The Longest Shortcut

The shortcut turned out to be the hard way. In 1879 the Mormon church called families to settle the San Juan country in Utah's far southeast, and rather than take the long known roads, the San Juan Mission chose to cut a new road straight across the slickrock. From Escalante, 234 people and 83 wagons set out that fall into country no wagon had crossed, building the road as they went — toward Ute, Navajo, and Paiute land the church meant to colonize. The famous descent through the Hole-in-the-Rock still lay ahead, and the six-week trip took six months.

What the plaque says

One Wild Wagon Trip to Remember In March 1879, Mormons from Cedar City were called by their church to settle the San Juan River basin in southeastern Utah. Since no direct wagon routes connected the two regions, leaders of the San Juan Mission decided to create a shortcut. That fall, 234 men, women, and children set out in 83 wagons loaded with their worldly possessions. From Escalante, they traveled southeast, building a road through increasingly rough terrain. When they finally glimpsed the Colorado River, it lay 1,800 feet below them. Undeterred, they set about blasting a trail down a steep crevice. On January 26, 1880, the first wagon descended the 25-45 percent grade of the Hole-in-the-Rock. By February 1, all 83 wagons had reached the river safely. Not There Yet Though the pioneers had overcome immense obstacles to reach the Colorado River, huge challenges still lay ahead. A maze of canyons stretched before them, requiring two more months of grueling travel. By April 6, 1880, worn out and anxious to plant crops, they stopped 18 miles short of their destination of Montezuma and settle the community of Bluff. Their journey, planned to last six weeks, had taken nearly six months. Dance Hall Rock In ate November 1879, the wagon train stopped in Fortymile Spring for several weeks while men built the road to the canyon rim and on to the river. During the long layover, the pioneers kept spirits up with dances at this sandstone amphitheater, known as Dance Hall Rock, now a National Heritage Site. [Sidebar]: "Before we left out homes we were told that the country had been explored, and that the road was feasible. But now we found that someone had been mistaken." - Samuel Rowley, member of the Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition (San Juan Mission).

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Escalante Interagency Visitor Center — 4.7 mi
  Your essential stop before heading into the backcountry
• Escalante — 4.8 mi
  The town that gave Grand Staircase-Escalante its name
• Escalante Petrified Forest State Park — 5.0 mi
  Walk among 150-million-year-old stone trees
• Lower Calf Creek Falls — 7.5 mi
  A 126-foot waterfall hidden in a desert canyon

More markers nearby

• Old Boulder Mail Trail — 3.7 mi
• Building the Million-dollar Road — 4.5 mi
• Old White Church — 4.7 mi
• L.D.S. Tithing Office — 4.7 mi