On the Great Plains west of the ramparts of the Rocky Mountains, the highway follows the valley of the South Platte River to Denver. In 1859 and 1860, the gold rush carried thousands westward along this trail in wagons, on horseback, with handcarts, and on foot, seeking fortune. They encountered a land traversed by nomad Indian bands following vast buffalo herds. Towns such as Julesburg soon grew from stage stations armed against Indian attack. In the 1870's, the first rails were laid almost in the wagon ruts, and the route later came to cross bountiful lands and substantial cities.