OVERVIEW OF 2005 FIELD TRIPS

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Field Trip "A" Salt Lake Cutoff with Railroad interest.

Field Trip "B" West to Donner Spring.

Field Trip "C" Hastings, Harlan Young, Bryant/Russell, Lienhard/Hoppe.

Field Trip "D" Hastings Cutoff with Lincoln Highway/Pony Express interest.

Field Trip "E" Hiking (easy - moderate - difficult) (several options available)

Pre-convention "1": Soda Springs, ID - Bartleson-Bidwell & Salt Lake Cutoff to Salt Lake City,UT ( 1 or 2 day? ). Click the links for more information.

Pre-convention "2": Mormon Corridor. Requirements: 4-wheel drive vehicle, CB radio, and lunch for each day. Limited to 10 vehicles. Day 1:  Ft. Bridger - Bear River. Day 2: Needle Rocks - Salt Lake Valley.

Pre-convention "3": Hastings Route west: (Roy to follow up and make outline) ( 2 day + )

Pre-convention "4": ( ? ) Pony Express/Lincoln Highway (Wendover to SLC). ( 1 day )

Post-convention "1": Pony Express/Lincoln Highway (SLC to Wendover). ( 1 day )

Pre-convention Field Trip "1"
Soda Springs, ID - Bartleson-Bidwell & Salt Lake Cutoff to Salt Lake City

Preliminary Plan, Details Subject to Change

• Oregon Trail
• Formation Cave and Cave Nature Conservancy (if accessible)
• Brigham Young Cabin Site
• Local Trail Ruts
• Hooper Springs
• Cones & Mounds of Soda Springs
• Little Spring Massacre Site and Wagon Box Grave Site
• Camp Conner and Monument
• Morrisite Settlement
• Steamboat Springs
• First Marriage in Soda Springs
• Ninety Percent Springs
• William Henry Harrison Monument
• Sheep Rock
• Pioneer Trail Graves
• Bartleson-Bidwell Party Cutoff Site
• Hudspeth's Cutoff Leaving the Oregon Trail
• Volcanic Crater
• Follow Bartleson-Bidwell Trail via: Grace, Bear River, Thatcher, Hot Springs, Dayton, Weston, Amalga, Newton, Long Divide, Fielding, Rocky Ford, Garland, Tremonton, Corinne.
• Join Salt Lake Cutoff: Hampton's Ferry, Bear River Crossing, Crystal Springs etc., to Great Salt Lake City.

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Pre-convention Field Trip "2"
Two days. 4 wheel drive required.
Day 1: Mormon Corridor. Ft. Bridger - Bear River
Day 2: Mormon Corridor. Needle Rocks - Salt Lake Valley

Day 1. August 14

• Ft. Bridger - Mormon wall
• Tail ruts
• BY Arrow and graves
• Gravel Hill
• Muddy Creek (Lunch) - Graves and station site
• Piedmont - Kilns and town site
• Copperas Springs - Bedford grave
• Dibble - Hike required
• Quaking Aspen Springs - Station site
• Aspen Ridge - Mormon Springs
• Sulphur Creek - Bear Town
• Bear River - Graves and station site

Can overnight in Evanston, WY.

Day 2. August 15

• Needle Rocks - Station site
• Cache Cave?
• Head of Echo Canyon - BY campsite and Station site
• Hanging Rock - Station site and names
• Mormon Breastworks
• Echo School
• John's Park (Lunch) - Pratt's pass
• Spring Creek
• Dixie Hollow - Station site
• Bachman's - Station site
• Fort Wells - 5 mile canyon
• Big Mountain
• Little Mountain
• Donner Hill - Eagle Gate, Cascades
• This is the Place monuments.

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Field Trip "A"
Salt Lake Cutoff (with Railroad interest)

Start at Sheraton parking lot

• Pioneer Park

• Wasatch Springs 

• Hot Springs  *

• Heber C. Kimball Gristmill (905 Orchard Drive)

• Bountiful-(Kiosk) ( Jeremiah Willy Cabin 1804-1869 restored 1995-97) (old rock homes)

• Centerville

• Farmington (Pioneer Cannon ?). 

• Haight Creek (Kiosk) 

• Bluff Road 

• U-37 Clinton road – ruts 

• Muskrat Spring 

• Weber River Ferry

• Perry (Hot Spring) 

• Marsh (Cold Spring) 

• Brigham City (Rees Spring)

• Wright Spring 

• Porter Spring 

• Kotter Farm 

• Calls Fort (Monument) 

• Harper Spring/Honeyville 

• Crystal Hot Springs (morning break and restrooms)***

• Boise Ford

• Bear River Crossing Marker

• Hampton Ferry  (Ford/Bridge)

• Rocky Ford 

• Eli Anderson Museum (lunch ?) 

• Thiokol  (Pioneers in Space)

• Promontory- Golden Spike National Historical Site.  (lunch option with restrooms)

• Rail Road grades – fills and cuts. (walk grade if time) (movie in Visitors Center).

• Corinne (drive by or drive through past old buildings).

Back to Convention Center via Fort Beunaventura Park and Miles Goodyear Cabin if time allows.

