Range/ends8(5), October 1986 195 Oregon Trail in Idaho Howard Ross Cramer The Oregon Trail, an important part ofAmerican history, is also a part of the historyof Idaho, and some historians BO BOISE think of it as an event rather than a place. It may be useful to BU BURLEY understand A FB FT. BOISE SITE the background of why this part of the country FHa FT. HALL SITE was used for so important an event. FH. FT. HENRY SITE IF IDAHO FALLS Idaho before the Oregon Trail PD POCATELLO a SS SODA SPRINGS In 1803President Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana a TF TWIN FALLS C from the French and used the U.S. Army to investigate the a D MOUNTAINS new land which extended to the Pacific Ocean, including —— OREGON TRAIL what is now Idaho. A party of 50, under the command of DRAINAGE Captains (actually Lieutenants [Bakeless,1964]) Lewis and Clark was organized to explore the new country to the Pacific, and to return. In the spring of 1804 they began the trip from St. Louis, Missouri, and arrived at what is now Idaho latein the summer of 1805. They crossedthe continental divide nearthe drain- age of Salmon River,and, after determining that they could not continue westward along this route, they followed the Clearwaterdrainage west to the SnakeRiver; herethey took canoes downthe Snake and Columbia Riversto the Pacific coast, arriving late in 1805. They returned to St. Louisin 1806,along the samegeneral route. They had determined that it was possible to cross the continentby this route, but there was a greatmountain bar- rier whichwould have to be conquered. The details of their trip can be found in their journals (Lewis and Clark, 1814). The Fur Trade and the Mountain Men In 1810, afterLewis and Clark returned to St. Louis, enter- prising, well-organized businessmen (as well as unorgan- ized adventurers)entered the scene. A party from St. Louis, under the leadership of Andrew Henry, entered Idaho from Montana and proceeded southward into the Snake River drainage. They spent the winterat Fort Henry and "trapped FIg. 1. Index map. the country" before returning to St. Louis in 1811. Some of the party wentto the "Spanish country,"toward the south, took the life of one of his men. Hunt and his party were and became the first Americans who were on part of the obliged to continue westwardalong theriver byfoot and with Oregon Trail. As Henry and the rest ofhis party were on their a few poniesthey bought from theIndians. They followed the way backeastward to St. Louis, they encountered another SnakeRiver west, beyond whatis now TwinFalls, where they party coming westward—theHunt party. were advised by Indians toturn northwest to theBoise River. Wilson Price Hunt was the leader of a groupof 55 in the They followed the Boise River to the Snake River, then employ of John Jacob Astor who envisioned a fur business turned northward, into the mountains into whatis now Hells based on the Pacific coast of Oregon. Hunt and his party Canyon.There theybacktracked, intoOregon and ultimately crossed the continental divide on horsesand descendedthe tothe coast. He makesno mention ofthe forage otherthan to drainage of Snake River to Fort Henry. Here they con- comment on the general starvation ofthe inhabitants of the structed canoes and continued down the Snaketo a bit west region (including his own party); they ate their horses and of whatis now Burley. Here they encountereda canyon with dogs asneeded. Only flax-seed being eatenby Indians and a rapids and waterfalls (now called the Caldron Linn) which reference to eating rose-bush fruits is mentioned. Was his lack ofcomment about the range dueto his indifferences, to his lack of knowledge about it, to his preoccupation with The author is in theDepartment of Geology.Emory University,Atlanta, Ga. survival, or what? Wedo not know. Huntand his party are the 196 Rangelands8(5), October 1986 The AmericanFalls of Lewis Fork FIg. 2. Lithograph of the American Falls ofthe Snake River, from the report ofJohn C. Fremont (1845). first persons of record to use part of the Oregon Trail in for our cattle [?horses] Near what is now F'ocatelio, Idaho. Idaho, Stuartdeparted from the SnakeRiver to the BearRiver In 1812, Robert Stuart, one of Astor'sparty who came to drainage and here notes: "Along the hills are a few service- Oregon by sea, led a party of 61 backto St. Louisalong the berries, but the prime of their season is past—howeverwild routethat Hunt had in part pioneered. He entered Idahonear cherries ofvarious kindsare to be had inthe greatest perfec- what was later Fort Boise and traveled eastward along the tion and abundance." Thedetails ofStuart's and Hunt's trips southern bank of the Snake River.Stuart and his party were can be found in Rollins (1935). The account of the entire on horses and made good time. A few days later he com- Astoria adventure of Huntand Stuart can