Mormon Road facts for kids
The Mormon Road, also known as the Southern Route, was an important wagon trail in the Western United States. It connected Salt Lake City, Utah, to Los Angeles, California. This road was first explored by a group of Mormons led by Jefferson Hunt in 1847. They followed parts of older Spanish explorer routes and the Old Spanish Trail.
Later, from 1855, this route became a major road for military and trade wagons, called the Los Angeles – Salt Lake Road. Over time, it was also known as the "Old Mormon Road", the "Old Southern Road", or the "Immigrant Road" in California. In Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, people called it the "California Road".
Contents
Early Journeys (1847–1855)
Jefferson Hunt and Mormon Explorers
The Mormon Road was first explored by a group of Mormons on horseback. They were led by Jefferson Hunt. Their goal was to get supplies for the new settlement of Salt Lake City. They traveled to and from Southern California in 1847 and 1848.
After Hunt's journey, soldiers from the Mormon Battalion used his route to return to Utah in 1848. They were the first to take wagons over this trail. Their journey showed that wagons could travel from Salt Lake City through southwestern Utah. The route then connected to the Old Spanish Trail near Parowan. From there, it followed the old trail southwest to the Virgin River.
The trail then used a shortcut found by John C. Frémont. This shortcut crossed southern Nevada through dry areas between the Muddy River and Las Vegas Springs. It went over the Spring Mountains and through Emigrant Pass to Resting Springs in California.
The road then followed the Old Spanish Trail again. It went southwest along the Amargosa River to Salt Spring. After a long, dry stretch across the Mojave Desert to Bitter Spring, it reached the Mojave River. From there, the route followed the river upstream. Finally, it crossed the last desert section to Cajon Summit and down into the San Bernardino Valley. The road then went to the Rancho Santa Ana del Chino and west to Los Angeles.
The Southern Route for Travelers
Many travelers used this route, especially during the California Gold Rush in 1849 and 1850. These "Forty-niners" and some Mormon groups wanted to avoid snowy mountain passes. This route was usually free of snow in the fall and winter.
From Parowan, the road mostly followed the Old Spanish Trail. However, it took a shortcut between the Virgin River and Resting Springs. This shortcut was first found by John Frémont in 1844. The road was changed in places to make it easier for wagons to pass. For example, a shortcut was made from the Virgin River. It went up to Mormon Mesa at Virgin Hill, then across the mesa to the Muddy River. This avoided a longer, difficult path through quicksand.
Later, immigrants and Mormon settlers in San Bernardino found a better way through Cajon Pass. At the same time, many Mormon settlements grew along the Mormon Road. These settlements became the towns and cities we know today in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California.
The Los Angeles – Salt Lake Road (1855–1905)
By the middle of 1855, the Mormon Road had been improved and rerouted. This made it a better road for military and trade wagons between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles, California.
In Cajon Pass, California paid to change the road's path. They also made improvements to the road all the way to the California border. In Utah Territory, the government built a shortcut called Leach's Cutoff. This shortened the route between Cedar City and Mountain Meadow by about 15 miles (24 km).
The road was also rerouted between Cove Creek and the Beaver River crossing near modern Beaver. This new path avoided a difficult 6-mile (10 km) section over a steep mountain ridge. This old section was better for mule trains than for wagons. The new route went through easier terrain. This improved route is similar to where I-15 runs today.
This road soon became a popular winter route for wagons. These wagons carried goods shipped by sea from San Francisco to San Pedro and then to Los Angeles. The wagon trains left Los Angeles (and later San Bernardino) for Salt Lake City in late fall. They returned by late spring. This trade helped Utah, which was often isolated when mountain passes were closed by snow. In California, the road was known as the Los Angeles – Salt Lake Road or Salt Lake Road. In Utah and Nevada, it was called the California Road.
In 1858, after the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a different wagon route was explored. It went from Cedar City south to the Virgin River. Then it followed the Santa Clara River to rejoin the old Mormon Road. As Mormons settled this area, they set up stations. These stations provided food and supplies for passing traders.
In the 1860s, the wagon road was used for trade and migration. People traveled from California to the gold rush areas in Idaho and Montana. It was also used for continued Mormon settlement in Washington County, Utah Territory, and along the Virgin River in northern Arizona Territory.
In 1865, the Miller Cutoff was built. This freight wagon road went north of the Virgin River. It helped wagons avoid many river crossings, quicksand, and sandy roads. It also avoided a steep road into and out of the river valley.
When the transcontinental railroad reached Utah in 1869, the wagon road was used less for long journeys. Wagons started using the railroad to move goods. However, the road was still used in Southern California until the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1883. Parts of the road in the northern Mojave Desert, southern Nevada, and northwestern Arizona were still used until the Salt Lake Route railroad was built there in 1903–1905.
Legacy
In the early 1900s, much of the old Mormon Road became the Arrowhead Trail. This was one of the first highways for cars in Utah, Southern Nevada, and Southern California. Today, I-15 follows or runs very close to the old Mormon Road for much of its length. This includes sections from Devore, California, to Victorville, California, and from Barstow to Yermo, California. It also follows the route from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Littlefield, Arizona, and from St. George, Utah, to Salt Lake City.
