Cherokee Trail
The Cherokee Trail is one of three major east-to-west oriented nineteenth century transcontinental wagon roads across Wyoming. The others include the Oregon/California, Mormon, Pony Express (Oregon Trail), and the Central Overland Trail. Within Wyoming, two distinct variants of the Cherokee Trail were pioneered by Cherokee Indian emigrants. These include the Evans Variant (beginning in 1849), which crosses the Red Desert in the vicinity of modern I-80, and the Southern Route ( beginning in 1850) which crosses southern Wyoming and parts of Colorado. The Southern Route in southwestern Carbon County and southeastern Sweetwater County, Wyoming is the focus of this StoryMap.
As the name implies, the Cherokee Trail was developed in part by Cherokee Indians. The trail began in the Cherokee Nation, in what is now Oklahoma, as a route leading to the gold fields of California following the discovery of gold in 1848. While the Oregon Trail and the Overland Trail served as the routes west for the people of the American Midwest and East, the Cherokee Trail served as the route west for people from southern states including southern Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and others.
The route of the Cherokee Trail Southern Variant saw its earliest use in the 1830s as part of the fur trade. Fur trappers worked the streams and rivers throughout the region beginning in the 1820s. By the 1830s pack trains were moving between fur trade posts along the South Platte River near modern Denver, Colorado and the Hudson Bay Company post at Fort Hall, Idaho. In 1836, this traffic was enhanced by the building of Fort Davy Crockett along the Green River in Browns Park in northwestern Colorado. Travelers, including E. Willard Smith, describes crossing this area in 1839
Talequah, the capitol of the Cherokee Nation was the take-off point for the Cherokee Trail, with a network of feeder trails from surrounding southern states funneling travelers to Talequah. The Indian Territory had been formed in the 1830s when the Cherokees, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee, and Seminoles were forcibly removed from their homes in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi and relocated. Thousands died during their forced march to the Indian Territory in what would become Oklahoma. During the 1840s the lure of gold in California affected the Indian Territory as much as it did the rest of the country. Emigrants traveled north from Talequah into Kansas where they intersected the existing Santa Fe Trail. The Santa Fe Trail was, by the 1850s, a well-established freight road connecting American states with the Taos and Santa Fe settlements in New Mexico. The Santa Fe Trail followed the Arkansas River through Kansas and southern Colorado until it reached the vicinity of modern Pueblo, Colorado. From there, the Cherokee Trail turned north and continued up the Colorado Front Range along an established trail known as the Trappers Trail, which connected Taos and Santa Fe with fur trade posts along the South Platte River in Colorado and Fort Laramie in Wyoming. The Cherokee Trail followed this route north to the vicinity of modern Denver and the Cache la Poudre River. Once entering Wyoming, the Cherokee Trail spilt into two distinct routes, the 1849 Evans Trail, and the 1850 Southern Route.
The 1849 Evans Route continued to the northwest across the Laramie Plains and the north end of the Medicine Bow Mountains. The trail crossed the North Platte River approximately 14 miles south of modern I-80. The Evans party apparently had knowledge of the 1843-1844 John C. Fremont expedition which travelled through this area, but had no real idea of the terrain. Thinking that they could reach the Oregon Trail on the Sweetwater River, they traveled northwest until they arrived in the area of modern-day Rawlins. They gave up on searching for the Oregon Trail and decided to turn west knowing that the Green River was somewhere off across the desert. Once again, they had no idea how far away they were from the river. In fact, the distance was around 110 miles across the Great Divide Basin. During the summer, water along most of their route was almost completely absent. They struggled on, finding water in shallow dry lakes filled by recent rainstorms. They eventually reached the Green River which they crossed approximately 15 miles north of modern Green River City. They intersected the Oregon Trail at modern-day Granger, Wyoming.
