Oregon Trail

The ford stayed in use for about a quarter century. Wagons crossed here, often guided by Shoshone men who knew the channels, until 1869, when Gustavus Glenn built a ferry about two miles upstream and the crossing moved to it; the town of Glenns Ferry was laid out below the ferry two years later. The ford is now Three Island Crossing State Park, with an Oregon Trail history center on the north bank, and on the second Saturday of each August the town holds a commemoration of the crossing.

What the plaque says

Oregon Trail A perilous ford at Three Island State Park was a formidable Oregon Trail barrier. Those who could not cross here faced a longer, more difficult southern route. No other ford between Missouri and Oregon troubled them so much. This was their largest river. Using two of three islands, they crossed three channels, but sometimes lost stock and wagons. Many emigrants depended upon Shoshoni Indian guides to get them across safely. 198 Text prepared by the Idaho Historical Society Marker made & installed by Idaho Transportation Department

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Bruneau Dunes State Park — 20 mi
  Sand dunes that stay where they are, in a bend the Snake River abandoned, under dark skies an hour from Boise.
• Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument — 21 mi
  Idaho's state fossil is closer to a zebra than a horse, and nearly the whole herd is in a museum in Washington.

More markers nearby

• Glenn's Ferry — steps away
• Bannock War — 11 mi
• Fossil Beds — 20 mi
• Rattlesnake Station — 23 mi