Few pioneers who reached Scotts Bluff climbed the cliffs to see the country ahead, because wagon trains had to keep moving to reach Oregon or California before cold weather. From this point, Fort Mitchell, the next stop on the trail, was visible, and Laramie Peak came into view and remained the dominant landmark for several days; on clear days it could be seen 90 miles to the northwest. Beyond Scotts Bluff, pioneers confronted the Rocky Mountains and continued hardships as wagons broke down, food supplies dwindled, cattle and horses gave out, and many emigrants died along the way, yet thousands still reached their destinations and helped ensure that the Western territories would eventually become part of the United States. On June 11, 1852, west of Scotts Bluff, Francis H. Sawyer wrote that Laramie Peak was in sight though it would be several days before his party was opposite it, that they had driven fast and passed many ox teams, and that heavy dust almost blinded them as they traveled thirty miles. On June 11, 1846, Margaret Carrington wrote that after passing the gorge, travelers found Fort Mitchell, a sub-post of Fort Laramie whose quarters formed the fort's rectangle, with officers, soldiers, horses, and supplies arranged around a small court or parade ground, and with windows opening inward and bedrooms and other rooms loopholed for defense.