Hastings Cutoff

After crossing the Oregon Trail in 1842, Lansford W. Hastings returned east to blaze his own trail across the salt desert of what is now Utah in 1846. Hastings authored The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California to promote his new route which included a 65-mile waterless stretch across the desert.

The Guide contained some useful information about preparing for the overland journey but when it came to describing the trail Hastings proposed, it was filled with misinformation. The Guide reported 25,000 foot peaks in the Rockies and claimed that "Wagons can be taken as readily from Fort Hall to the bay of St. Francisco, as they can, from the States to Fort Hall; and in fact, the latter part of the route, is found much more eligible for a wagon way." Moreover, Hastings claimed that his trail would cut weeks off of the journey, enabling those who followed it to reach California three weeks ahead of those who followed the Fort Hall route.

Hastings dramatically underestimated mileages, especially with the Salt Desert crossing. Virginia Reed recalled, "Hastings said it was 40 [miles] but i think it was 80 miles." In fact, current measurements suggest it is about 65 miles between springs. Virginia Reed, of course, had reason to feel bitterly towards Hastings. She was a member of the emigrants who suffered most as a result of Hastings promotion: the Donner-Reed Party.

The Donner-Reed Party had expected Hastings to meet them at Fort Bridger and guide them across his new cutoff. But Hastings had already gone ahead and so the Donner-Reed Party, attempting to follow his instructions, headed southwest. They were forced to blaze their own trail through the Wasatch Mountains down into the Salt Lake Valley, an effort which required them to spend eighteen days to go a mere thirty-nine miles.

The so-called cutoff had already cost them precious time, as James Clyman had warned James Reed when he told him to "take the regular wagon track and never leave it -- it is barely possible to get through if you follow it -- and it might be impossible if you don't." 

But Reed wouldn't listen, replying, "There is a nigher route, and it is of no use to take so much of a roundabout course." Young Virginia Reed would echo this sentiment later when she advised emigrants: "Never take no cutoffs."

Edwin Bryant, who successfully followed Hastings Cutoff ahead of the Donner-Reed Party, remembered the fearful crossing of the Salt Desert: "As we proceeded the plain gradually became softer, and our mules sometimes sunk to their knees in the stiff composition of salt, sand, and clay. The traveling at length became so difficult and fatiguing to our animals that several of the party dismounted...and we consequently slackened our hitherto brisk pace into a walk."

Pilot Peak stood on the edge of the Salt Desert, guiding the emigrants across the salt flats to a spring at its base.

But the Salt Desert was not Hastings only miscalculation. In the Ruby Valley of what is now Nevada, James Clyman had noted several small streams which he believed would "no doubt fall into marys [Humboldt] river." Hastings agreed. But, instead, the streams disappeared into the sink of present Franklin Lake, forcing the emigrants to make an arduous crossing of the Ruby Mountains. Had Hastings scouted the route to the north, he could have shortened the route by one hundred miles.

The Hastings Cutoff joined the main branch of the California Trail near Gravelly Ford from the south fork of the Humboldt. But, after the Donner-Reed tragedy, the Hastings Cutoff was forever tainted and it received little traffic in the ensuing years.

 During the Gold Rush year of 1849, there is some evidence that packers, who traveled lighter and faster, chose this route over the more crowded northern routes in an attempt to gain an advantage. But, in general, the route simply had too much desert, too little water and too little grass to be a feasible route west.

Madison Moorman, Aug. 14, 1850:

We made an early start, without breakfast, and when we had travelled a mile or two we entered a very rugged Kanyon of six or seven miles continuance. We crossed four or five times the, here, very rapid and deep little river, and sometimes, to avoid a crossing, we would leave the wagon track and risk a hazardous bridle way on the steep and rugged mountain side, from which an awkward step of our sure footed mules would have hurled us a hundred feet and launches us in the river foaming the the depths below.

Edwin Bryant, 1846:

About two o'clock, P.M., after travelling three-fourths the distance across the valley, we struck an oasis of about fifty acres of green grass, reeds, and other herbage, surrounding a number of springs, some of cool fresh water, others of warm sulphur water. These waters rise here, and immediately sink in the sands ...