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South Pass

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	Topics South Pass Topic Home South Pass (elevation ) is a mountain passMountain pass In a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass is a lower point that allows easier access through the range.... on the Continental DivideContinental Divide The Continental Divide or Great Divide is a ridge of mountains in North America and Central America which separates th... in the Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America.... in southwestern WyomingWyoming Wyoming is a state of the western United States.... . The pass is located in a broad valley between the Wind River RangeWind River Range The Wind River Range, is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States.... to the north and the Antelope HillsAntelope Hills Antelope Hills may refer to several places or geographic features in the United States.... to the south, in southwestern Fremont CountyFremont County, Wyoming Fremont County is a county located in the U.S.... , approximately 35 miles (54 km) SSW of LanderFacts About Lander, Wyoming Lander is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States.... . The pass furnishes a natural crossing point of the Rockies and has historically been the route for the Oregon TrailOregon Trail The Oregon Trail was one of the key overland migration routes on which pioneers traveled across the North American continent... , California TrailCalifornia Trail The California Trail was a major overland emigrant route across the Western United States from Missouri to California in the... , and Mormon TrailMormon Trail The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-... during the 19th century. It is a U.S. National Historic LandmarkNational Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark is a building, district, site, structure, or object, almost always within the United States, of... . The pass is a broad open saddle with prairiePrairie Prairie refers to an area of land of low topographic relief that historically supported grasses and herbs, with few trees, a... and sagebrushSagebrush Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby species in the genus Artemisia native to North America:... , allowing a broad and nearly level route between the AtlanticAtlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface.... and PacificPacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the world's largest body of water. ... watersheds. The Sweetwater RiverSweetwater River (Wyoming) The Sweetwater River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 150 mi long, in the U.S.... rises on the east side of the pass, and Pacific Creek rises on the west side. History The discovery of the pass as a natural crossing point of the Rockies was a significant but surprisingly difficult achievement in the westward expansion of the United StatesUnited States The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... . It was unknown to the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionLewis and Clark Expedition Overview The Lewis and Clark expedition was the first United States overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back, led by Captai... , which followed a northerly route up the Missouri RiverMissouri River The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States.... , crossing the Rockies over difficult passes in the Bitteroot Range in MontanaMontana Montana is a state in the Pacific Northwest and Great Plains regions of the United States.... . South Pass, by comparison, was known only to Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States American Indian and Alaskan NativesU.S.... until 1812, when Robert StuartRobert Stuart (explorer) Robert Stuart was the son of David Stuart, a partner of John Jacob Astor who as one of the North West Company men, or Nor'w... and six companions from the Pacific Fur CompanyPacific Fur Company The Pacific Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor on June 23, 1810, as a subsidiary of his American Fur Company.... (the AstoriansAstor Expedition The Astor Expedition in 1810-1812 was the first overland expedition from St.... ) crossed the Rockies here on their return from Astoria, OregonAstoria, Oregon The city of Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States.... : "In 1811, the overland party of Mr. Astor'sJohn Jacob Astor John Jacob ' Astor was the first of the Astor family dynasty and the first millionaire in the United States, making hi... expedition, under the command of Mr. Wilson P. Hunt, of Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital of New Jersey, a state of the United States of America.... , although numbering sixty well armed men, found the Indians so very troublesome in the country of the Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri, approximately 671 mi, in the western United States.... , that the party of seven persons who left Astoria toward the end of June, 1812, considering it dangerous to pass again by the route of 1811, turned toward the southeast as soon as they had crossed the main chain of the Rocky Mountains, and, after several days' journey, came through the celebrated 'South Pass' in the month of November, 1812. Pursuing from thence an easterly course, they fell upon the River PlattePlatte River The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 310 mi.... of the Missouri, where they passed the winter and reached St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri St. Louis , sometimes written Saint Louis, encompasses an independent city in the U.S.... in April, 1813. The seven persons forming the party were Robert McClelland of Hagerstown, who, with the celebrated Captain Wells, was captain of spies under General Wayne in his famous Indian campaign, Joseph Miller of Baltimore, for several years an officer of the U. S. Army, Robert Stuart, a citizen of Detroit, Benjamin Jones, of Missouri, who acted as huntsman of the party, Francois LeClaire, a halfbreed, and André Valée, a Canadian voyageur, and Ramsay Crooks, who is the only survivor of this small band of adventurers." (Letter of Ramsay Crooks to the Detroit free Press, June 28, 1856) Despite Stuart's meticulous journal of the trip, which was presented to Astor and President James MadisonJames Madison James Madison was the fourth President of the United States.... , and published in France, the knowledge of its location was not widely known, so for over a decade trappers used a longer, more northern route which included an extra mountain rangeMountain range A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers.... and offered a shorter season for crossing. In 1824, Jedediah SmithJedediah Smith Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur... rediscovered the pass. In 1832, Captain Benjamin BonnevilleBenjamin Bonneville Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville was a French-born officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the A... and a caravan of 110 men and 20 wagons became the first group to take wagons over the pass. In July 1836, Narcissa WhitmanNarcissa Whitman Narcissa Prentiss Whitman , was an American missionary in the Oregon Country of what would become the state of Washington.... and Eliza Spaulding were the first pioneer women to cross South Pass. Between 1848 and 1868, it furnished the convenient crossing point for emigrantsEmigrant Trail The Emigrant Trail is the name collectively applied to the network of wagon trails throughout the American West during the m... westward, most of whom followed the Sweetwater River across Wyoming to its headwaters, following the Central RouteCentral Route to the sinks and proceeded to California by different passes through the [[Sierra Moun... . Before the railroads offered an easier crossing in 1869, perhaps half a million would trek through South Pass. GoldGold Gold is a highly sought-after precious metal that for many centuries has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelry... had been discovered in the gulches near the pass as early as 1842. It was not until 1867, when an ore sample was transported to Salt Lake CitySalt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City redirects here, for the township see Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, India.... , that an influx of miners descended into the region. The gold rush led to the establishment of booming mining communities such as South Pass CitySouth Pass City, Wyoming South Pass City is a census-designated place located in Fremont County, Wyoming.... and Atlantic CityAtlantic City, Wyoming Atlantic City is a census-designated place in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States.... . The placer gold in the streams was exhausted quickly, however, and by 1870 the miners began leaving the region. In 1884, Emile Granier, a FrenchFrance France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and whi... mining engineer, established a hydraulic drilling operation that allowed gold mining to continue. Gold mining was revived once again in nearby Rock Creek in the 1930s. From the 1960s through 1983, a US Steel iron oreIron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted.... mine operated in Atlantic City. South Pass was designated a national historic landmarkNational Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark is a building, district, site, structure, or object, almost always within the United States, of... in 1961. External links cript>