From South Pass to Fort Bridger
June 29-30, 2013








As the emigrants approached South Pass, they could see the Wind River Range of mountains. The continental divide lies along the crest, which 53 peaks above 13,000 feet. Crossing the continental divide there would have been impossible.



South Pass, which is to the south of the Wind River Range, is also on the continental divide, but at only 7,500 feet above sea level. Furthermore, it is not a pass at all, but a broad (30 mile wide) flat area with a gentle slope and is easily crossed by wagons.Native Americans had used it for centuries, but it was not discovered by white people until 1812, when three men from Astoria found it on their way east. They arrived in St.Louis in 1813 and reported the pass, but it got little attention because the 1812 war with England was dominating the news. It was rediscovered in 1824 by trappers.

Some historians have speculated that the history of our country would have been very different if this accident of geography had not occurred. Certainly the large scale westward emigration and expansion would not have been possible.







About 20 miles west of the continental divide is the "Parting of the Ways", where the Sublette Cutoff, headed directly for Fort Hall, a trading post in what is now Idaho. The original trail continued southwest to Fort Bridger. Most emigrants to Oregon and California chose the Sublette Cutoff since it was about 2 days faster than the original route. The sign that Nancy is reading calls this the "False Parting of the Ways"; the monument is placed about 10 miles from the actual junction.








Trail ruts are still visible here.








Names Hill, along the trail, is another place where travelers scratched their names. This is reported to be that of Jim Bridger, the mountain man and trapper. However, he was believed to be able to neither read nor write, so someone else may have written it for him.








Fort Bridger State Historic Park contains a replica of the fur trading post started by Jim Bridger in 1843. The Army bought it and expanded it to military outpost, which was operational from 1858 to 1890.







The last two photos have nothing to do with the Oregon Trail. The Lincoln Highway passed through here in late 1920s and 30s.








Fort Bridger contains these "black and orange" cabins for people traveling the Lincoln Highway. They were built in 1929 and restored in 2009.

From here to where we picked up the Oregon Trail at Big Hill on the Wyoming - Idaho border, there are no significant points of interest, so we decided to end our trip along the Oregon Trail here and head directly for Salt Lake City.