In 1850, one year after Evans party crossed the Red Desert, additional parties of Cherokee Indians and others made the trip west to the California gold fields. Some likely followed the Evans route while others pioneered a new route across Wyoming; the 1850 Southern Route. The Southern Route diverged from the main Cherokee Trail near the Wyoming/Colorado border south of Laramie. The trail ran west through the mountains to the valley of the North Platte River (North Park) which it crossed near the Colorado border. West of the North Platte River the Cherokee Trail crossed a large ridge system known as the Atlantic Rim. The trail followed a series of landmarks including the crossing of the Continental Divide at the Twin Groves, a group of small conical hills known as the Five Buttes, a large plateau known as North Flat Top Mountain, and a large east to west trending ridge system known as Powder Rim. Powder Rim led to a Sulphur Spring known today as Lower Powder Spring. Lower Powder Spring is mentioned in several Cherokee Trail diaries as well as the 1839 account of E. Willard Smith. From Lower Powder Spring, the trail continued west crossing the Green River approximately 15 miles south of Green River City. It then divided with one variant running north along the Blacks Fork River joining the Oregon Trail near modern Granger. The second branch ran west to Fort Bridger. In 1854 the most difficult sections of the Southern Route were bypassed by a new route which followed Muddy Creek, the Little Snake River, and a dry stream known as Powder Wash. The 1854 route rejoined the Southern Route at Lower Powder Spring.
The heyday of the Cherokee Trail was the 1850s. By the early 1860s, things began to change along the trail. The Cherokee Trail had been the preferred route west for people from the southern United States to reach the California gold fields. By 1862, these southern areas were embroiled in the Civil War. Union forces had secured control of Missouri by December 1862 and most of Arkansas also fell under Union control by 1863. The Indian Territory was deeply divided between Union and Confederate supporters and violence between Indian groups was endemic throughout the Civil War. Much of the Cherokee Nation was laid waste and refugees fled to Kansas and Arkansas as a result. In the west, California and Nevada became Union states and what would become Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah were firmly under Union control. A Confederate invasion of New Mexico was halted at the Battle of Glorieta Pass in March 1862 and there were no further Confederate threats to the Intermountain West. The Cherokee Trail saw little traffic by southerners during this period. The Oregon and Overland Trails became the principal routes west with stagecoach, mail, and telegraph services which the Cherokee Trail never had. Through the 1860s Indian attacks were common on the Oregon and Overland Trails and soldiers patrolled both routes. There is no evidence that soldiers ever patrolled the Cherokee Trail in Wyoming or established military posts along it. Following the end of the war, the Oregon and Overland Trails continued to see traffic even following the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869. There is little documentation to show that travel on the Cherokee Trail was anything more than light. Cattle and sheep drives took place along the trail and portions of the trail saw use as short local roads. Parts of the Southern Route depicted in this ArcGIS StoryMap were used as ranch roads connecting various ranches in southern Sweetwater County, Wyoming with communities along the Little Snake and Yampa Rivers in northwest Colorado.
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The Cherokee Trail in Wyoming
A map showing the principal routes of the Cherokee Trail in Wyoming.
The 1849 Evans Route is located to the north and the 1850 Southern Route is located to the south near the Wyoming/Colorado border. The 1849 Evans Route rejoins the Oregon Trail near modern-day Granger, Wyoming and the 1850 Southern Route joins the Oregon Trail at both Granger and Fort Bridger.
Map courtesy Western Archaeological Services
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GLO Plat
The General Land Office (GLO) original survey plat for T14N, R94W of the 6th Principal Meridian shows the location of the Cherokee Trail along Sand Creek.
The plat was surveyed in 1882 and the map was drawn in 1883. GLO plats were intended to allow the distribution of public land to farmers, ranchers, and miners through laws such as the Homestead Act. GLO surveyors placed section corners so that the legal location of lands could be established. Only then could homesteads or mining claims be legally established. The GLO surveyors only mapped the section corners and section lines. Physical or topographic features were only plotted where they crossed a section line. Features within the sections were hand drawn and not formally located. The surveyors produced field notes which were sent to an office where the plats were drafted.
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GLO Plat
The GLO original survey plat for T15N, R92W covering the area around Blue Gap Draw east of North Flat Top Mountain dated 1883.
