Salt Lake Cutoff facts for kids
The Salt Lake Cutoff was a special shortcut for pioneers. It branched off from famous trails like the California Trail, Mormon Trail, and Oregon Trail. This path started in Salt Lake City, Utah. It went northwest, passing north of the Great Salt Lake. After about 180 miles (290 km), it met the California Trail again. This meeting point was near the City of Rocks in Idaho.
This cutoff was very useful. Travelers could visit Salt Lake City. It was the only big city on the trails back then. Pioneers could get repairs, new supplies, or fresh animals there. Later, many thousands of pioneers and miners used it. They traveled east and west to places like California, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Washington.
How the Salt Lake Cutoff Was Found
The Salt Lake Cutoff was discovered in 1848. A man named Samuel J. Hensley was returning to California. He led a group of ten men with pack animals. They wanted to find a way back to the California Trail.
Hensley first tried the Hastings Cutoff south of the Great Salt Lake. But heavy rains had made the salt flats too soft. His group could not get through. So, he went back to Salt Lake City. There, he found a new route north of the Great Salt Lake.
This new path went from Salt Lake City. It rejoined the Oregon and California Trails. The meeting point was near the City of Rocks in Idaho. This spot was about 7 miles (11 km) north of today's Utah–Idaho border. This new route became known as the Salt Lake Cutoff. It was about the same length as the usual route through Fort Hall.
Making the Cutoff a Wagon Road
Samuel Hensley met another group on the California Trail. This group had 45 men and one woman. They were former members of the Mormon Battalion. They were driving wagons east to rejoin their families in Utah.
On September 15, 1848, this group found where Hensley's path met the main trail. It was near a rock formation called the Twin Sisters. Samuel Thompson led this group. They decided to follow Hensley's path back to Salt Lake City. As they traveled, they turned the pack trail into a road for wagons.
Thompson's group traveled southeast into northern Utah. They crossed Deep Creek near where Snowville, Utah is today. They found plenty of water and grass, just as Hensley had said. They had some trouble crossing the Malad River and the Bear River. Still, they kept going southeast. Then they reached the small town of Ogden, Utah. They crossed the Weber River there. Finally, they arrived in Salt Lake City.
Three weeks later, Ebenezer Brown followed them. He was leading a group from the 1846 Mormon ship Brooklyn. Brown's group helped make the trail even clearer. News quickly spread about this good road. It had plenty of grass and water. It connected Salt Lake City to the California or Oregon Trail.
Busy Times on the Cutoff
In 1849, many people were rushing to California for gold. They heard about this new route. Thousands of these "gold-crazy" travelers went through Salt Lake City. They stopped to get new supplies and animals.
In Utah, ferries were set up to help people cross rivers. These ferries charged a few dollars per wagon. They were on the Weber, Bear, and Malad Rivers. This started in 1849 and continued later.
Between 1849 and 1852, about 10,000 to 15,000 immigrants used the cutoff each year. They were heading to California or Oregon. Thousands more used it every year after that. The Salt Lake Cutoff was important until 1869. That's when the Transcontinental Railroad was finished. The railroad made cross-country travel much easier.