befound in Irving ments". during this day'smarch the bottoms were very (1868). extensive,covered principally with salt wood [sage brush?], Followingthe Astorians came numerousother fur trappers, except near the river, where there are some willows.. the the "Mountain men." These came to know the country— hills are low, of a sandy soil, and like the high bottoms, the where the springs were located, where the water was good same shrub predominates." andbad, and thelocation of thepasses. In later years,as the On August 23rd, near what would later be the place of fur trade waned, they were often employed as guides for separation ofthe north and south routes, he writes, "Scarce immigrant trains. and bad indeed is the fodderof our horses—whatlittle we Fort Hall on theSnake River was established by Nathaniel can procure being generally the rankest grass, and coarse Wyeth in 1834as an Indian trading post and for supplying weeds All was not bad, however, becauseon the 27th, a trappers;this was thefirst settlementof any consequence on bit west ofTwin Falls he notes ". .. Ithought it best toremain the Oregon Trail in Idaho. Thesuccess of Fort Hall encour- hereto day, which willbe of infiniteadvantage to our horses, agedthe Hudson BayCompany toestablish Fort Boisea few as theyare much in want ofrest and thegrass is verygood. years later on thewestern side of the state. There was now a On the 29th, between Twin Falls and Burleyhe writes, "The mountain-free routeacross Idaho, containing TWO trading Indian path going by far too much to the south for our posts! The Oregon Trail in Idaho was in existence. Further purpose, we, on leaving camp, steered E by S for 30 miles information about the fur tradeand this era can be obtained over what is (in this country) called a prairie, but Forest of from Chittenden (1935),and the route ofthe trail in Idaho is worm wood [sage brush?] is moreproperly its name, . we on the map, Figure 1. again struckthe main river Note the referencehere toa path, suggesting a well-wornroute utilized by the Indians The OregonTrail in Earliest Days before the white men came. The Oregon Trail was located along the Snake River for a BetweenBurley andPocatello he comments:"The country number of reasons. First, the route utUized by Lewis and passedsince yesterday morning has improved greatly—the Clark was not suitable for long lines of wagons and immi- sage, and its detestable relations, gradually decrease, and grants becauseof the rough topography and the lackof feed the soil, thoughparched produces provender in abundance '1) Rangelands8(5), October 1986 197 for livestock. In thesouth the countryside was relatively flat, alloweven a temporary reposeto the immigrants." His report although deep canyons, tributaries of the Snake, were cut includes a lithograph of the countryside around American intothe flat-lyinglava. These deepchasms were aggravating Falls, between Fort Hall and Burley—not unlike a lithograph to travelers because of the delays encountered in skirting of the country were it madetoday (Figure 2). them, and the route was by no means as straight as sug- Aftercrossing the Snake, and going northwestwardtoward gested in the map. Secondly, the trail ran along the river, so Boise River, Fremont comments, "Here, thecharacter of the thatwater was generally availablefor man and beast.Finally, vegetation was very much changed; the artemesia disap- and perhapsthe most important, the route usually contained pearedalmost entirely, showing only at intervalstowards the sufficient feed for the livestock of the immigrants. close ofthe day, and was replaced by Purshia tridentata,with Many ofthe physiographic features mentioned in diaries flowering shrubs, and small fields of Dieteria divaricata, of Oregon Trail travelers can still be seen. There are still which gave bloom and gayety to the hills. These were every- many stretches of theoriginal wagon road. Vegetation along where coveredwith afresh and green shortgrass, likethat of the rivers has changed because of agricultural progress. the early spring. This is thefall, or second growth, the dried Nonetheless,an approximation ofthe original appearanceof grass having been burntoff by the Indians;and whereverthe the countryside still exists, and by reading the accounts of fire has passed,the bright-green color is universal. The soil theearly travelers we can get an idea of whatthey saw, and among the hills is altogether differentfrom that of the river so determine whatchanges have occurred. plain, being in so many places black, and in others sandy and Lieut. John C. Fremontcame to Idaho in 1842. He was the gravely,but ofa firm and good character, appearing to result firsttrained observer who came with thedistinct purpose of fromthe decomposition of the graniterocks, which is pro- determining the nature ofthe land. Upon his arrival in Idaho, ceeding rapidly.