on the Smiley Canyon Loop Trail, just
north of the road. Trails for non-motorized activity intersect with the road at six
places.