It is fortunate that all of the GLO plats for the area covered by this ArcGIS StoryMap show the route of the Cherokee Trail, and most are labeled as the Cherokee Trail. This indicates that, in 1882, the GLO surveyors recognized that a road which could be identified as the Cherokee Trail was present and could be followed for many miles. It is unclear how the GLO surveyors knew that this trail was the Cherokee Trail. Perhaps the trail may have still seen some traffic in 1882. Other portions of the Cherokee Trail had been identified during the U.S. Government Survey of the Fortieth Parallel conducted by Clarence King between 1867 and 1872 and this may have led the GLO surveyors to identify the trail in this area ten years later. There are discrepancies between the GLO plot and the modern trace. The physical remains of the trail identified for this project do not 100% match the GLO plot exactly. However, the GLO plats provide the best indication known for the historic route of the Cherokee Trail.
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Five Buttes
A view of four of the Five Buttes looking north.
The Cherokee Trail Southern Route in this area followed a series of guide points which consisted of prominent geological or topographical features each of which could be seen from the previous point. The first of these was the Twin Groves, two groves of trees located along the Continental Divide on the crest of the Atlantic Rim overlooking North Park. The second guide point was the Five Buttes located approximately twenty miles west of the Twin Groves. The Five Buttes consisted of five conical hills arranged in a line. They are located along a high point on the ridge and are easily visible from points along the trail, especially to the east.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Five Buttes
A view of the Cherokee Trail near the Five Buttes looking east.
Calvin Hall Holmes who traveled the Cherokee Trail in 1854 passed the Five Buttes. He wrote:
"Tuesday, June 27 th , 1854.
Cross steepe hollow and passed the four mounds and thence into a [desert] country to mud creek 18 miles [hear] all has to camp and prepair watter for 25 or 28 miles."
The original spelling and grammar for all diary entries quoted is retained.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Atlantic Rim
A view from the crest of the Atlantic Rim two miles west of the Five Buttes looking west toward the next Cherokee Trail guide point, North Flat Top Mountain on the horizon.
West of the Five Buttes, the trail crossed the South Fork of Cherokee Creek, a deeply entrenched valley with very steep sides. It then followed the upland plains on the west side of the Atlantic Rim before dropping down into the valley of Cherokee Creek. This portion of the trail is relatively flat and provided few problems for emigrants other than the lack of water or wood for fuel.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Atlantic Rim
A view of the Cherokee Trail route along the western flanks of the Atlantic Rim looking east.
The trail consists of a two-track road which was created by motor vehicle traffic in the twentieth century. Much of the route of the Cherokee Trail has been reinforced by twentieth century rural traffic.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Atlantic Rim
Another view of the Cherokee Trail along the crest of the Atlantic Rim looking west.
This section of the trail has not seen significant twentieth century automobile traffic and is closer to its nineteenth century appearance.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Cherokee Creek
The Cherokee Trail is descending the west flank of the Atlantic Rim toward the valley of Muddy Creek looking west.
Here the trail follows a west trending tributary of Muddy Creek known today as Cherokee Creek. It is unclear when this drainage was named Cherokee Creek. The name Cherokee Creek is derived from the presence of the trail, but the creek was never called Cherokee Creek in 1850s trail diaries. The name reflects the memory of the Cherokee Trail after the end of the period of its greatest use. The 1883 GLO original survey plat names Muddy Creek but does not have a name for Cherokee Creek. The GLO resurvey plat drafted in 1916 does label this creek as Cherokee Creek. The name Cherokee Creek appears to post-date the actual use of the valley by Cherokee emigrants.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Cherokee Creek
A view of the Cherokee Trail in the valley of Cherokee Creek looking west.
Diarist William Quesenbury wrote of this area on June 30, 1850:
"Nooned on a sluggish branch; where my pony mired in a few minutes causing considerable trouble to my friends who helped me out with him. He was dragged out with ropes. Continued on after we crossed the branch which we did with difficulty in the same destitute barren country. Every sign betokened scarcity of water, but we came to a miry muddy stream [Muddy Creek] running towards the S[outh]. We after hunting up a mile found two places which afforded bad crossing places, but we got our animals over safely."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Muddy Creek
The crossing of Muddy Creek by the Cherokee Trail looking east.