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Field Trip " B"
West to Donner Spring

Start at Sheraton parking lot

• Jordan RiverWest on 21^st South

• Deadmans Cave

• Lake Point Marker

• Bensons Mill

• Donner Museum – tour

• Trail walk – east of Timpie or other

• Big Spring

• Grassy Rest area – visit

• Wendover rest area – if noon eat lunch in shade

• Donner Spring – visit

• Walk ½ mile to flats

• Munsee Cabin – explain on bus

• Bidwell Pass Kiosk – visit

Back to convention center (presentations on bus to fill in windshield time).

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Field Trip "C"
Hastings, Harlan/Young, Bryant/Russell, Lienhard/Hoppe
"A Tragic Decision"

Start at Convention center.

• Parleys Canyon (Golden Pass Road)

• Kimball’s Junction  (Golden Pass Road)

• Bittner Ranch (Bittner talk) (Melissa Coray Story)

• Wanship (Lincoln Highway Marker and artifacts collection) 

• Rockport

• Coalville

• Echo via old highway – (several points of interest)

• Echo Museum – Cemetery – Interpretive Panels at School 

• Witches Rock (camps)

• Henefer

• Main Canyon Kiosk/Park (lunch and restrooms)

• Croyden

• Devils Slide

• Morgan

• Peter Skeen Ogden rest area

• Devil’s Gate

• Uintah (South Weber/HAFB Overlook)

• Haight Creek Kiosk

• Farmington

• West Bountiful (exit to SR68)

• Redwood Road to Jordan River Crossing (Lienhard-Hoppe & Rear H-Y Groups)

• North Temple/Fairgrounds Crossing (Hastings & H-Y Advance)

• 27^th South Jordan River Crossing (Bryant-Russell Party, Donner-Reed Party)

*(If time allows SR201 to Deadman’s Cave, Saltair Drive and return to Sheraton Convention Center)

Back to Convention Center

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Field Trip "D"
Hastings Cutoff
(Lincoln Highway Pony Express Combo)

Start at Convention Center

• Lincoln Highway 21^st South

• Jordan River Crossing (27^th Crossing by Bryant-Russell & Donner-Reed)

• West on 3500 South

• Magna

• Garfield townsite

• Deadman  (Toronto) Cave

• Great Salt Lake – Westbound rest Stop

• Lake Point Clinton Landing Road

• Lakeshore Drive – Lincoln Highway

• Locate Luke Excavation Site

• Adobe Rock

• Stansbury Park (marker)

• Benson Mill

• Six Mile Ranch

• Fishing Creek/Three-mile Creek

• Grantsville Donner Museum

• SR138/Old US 40 (Markers) (Hastings Cutoff Route & Lincoln Highway)

• Sea Base Hot Spring

• Flux – LH Hastings Cutoff

• Timpie Point & Big Spring  (trail walk) (Show Lincoln Highway)

• Burnt Spring

• Muskrat Spring

• Horseshoe Spring

• Dell Ranch & Spring

• 49er Trail/California Trail Junction Overlook (walk to Rock Point)

• Hope Wells

• Iosepa (cemetery) (Lunch at Pavilion option)

• Orr’s Ranch  (Lunch Option)

• Johnson Pass

• Faust Pony Express Station site – cemetery – (Costagno Ranch)

• Camp Floyd  (Lunch at State Park restrooms) (Fairfield area) (Utah Expedition info)

• Eagle Mountain Pony Express Route

• Jordan River Toll Bridge

• Lehi

• Service Road past Porter Rockwell’s Station Site

• Travelers Rest Site (point out)

Back to Sheraton Convention Center via State Street

(*Fill in day with stops at monuments and markers along way if needed)

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Field Trip "E"
Donner/Reed, Brigham Young Route, Last 30 miles to the Salt Lake Valley
(Includes a 4.3 mile hike up "Little Emigration Canyon" to "Big Mountain" summit)
(The hike begins at about 6,000 and concludes at 7,400 feet elevation)

Click here for route map

Start at Convention Center

• Drive 30 miles, pick up trail at East Canyon, with 8 historical sites and lookouts along the way
• Pass Donner campground
• Explore Large Spring Campground with dowsing rods.
• Begin Hike at Mormon Flat*, Utah War revetments
• Hike to the spring and Beaver Dams at another Donner/pioneer campground, rest
• Finish hike to summit.
  
• Rest*, eat box lunch
• Explore trail ruts on west side of Little Mountain
• View Little Mountain trail from Pioneer Road, north side of Emigration Canyon
• Explore/hike/visit Donner Hill and Eagle Gate obstruction (time and energy permitting.)

Note: The hike up Big Mountain is not dangerous but might be too strenuous for some. The distance is 4.2 miles. Elevation begins about 6,100 feet and climbs to 7,400 feet. The grade varies between mostly 4 and a stretch at the end of about 8 percent. Swales and rust marks easily identify the route the whole way. Tree canopy will provide shade at least half the time. A small stream runs the length of the hike and will be crossed numerous times, but is almost always dry after July, though there is water at the beaver dams and two or three logs that need to be crossed. The steepest part of the hike is at the end. The only exits on the trail are at the top and bottom and no way to get emergency vehicles into the area, so the hike must be completed. There has never been development on this section of the trail, so you get to see why it took the Donner Party four days to make a trail to the summit and where they made it. Athletic shoes are fine. Participants need to hydrate themselves.

Contact Ron Andersen if you need more information.

* Indicates where a one-hole restroom, maintained by State Parks, is available.

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