Raynolds' Pass

Raynolds came through this pass on his way around the country he had been sent to see. His orders were to explore the Yellowstone headwaters, but in June 1860 deep snow near Two Ocean Pass turned him back, and he was also due far to the north by July 18 to observe a total solar eclipse. His report regretted that failure above all: the party heard tales of boiling springs and could not verify them. His naturalist, Ferdinand Hayden, came back in 1871 to lead the survey that helped make Yellowstone the first national park.

What the plaque says

Raynolds' Pass The low gap in the mountains on the sky line south of here is Raynolds' Pass over the Con- tinental Divide. Jim Bridger, famous trapper and scout, guided an expedition of scientists through the pass in June of 1860 The party was led by Capt. W. F. Raynolds of the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. They came through from the south and camped that night on the Madison River near this point. Capt. Raynolds wrote, "The pass is....so level that it is difficult to locate the exact point at which the waters divide I named it Low Pass and deem it to be one of the most remarkable and important features of the topography of the Rocky Mountains." Jim Bridger didn't savvy road maps or air route beacons but he sure knew his way around.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Sawtell's Ranch — 11 mi
• Pierre J. DeSmet — 16 mi