U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
National Historic Trails Interpretive Center
By 1850, the Oregon-Mormon Pioneer-California trail system had developed almost as many shortcuts as there were wagon masters. The emigrants called these shortcuts "Cutoffs."
The Lander Trail was a cutoff between South Pass and the Snake River country was surveyed and built in 1857-58 by pioneer engineer Frederick W. Lander for the Department of the Interior. It is the only stretch of the Oregon Trail system to ever be subsidized and constructed by the federal government. More than 13,000 emigrants traveled it in 1859, its first year of use.
The route is well marked in most places. BLM and Forest Service managed lands predominate with public roads following much of the route.
|Last updated: 12-08-2010|
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