

Instead of passing through Idaho, Hastings’ route swerved into Utah.

The weather was mild and because he wasn’t headed toward the Sierra Nevadas, time was not of the essence.ġ969 In epic Super Bowl upset, Jets make good on Namath guarantee The self-styled guide to all things California took the route from Salt Lake to Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Only in 1846, after the book had been in print for a year, did he get a chance to try it. There was just one problem: Hastings had never tested out the route.

The description was brief, but to those who dreamed of settling California, the route through Utah teemed with promise. “The most direct route, for the California emigrants, would be to leave the Oregon route, about two hundred miles east from Fort Hall, thence bearing west southwest, to the Salt Lake and thence continuing down to the bay of St. The book contained a passing reference to a route that would save more than 300 miles over the traditional California Trail that previous emigrants had used, which took travelers across Wyoming and into southern Idaho before crossing down into Nevada to reach California.
