Lander Cut-Off of the Oregon Trail (Stump Creek)

The canyon this panel describes kept its traffic after the emigrants were gone. Below this stretch, the Oneida Salt Works mined salt on Stump Creek from 1866, and its salt wagons gave this section of the Lander road heavy use, while the Idaho and Montana gold rushes sent miners along it soon after it was built. The panel was dedicated at the state line on June 12, 1993, under the names of both states' governors; its arrows give 188 miles to the City of Rocks and 158 to South Pass, together close to the division's 345.

What the plaque says

Lander Cut-Off of the Oregon Trail Beginning in 1843, emigrants traveled across the continent along what became known as the Oregon Trail. Increased traffic during the 1850's resulted in the first government road construction project in the west. The 345 mile Central Division of the Pacific Wagon Road went from South Pass, Wyoming, to City of Rocks, Idaho, a geologic formation, which marked the Division's western boundary. Superintendent Frederick W. Lander of Salem, Massachusetts supervised construction for the U.S. Department of the Interior. The 256 mile section of the road leading from South Pass to Fort Hall, Idaho, is known as the Lander Cut-off. Here the cut-off traverses the Smoking Creek Canyon, now known as Stump Creek Canyon. The new route afforded water, wood, and forage for emigrants and their stock. Between 1858 and 1912, it provided travelers with a new, shorter route to Oregon and California, saving wagon trains seven days. Lander, with a crew of 15 engineers, surveyed the route in the summer of 1857. The following summer, 115 men, many recruited from Salt Lake City's Mormon emigrants, constructed the road in less than 90 days at a cost of $67,873. The invention of the automobile led to its abandonment. City of Rocks 188 miles South Pass 158 miles Dedicated June 12, 1993 Cecil D. Andrus Governor of Idaho Mike Sullivan Governor of Wyoming

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Osmond — 9.4 mi
• Lander Cut-Off of the Oregon Trail / Stock Trail — 16 mi
• Lander Cut-Off of the Oregon Trail (Salt River Pass) — 21 mi
• John Grey — 21 mi