Muddy Creek Camp and Crossing

The vanguard that camped here on July 9, 1847 had left the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger that day for the Hastings Cutoff, a barely visible track no wagons had used before the summer of 1846. Its last company that year, the Donner-Reed party, left Fort Bridger on July 31, 1846, grubbed a new wagon road through the Wasatch to the Salt Lake Valley, and reached the Sierra Nevada too late to cross before the snow. The road Brigham Young's company followed down to the valley was, for much of its length, theirs.

What the plaque says

Muddy Creek Camp and Crossing The Muddy Creek Camp, which was northwest of this marker and on the west side of the Muddy Creek, was used by Brigham Young's first group of Mormon pioneers who arrived here on July 9, 1847. Thomas Bullock reported that the brethren sang hymns for President Brigham Young, and they had a delightful evening. This camp had good water and plenty of grass, and the animals were well-fed by the tall bunch-grass growing along the creek. Erastus Snow described the campground as "very pretty." It was one of the most heavily used camps on the Overland-Mormon-California-Pony Express Trails. Approximately 70,000 Mormon pioneers crossed, passed through, or camped at Muddy Creek Campground. The U.S. Army camped here with 2,000 men in June of 1858. Both the Martin and Willie handcart companies crossed here in November of 1856 while traveling with rescue wagons. The Muddy Overland Stage Stop and Pony Express Station were located at this site, and foundation stones may still be seen along the west bank of Muddy Creek. The road by this marker was the original Transcontinental Railroad bed of 1869. The Transcontinental Telegraph, automobile road, and stageline either go through the campground or are very nearby, making Muddy Creek Camp an important part of this area's history. 1997 No. 511 Sego Lily Camp

Where it stands

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