Muddy Creek is a large north to south trending ephemeral tributary of the Little Snake River. Cherokee Creek flows into Muddy Creek at this point. Muddy Creek flows south for 28 miles to the Little Snake River near modern-day Baggs, Wyoming. Muddy Creek was an important stream for not only the Cherokee Trail but also for the Overland Trail located some 17 miles to the north. Later a wagon road from Rawlins, Wyoming to Baggs, and Northwest Colorado would follow Muddy Creek.
Cherokee diarist John Lowery Brown wrote on July 10, 1850;
"Traveled 25 miles today without finding water untill night, when we camped on a Branch of Elkhead creek [Muddy Creek]. Very Bad Road. Grass scarce water not good."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Peach Orchard Flat
Another well preserved segment of the Cherokee Trail looking west.
The trail segment is a short swale which was created by horse-drawn wagons and not by motor vehicles. This segment is only about 80 feet long with no intact traces on either end. This is typical of the Cherokee Trail and is a further indication that the trail saw relatively light traffic through the 1850s and 1860s.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Blue Gap Draw
Another section of relatively well- preserved Cherokee Trail looking west toward North Flat Top Mountain.
After crossing Muddy Creek, William Quesenbury wrote on June 30, 1850:
"Struck out for the highlands. Bad prospects for grass and water, but we found the latter in sufficient quantities for the animals in a flat. Had to do without water but we cooked and ate nevertheless."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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North Flat Top Mountain
A segment of the Cherokee Trail along North Flat Top Mountain looking southeast.
North Flat Top Mountain is a large flat- topped mesa which rises to an elevation of 7820 ft. The mesa is visible for miles in all directions. North Flat Top Mountain is located in an area which contains many deep arroyos, ridges and steep cliffs which would limit the possible location of a wagon trail continuing west. While the area around North Flat Top Mountain is passable, it is extremely difficult with steep roads, no timber and little water. Calvin Hall Holmes traveled this route in 1850. In 1854 on his second trip, he bypassed North Flat Top Mountain completely and traveled down Muddy Creek to the Little Snake River 25 miles to the south.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Standing Stones
Two sandstone slabs located along the Cherokee Trail on North Flat Top Mountain looking north.
Two sandstone slabs have been noted immediately north of the segment of the Cherokee Trail along the north flank of North Flat Top Mountain. One stone is set into the ground and is standing vertically. The other is lying flat on the ground. No other stone slabs of this type are present in the vicinity of these two slabs. The slabs are covered with lichen and the surfaces are not readily visible. When found in proximity to trails, vertical slabs can be headstones for graves. This cannot be confirmed for these two slabs.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Standing Stones
A close-up view of the two sandstone slabs looking south.
Their exact functions cannot be determined, but they do not appear to be naturally occurring rock cobbles.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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North Flat Top Mountain
A well-preserved segment of the Cherokee Trail looking east.
Because the terrain around the north and west sides of North Flat Top Mountain is so rugged, there is little evidence of post-Cherokee Trail traffic. Most of the trail remains are in very good condition.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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North Flat Top Mountain
A segment of the Cherokee Trail on North Flat Top Mountain looking north.
The north and west flanks of North Flat Top Mountain are crossed by numerous dry washes and drainages which flow down the mountainside. This makes the route very difficult to cross but is the only practicable route in the area for wagon traffic. The area to the north and south of North Flat Top Mountain contains steep cliffs and deep arroyos for many miles in all directions. While the route around North Flat Top Mountain is difficult, it is the only practicable route in this area.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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North Flat Top Mountain
A segment of the Cherokee Trail on North Flat Top Mountain looking north.
The emigrants on the Cherokee Trail had little knowledge of the regions they were traveling through, especially in the early 1850s. Unlike the Oregon Trail, there were no former Mountainman guides to lead the emigrants over this trail. Emigrant parties would send out scouts early each morning to select a route and possible camping sites and to report on conditions ahead. The 1850 emigrant parties were literally inventing the route as they went.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Hangout Wash
Cherokee Trail remains located in the valley of Hangout Wash looking north.
