Howdy, NOTE: I picked neither the routes nor the distances in either Part 1 or in this Part 2. I borrowed this trail from "The California Trail - an epic with many heroes" by George R. STEWART (McGraw-Hll -1962) for a couple of reasons: 1). Stewart describes a different California Trail-Ending from my prior postings from the Northern Trail diaries of Edgar REYNOLDS(1852) and Mary C. FISH(1860);and 2). He clearly outlines theTrail and distances - leaving most of the trailside descriptions to the diaries. Also. since I have not as yet nailed my ggmMary's wagon route from KY to Sonoma in 1850, I like to explore various routes:-)) In our first California Trail episode, we traveled 915 miles from Independence, MO to the Continental Divide crossing at South Pass in present day Wyoming. On reflection, I am afraid this Part 2 may be almost impossible to follow without a map. .So, no hard feelings if you DELETE now:-)) .OK, hardy souls remaining, let's continue: 9). Mile Post 935 - LITTLE SANDY CREEK From South Pass, Little Sandy, only 20 miles, is a long day's journey. But it's a leg because here the trail forks. To the southwest is the road to Fort Bridger and due west the main route to California after 1844 - according to Stewart. 10). Mile Post 1,045 - Bear River After a little rest at either Little Sandy or Big Sandy, we travel over, what was known as Sublette's Cufoff, some pretty rough terrain for about 110 miles to the Bear River. Even though we follow the Green River for a portion of this leg, there was a lot of dry country before we got to the river.. 11). Mile Post 1,170 - Fort Hall After Bear River the trail swings northwest for 125 miles to Fort Hall.. Although it is not mentioned in Stewart's text, except on a map, about 70 miles from Bear River, near Soda Springs, the trail splits and the Hudspeth's Cutoff turns southwest for about 130 miles, where it will again intersect our main trail at Cassia Creek just north of City of Rocks/Cathedral Rocks. Fort Hall - in present day Idaho - is not much to brag about. But supplies are available, fewer than at Fort Laramie though. You will note from the mile post that we have traveled almost 1,200 miles, give or take, in about 85 days. AND we're just a little more than halfway to California 12). Mile Post 1,210 - Raft River - From Fort Hall, we travel west along the south bank of the Snake for about 40 miles to a crossing of the Raft River - an insignificant little stream that would bear no mention except that our trail again splits: ahead to Oregon. And for us, to the left to California. 13). Mile Post 1275 - Goose Creek - City of Rocks/Cathedral Rocks The California Trail follows the Raft River southward to the Cassia Creek junction. There the Hudspeth's cutoff joins us from Soda Springs. And a few miles further at Cathedral Rocks, the Cutoff from Salt Lake City some 190 miles distant also joins our trail. We travel this up and down leg for five or six days until we reach Goose Creek. NOTE: Some of your folks may have taken the Hastings Cutoff back there at Little Sandy, just west of South Pass, and have passed through Fort Bridger and Salt Lake City. After some meandering, you Hastings' folks will rejoin us later on at the South Fork of the Humbolt River. 14). Mile Post 1,370 - Humboldt River - It takes us about 5 days and 95 miles from Goose Creek to where we hit the head of Humboldt River - Luckily, we passed bunch of small streams - had easy valley passage with plenty of grass. 15). MIile Post 1,735 - Humboldt Sink - For the 365 miles to the Humboldt Sink, STEWART briefly describes: ""First, you followed it[Humboldt River] toward the southwest, some 70 miles. Then a tight canyon forced the trail away from the river, and you camed one night among the hills. You returned to the river, and followed it west and northwest. Then you followed around the big bend, and went southwest again, a 100 miles and more, to the sink. Sometimes the trail followed the right bank and sometimes the left.. NOTE: At the South Fork of the Humboldt River, the Hastings' cutoff rejoins our California trail. Then about 190 miles west of the Humboldt River's South Fork at Lassen's Meadows, the Applegate Trail splits and bears northwest another 190 miles to Goose Lake. Also, at Goose Lake the Lassen's Route bears 225 miles southwest to Lassen's ranch and then 110 miles south/southeast to Sutter's Fort/Sacramento. 16). Mile Post 1,790 - Truckee River Camped near the sink, we gather a supply of grass and fill all our water containers - never enough:-) Then early in the morning we take the 55 miles in one long pull - never camping, with only a couple of halts to rest the animals. Finally,when we see the cottonwoods along the Truckee river, as Stewart says, "When you came to the trees and the water, it was as close to heaven as you had ever experienced." ALTERNATE CARSON ROUTE : For YOU folks taking the Carson Route, you head south from the sink for about 30(?) miles to Ragtown and the Carson River. Next, you turn west; travel about 155 miles over the Carson pass and down to Placerville. Then take the Carson's final 55 mile leg to Sutter's Fort/Sacramento. PLEASE SEE my postings of the Northern Trail Diary of Edgar Reynolds(1852) where I attempt to describe this Carson River route. 17). Mile Post 1,860 - Truckee Pass Traveling about 70 miles with a steady upgrade, criss-crossing, along the icy swift Truckee river takes us a little more than a week. But we had grass and water. And we make it to the PASS. 18) .Mile Post 1,890 - Bear Valley While it is only 30 miles across the pass to Bear Valley, we had about five of the hardest days of the trip. It took us two or three days to get the wagons to the top of the pass. With the rough downhill, we worried about broken tongues and axles. And as Stewart says, "you eased the wagons down into Bear Valley - at a place still known as Emigrant Gap," Discussing the lack of diary references about the scenic beauties of the Sierra Nevada, Stewart observes, "As far as they were concerned, the sheer pass and the gleaming crags above it and the the sapphire lake at its base - they were all nothing more than a hated barrier to be got across before the snow blocked the way." 19). Mile Post 1,975 Sutter's Fort Beyond Bear Valley, the 85 miles was no piece of cake - made it by working our way down and along the forested ridges, a couple of canyons, foothills and across the level Sacramento Valley. Stewart concludes: "Then you sat in the autumn sunshine by the adobe wall of Sutter's Fort, and the train was about to break up. You talked with the others, and there was a sadness, for through out many days and nights, you and those others had experienced greatly together, and now it was as if the veterans of a long campaign, or sailors who had voyaged far in the same ship, were parting company." POST SCRIPT: While I can't give specifics, I note later on a lot variations in the "California End" of the routes - primarily from the Humboldt River. From a map in Stewart's book, these appear to be some of the variations in the 1850s: 1). Yreka Road 1855 - Humboldt River northwest, but south of Goose Lake to Yreka. 2). Nobles's Road 1852 - Humboldt,Smoke Creek Desert,Honey Lake, Shasta City. 3). Beckworth Road 1851 - Humboldt to Truckee river, north and west to Bidwell's Bar. 4). Placer Co. E.M.[?] Road 1852 - Truckee River to American River, Auburn. 5). Johnson's Cutoff 1852 - Carson River, south of Lake Tahoe to Placerville. 6). Carson Route 1848 - Humboldt, Carson River to Volcano or Placerville 7). Big Trees Road 1857 - split from Carson route south and west to Stockton. 8). Sonora Road 1852 - Humboldt, south to Walker River and west to Sonora. NOTE: I haven't checked/compared. But those interested might look at Thomas Frederick Howard's "Sierra Crossing", UCBerkeley). This book may have more on the above routes and routes AFTER the 1850s. I hope that I haven't muddled more than helped:-))) Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>