Mapping Emigrant Trails - MET Manuals
MET Manual (8 MB, 125 pages, PDF)
MET Field Manual (4 MB, 35 pages, PDF)

South Pass Preservation
The Lander Office of the Bureau of Land Management has undertaken a revision of their Resource Management Plan (RMP). As part of that effort they will examine various options for improving the protection of South Pass. Currently, South Pass is a National Historic Landmark without a boundary and with little protection beyond that provided by Section 106 of the implementing regulations of the National Historic Preservation Act.

At this point it is very uncertain as to what area will be protected and what the specifics of protection will be. Our desire, expressed through the petition is that some form of protection be examined along the trails from Independence Rock to the Little Sandy and from the Oregon Buttes to the Wind River Range. Any scheme should consider existing property rights and the traditional ranching economy while increasing protection for the trails and their setting.

The development of the revised RMP is a multi-year process that has just begun. We will have opportunities to comment on alternatives developed by the BLM. This petition will provide a timely input to the process. If you have questions, please contact Dave Welch at welchdj@comcast.net or 360-923-0438.

> View the South Pass video

What is South Pass? Where is South Pass? These questions be-deviled explorers and emigrants since the pass is not well defined geographically. Modern planners are also wrestling with the questions as they attempt to define the area to be protected. With care it is possible to find the summit area (monuments not with-standing), but with its relatively gentle approach it lacks a clear natural definition that “this is the spot.” Research by Will Bagley indicates that early travelers considered the pass district to extend from Independence Rock, where they joined the Sweetwater River, to the Big Sandy River and perhaps the Green River. It also extends from the Oregon Buttes to the foot of the Wind River Range.

So that we can all see this remarkable area, I asked former OCTA president and professional photographer Randy Wagner to provide 30 photographs of the area. With the help of Jim Riehl who scanned the slides, I have prepared a video from these photographs with music from Aaron Copeland’s “Tender Land Suite” Serendipitously, the music matched the slide show length almost to the second and reaches a climax as you pass through the pass.

Dave Welch, OCTA Preservation Officer