Hangout Wash is a small ephemeral drainage which flows south from the base of North Flat Top Mountain. The route of the Cherokee Trail has descended from the ridges visible in the distance. The trail will continue to run south and descend in altitude as it moves away from North Flat Top Mountain.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Hangout Wash
Another segment of well-preserved Cherokee Trail near Hangout Wash looking north.
While little more than two miles long, this section of the trail is among the best- preserved portions of the trail along this part of the Southern Route.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Hartt Cabin Draw Valley
A segment of the Cherokee Trail looking northeast.
The Cherokee Trail crosses a narrow ridge separating Hangout Wash to the east from Hartt Cabin Draw to the west. Modern maps show numerous springs and flowing wells in this area, but the Cherokee Trail diaries make no mention of these sources of water. It is not known if the emigrants were unaware of these springs or if the springs were not active at the time. Possibly the springs were so contaminated with alkali that the water was undrinkable. This was a common complaint made by the emigrants in their diaries.
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Hartt Cabin Spring
A small spring located along the valley of Hartt Cabin Draw looking south.
There are numerous small springs and seeps located along the drainages west of North Flat Top Mountain. If this spring was active in the 1850s, it would have been of great importance to emigrants. The few trail diaries which describe this area do not discuss these springs. The most common complaint noted in nineteenth century descriptions of this part of the trail was how little water was present and how bad the water tasted.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Inscription Site
A view of sandstone outcrops containing historic inscriptions looking east.
One feature that the major nineteenth century trails have in common are places where emigrants stopped and carved their names on sandstone rock outcrops or cliffs. Independence Rock and Names Hill on the Oregon Trail and the Point of Rocks Emigrant Register on the Overland Trail have dozens to hundreds of inscriptions largely dating to the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. These inscription sites tend to be located at places where emigrants regularly stopped to camp, usually along rivers, streams, or springs. To date, no inscription sites comparable in size to those found along the Oregon and Overland Trails have been found along the Southern Route of the Cherokee Trail. This site contains one inscription which may date to the use of the Cherokee Trail.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Inscription Site
A close-up view of historic inscriptions looking east.
The site consists of three sandstone outcrops located along the east side of the valley of Hartt Cabin Draw, approximately one mile north of the point where it flows into Sand Creek. Most of the inscriptions are from twentieth century sheepherders. Sheepherder inscription sites are not uncommon but these date to long after the period of use for the Cherokee Trail.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Inscription
A possible Cherokee Trail inscription looking east.
One inscription was found at this site which may date to the period of use of the Cherokee Trail Southern Route. It consists of the letters R F or R E and the date 1861. If this inscription is legitimate, it is one of, if not the only known Cherokee Trail inscription in southern Wyoming. The west side of the outcrops face the Cherokee Trail and are exposed to the prevailing westerly winds. Other 1850s inscriptions could have been erased by the constantly blowing winds.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Hartt Cabin Draw valley
A segment of the Cherokee Trail along Hartt Cabin Draw looking south.
After following Hangout Wash and Hartt Cabin Draw south from the base of North Flat Top Mountain, the Cherokee Trail reached Sand Creek, a large north to south trending dry wash tributary of the Little Snake River. The most difficult part of the trail over North Flat Top Mountain was behind travelers, but water and grass were still scarce.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Hartt Cabin Draw
A view of Hartt Cabin Draw looking south.
Hartt Cabin Draw is a small ephemeral stream which is fed by springs in the surrounding area. Summer rainstorms and spring snow melt would also add water to the stream. Not only was water crucial for drinking and cooking, but it also allowed grass to grow which was critical for the health of the draft animals. Dry areas along the trail would often be described as being lined with dead oxen, horses, or mules. The Cherokee Trail Southern Route had virtually no settlements between the South Platte River in Colorado and Fort Bridger in western Wyoming. Settlements were hundreds of miles apart and any breakdowns along the trail would leave emigrants in a desperate situation.
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Sand Creek Valley
A view of the Cherokee Trail near Sand Creek looking north.
Cherokee Indian diarist John Lowery Brown described the trail from Muddy Creek to Sand Creek on July 11, 1850.
"July 11th...20 Miles. Today we had good Road for a few miles and then the rest of the way, the worst Road that we have Traveled over since we left home. No water or grass or Timber. The Road Dry & Dusty & pached [parched]. No game, Sage Grass scarce."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Sand Creek
A view of the Cherokee Trail at the crossing of Sand Creek looking northeast.
Sand Creek is a large north to south trending dry wash. The stream's source is an area known as Adobe Town. Adobe Town is a badlands area consisting of numerous small, eroded ridges and outcrops of Eocene grey, green, and dull-red tuffaceous sandstone and claystone. The outcrops were seen as resembling houses and buildings hence the name.
Cherokee Indian diarist John Lowery Brown continued his account of July 11, 1850.
"at Sundown we reached the dry Bed of a large Creek [Sand Creek] where we got water by digging holes. the water tasted of Salaratas, salt. Grass scarce, made today 20 miles."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Sand Creek Flooded
Flood waters in Sand Creek looking north.
Sand Creek is usually dry, but when flooded moves large amounts of sand and silt downstream to the Little Snake River. This sediment has helped create a broad alluvial meadow along the Little Snake River east (upstream) from the mouth of Sand Creek. Known as the Darr Settlement, ranchers in the Little Snake River valley have used the meadow created by Sand Creek since the 1880s.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Colloid Draw
A view of the Cherokee Trail looking northeast toward Sand Creek.
This plot of the trail closely matches the route on the 1883 GLO original survey plat for T12N, R94W. It was long thought that the trail was located along the crest of a narrow steep-sided ridge known as Cherokee Rim. The crest of Cherokee Rim is a difficult but passable route which contains a two-track road. The trail along Colloid Draw north of Cherokee Rim is supported by the 1883 GLO plat and is also a far easier route out of the valley of Sand Creek. The presence of the trail on the crest of Cherokee Rim is not impossible, but to date the route has not been confirmed by historical data.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Cherokee Basin
A view of the Cherokee Trail in Cherokee Basin looking west.
Further evidence of the presence of the Cherokee Trail is found in more landforms named for the Cherokee. In this area Cherokee Rim, Cherokee Basin, Cherokee Draw, and the East and West Forks of Cherokee Creek dot the landscape. These drainages flow south into the Little Snake River. The Cherokee Creek in this area is not the same as the Cherokee Creek located between the Five Buttes and Muddy Creek discussed above. It is not clear when Cherokee Rim, Cherokee Basin, Cherokee Draw, and the East and West Forks of Cherokee Creek received these names. No 1850s documents refer to these features by these names. The 1883 GLO plats do not provide names for any of these streams, basins, or hills nor do the GLO resurveys conducted in 1934. As with other geographic features named for the Cherokee, these names were applied during the living memory of the trail but long after its actual use.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Cherokee Basin
A view of the Cherokee Trail near the East Fork of Cherokee Creek looking south.
After crossing Sand Creek, the Cherokee Trail continued into Cherokee Basin. John Lowery Brown wrote of this area on July 12, 1850:
"We traveled five miles and came to where Capt Home's [Calvin Hall Holmes] Co. were camped which was 1 1/2 miles from the Yamper [Little Snake] River. A great many Indians were coming into camp as we got there which caused great excitement. They came up Friendly. They proved to be the Snake Indians. Capt Homes reported that he had been 8 or 10 miles and could find no water or grass, so we all concluded to stay where we were we carelled [corralled] together. [word illegible] carried [herded] our stock to the R[iver] to graze and packed water from the same place 1-1/2 miles."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Powder Rim
A view of the Cherokee Trail near the crest of Powder Rim looking east.
After crossing Cherokee Basin, the trail turns north and climbs to the crest of Powder Rim. Powder Rim is a large east to west trending ridge system with steep slopes on to the north and south sides. Numerous drainages flow down the slopes of Powder Rim making it largely impossible for the trail to continue along the base of the rim. As John Lowery Brown noted, little or no water was present along the crest of Powder Rim.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Powder Rim
A view of the Cherokee Trail on Powder Rim looking east.
In 1854, Calvin Hall Holmes repeated the trip west he made over the Southern Route four years earlier. On his second trip west, Holmes pioneered a new route which went down Muddy Creek to the Little Snake River. He followed the river west to the mouth of a dry wash now known as Powder Wash. He followed Powder Wash to Lower Powder Spring where it rejoined the Southern Route. The new route was similar to the route used by fur traders in the 1830s. Holmes new route bypassed North Flat Top Mountain and was seven miles south of Powder Rim. While longer than the North Flat Top Mountain/Powder Rim route, it avoided the steep slopes and long dry trail over Flat Top Mountain, Sand Creek and Powder Rim. It is unclear how much traffic used Holmes' 1854 route instead of the 1850 North Flat Top Mountain/ Powder Rim route.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Diseases
A view of the Southern Route along Powder Rim looking west.
When traveling any trail in the nineteenth century, the greatest threat to life was not the weather, the terrain, or Indian attack but was from disease. The worst of these were typhus, cholera, and dysentery which were spread by drinking contaminated water. These diseases were especially common on the Oregon Trail given the large numbers of emigrants on the trail in the 1850s. Whole wagon trains could be decimated by an outbreak of cholera. If a doctor was a member of a wagon train, he could provide health care to as many emigrants as he could, but this was uncommon. Medicine was available if someone thought to bring some, but this was also rare. The Cherokee Trail had a reputation for having fewer occurrences of these diseases in part due to the smaller number of travelers using the trail. In August 1850, cholera struck the Cherokee Indian companies on the Oregon/California Trail in Nevada. Eight members died between July 25 and September 6. A Dr. Baker who was traveling with a different company was hired to accompany the Cherokees and treat the sick.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Mountain Fever
A view of the Cherokee Trail Southern Route at the west end of Powder Rim looking west. The trail descends into the broad valley of Powder Wash.
One disease which was especially feared along the Cherokee Trail was Mountain Fever. On the trail, Mountain Fever was a catchall for any number of different diseases. It is now identified as Colorado tick fever and is spread by infected ticks. Symptoms included a fever lasting 4-6 days with chills, muscle and joint pain, headache, deep pain behind the eyes, lumbar backache, nausea and vomiting. Relapses were common. Death was frequent, but most recovered.
Mountain fever was commonly noted on all trails across Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada including the Cherokee Trail. The lack of water provided few opportunities for bathing, and the layers of heavy clothing and Victorian ideas of modesty made checking for ticks a rare occurrence, especially since emigrants had no clear idea of the link between ticks and the fever. In 1852, Malinda Jane Armstrong, aged 18, was traveling east to Texas on the Cherokee Trail with her family. She contracted Mountain Fever near Fort Bridger and died along the Cherokee Trail east of the Green River. Local families maintain her grave to the present day.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Powder Mountain
The point where the Cherokee Trail spilts to go around Powder Mountain looking southwest.
Powder Mountain marks the west end of Powder Rim. At this point the modern roads split to go around the mountain. Unfortunately, the GLO plat does not indicate which branch is the actual route of the trail. The GLO plat only located the trail where it crossed the section lines. The rest of the trail was drawn in to connect the dots. The GLO plat shows the trail running diagonally across the section. The literal trail plot on the GLO plat would cross directly over the top of Powder Mountain which is clearly an impossible route. The trail had to go around either the north or south side of the mountain or possibly both sides. The south (left) side route shows less development and most closely resembles the nineteenth century trail.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Companies
A view of the trail descending the west end of Powder Rim and rounding the south flank of Powder Mountain looking southwest.
Emigrants on any of the trails rarely traveled alone. It was common for emigrants to band together into groups of various sizes, often referred to as Companies. This was done for protection and mutual assistance. Companies were often created by emigrants who came from particular towns or cities where they were related to each other or were neighbors. The companies were run by officers elected by the group. A captain would be in overall command often assisted by lieutenants. The captain would set the schedules, choose the route, select camping grounds, and maintain discipline. Captains were usually prominent citizens back home or who had some experience on the trail. If a captain became unpopular with the group, he could be voted out of office and replaced. It was not unusual for a wagon train to have several different captains over the course of the journey, or even have a deposed captain reinstated. If members became dissatisfied with their company, they could decide to leave and join another wagon train. When traffic on the trail was heavy, it was not uncommon for emigrants to change wagon trains one or more times before arriving at their destination. Cherokee Indian R. J. Meigs changed companies five times between the Indian Territory and Nevada where he died of cholera.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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The Peculiar Institution
A view of the Cherokee Trail between Powder Mountain and Lower Powder Spring looking east.
One aspect of the Cherokee Trail which receives little attention is the presence of enslaved Black people on the trail in the pre-Civil War period. The east end of the Cherokee Trail was in the Indian Territory which is now Oklahoma. The trail was used by emigrants from Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, the Indian Territory, and surrounding areas, all of which were slave holding states or territories in the 1850s. Emigrants on the Cherokee Trail brought enslaved people along with them on the journey to California. The roster for one 1849 group using the Cherokee Trail was listed as ... "128 souls, 3 of those women 2 Boys and 4 Nigroes" [sic]. The Evans/Cherokee companies of 1849 brought five unnamed slaves with them. The 1850 companies including John Lowery Brown's contained 15 enslaved people, one of whom was a man named Runaway Tuff no doubt due to his efforts to escape slavery. John Lowery Brown himself brought a young, enslaved man named Jonas with him. Because California was a Free State, enslaved people would gain their freedom as soon as they entered the state. Tragically, Jonas and Runaway Tuff did not live long enough to gain their freedom. Both men died of cholera along the Humbolt River in Nevada.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Lower Powder Spring
A view of the Cherokee Trail east of Lower Powder Spring looking east.
The area was described by E. Willard Smith in September 1839.
"[September] 30th. Yesterday afternoon my horse gave out and I was obliged to lead him about three miles. The day was quite warm & we suffered very much for want of water. We encamped at some Sulphur Springs. The hunters shot an old Buffaloe. To-day I was obliged to walk and let my horse run loose. I was afraid that he would be unable to travel all day, even in this way. My boots were torn to pieces and I could procure no moccasins. I traveled forty mile in this way over a very rough road covered with prickly pears. My feet were very much blistered..."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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Lower Powder Spring
A view of Lower Powder Spring looking east.
Lower Powder Spring was described by E. Willard Smith in 1839, John Lowery Brown in 1850 and Calvin Hall Holmes in 1854. John Lowery Brown wrote;
"July 13...25 miles... Traveled today 25 miles very Rough Road. No grass, wood, or water. Traveled untill sometime in the night when we came to Sulphur Springs. Not fit for man or Beast to drink. No grass."
Calvin Hall Holmes wrote of the area in 1854:
"Saturday July 1 st .
Most of the road was pretty good today one... A...ge Canyon. A .... storm about noon. Came 22 miles to a fine spring and tolerable grass 1 cow and 2 steers died from drinking alkali."
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services
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West of Powder Spring
The Cherokee Trail west of Lower Powder Spring looking west.
The Southern Route did not significantly improve west of Lower Powder Spring. John Lowery Brown wrote:
"July 15...20 Miles... Man & Beast sick. Caused by drinking the water that we have been drinking for several days. Traveled today 20 miles and came to a narrow swift branch of good cold water with tolerable good grass".
This stream was Vermillion Creek, a tributary of the Green River which flowed into Browns Park near the site of the now abandoned Fort Davy Crockett. From Vermillion Creek, the Southern Route continued west crossing the Green River 15 miles south of the city of Green River then continuing west to the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger. From Fort Bridger, emigrants would follow the Oregon Trail to California.
Photo courtesy of Western Archaeological Services