The 'summer road trip' is an American tradition, and owes its heritage in part to the 19th-century pioneers who set out from the homes on a journey West by way of the Oregon Trail to seek a new land of opportunity. While not too many folks these days are likely to follow in the footsteps of antebellum Americans, most RVers share that adventurous spirit. As such is the reason for our Blog... Roughing IT (but) Gently, and so one of the things we wanted to do while at Fort Running Bear Campground, 35 miles away from Mountain Home ID, was to take a scenic drive along the Oregon Trail Backcountry Byway, which is a 102-mile trek that follows the route that the emigrant pioneers, stagecoaches and freighters used to travel Westward to California and Oregon. Along parts of the route the ruts of so many wagons traversing these paths are still imprinted on the Trail and in certain areas can still be seen. Unfortunately the best examples of these wagon wheel ruts cannot be seen by the general public, as they are actually within private properties. However, in other parts of the forest service lands (and with a little imagination) there are directions and markers (white posts marked “Oregon Trail”) which show the route location and one can see by the contour of the land where the wagons would travel. Along the route it was beneficial to cross the Snake River at a point known as Three Island Crossing, which was usually the best place to ford the Snake River. However, whereas crossing the Snake at Three Island Crossing was the most ideal choice, it was a choice tempered by the depth of the river and the flow of the current, as often those taking a chance often met their end in doing so. Eventually both north and south side of the Snake would come together at Fort Boise (west of the present city of Boise), but the difference between the two choices was based upon enjoying reasonable water and grazing for the next couple hundred miles found on the northern side, vs having to travel on a much drier and more barren landscape on the southern edge of the Snake River Canyon. The main Oregon Trail route was used by stagecoaches and freighters long after the waves of mass migration ceased. Some freighters were still using the old route long after the railroads were built, some into the early 1900's. Back in those days, there were still some active hot springs on the south side of Teapot Dome. The water was hot enough to boil eggs and cook meat. Over the years since, irrigation wells in the area have drained the water table down to the point where the springs no longer flow and all that's left is rust-colored channels in the dirt.
West of Teapot Dome, the route crossed Rattlesnake Creek. There was a regularly used campsite here beside the creek. The only elements left marking the site are eight graves in a row... Further west was Canyon Creek, another resting/camping spot and later site of the stage stop built and operated by Archibald and Harriette Daniel.
Driving this byway allows us to see a lot of the sand, rock and sagebrush-covered landscape the original pioneers went through as they struggled their way westward. Because so much water has been sucked out of the ground since for agricultural purposes, the area is somewhat drier than it was back then. Old wagon wheel ruts are visible at many places along the route but most of the land beside the roads is private property. About 1/3 of the route is paved, the rest is gravel and/or dirt. There are no amenities directly along the byway, although there is public camping available at Three Island Crossing State Park.
Three Island Crossing State Park was opened in 1971 and is home to the Oregon Trail History and Education Center, where visitors can learn about pioneer emigrants and Native American history. It is located on the Snake River at Glenns Ferry. The Glenns Ferry community sponsors an annual crossing commemoration the second Saturday of each August.
Mary says that the saying in Michigan is that "if the corn is knee-high by the 4th of July it will be a good harvest". If that is true, these farmers will have ann excellent one, as their corn is shoulder-high by the 8th of July, and their fields go on for miles.
These white posts marked "Oregon Trail" mark where the trail is. In some parts it is easier to see the wagon-wheel ruts in the hard ground, than in others, and where they are best seen are on 'private lands' where the public can't go. In the photo below it is a bit more evident. Of note... way back when the Oregon Trail was used by wagon and stage coaches, the land was a lot softer; however, due to irrigational use of the water, the land (soil) has dried up considerably.
Roxy enjoying being able to be leaash-free, sitting at the
bluff overlooking the Three Island Crossing, below.
Edith2 on part of the Trail where the tracks are more visible.
The Oregon Trail Back Country Byway guided signs clearly mark the vehicle route.
A log cabin river house (with boathouse instead of garage).
Three Island Crossing (from the other side and at riverside level).
View from the bluff. Three Island Crossing is at the bottom (unseen from here).
Three Island Crossing Oregon Trail pioneers knew this spot well. It was one of the most famous and treacherous river crossings on the historic trail. Pioneer travelers used the three-island crossing until 1869, when Gus Glenn constructed a ferry about two miles upstream, which was a much safer and faster crossing.
Three Island Crosssing from the bluff.
Hay stacked.
Not sure what crop this is, but one can see all the irrigation of all these fields.
The water comes from the Snake River.
Glenn's Ferry (New Crossing)
Pioneers forded the
Snake River at the Three Island Crossing until 1869, when Gustavus
"Gus" Glenn constructed a ferry (boat) about two miles upstream, primarily
to expedite freight but also for emigrants. His boat, which could hold two wagons,
cut nearly twenty miles from the former route.
Glenns Ferry, Idaho
Glenns Ferry is a small town established in 1871, just down from the original location of Glenn’s Ferry crossing, in Elmore County, Idaho, which sits at an altitude of 2,569 feet and encompasses an area of 1.94 square miles. The population which was 333 in 1890 has grown to 1,319 at the 2010 census, but it is currently estimated closer to 1,200. The city is adjacent to Interstate 84 and the Snake River. Construction of the Oregon Short Line Railroad through the town in 1883 gave the city its first major employer. It remains a farming community
Maybe we'll stay at this campground next time and take the truck and tent to Fort Running Bear Campground, so we don't have to get dust all over the RV, since we are not allowed too wash RVs there.
Thunderstorms in the distance, about 10 miles away.
Saylor Creek Wild Horse Herds
The Saylor Creek Wild Horse Herd lives on approximately 83,540 acres (33,810 ha) in the southern portion of the Jarbidge and Burley Field Offices of the BLM−Bureau of Land Management in Idaho. According to local history, the foundations of the Saylor Creek Horse Herd date back to the early 1960s when mares were captured near Challis, Idaho, and transported to an area south of Glenns Ferry, Idaho. Small bands of horses could be found in the vicinity of Dove Springs and the Saylor Creek seep. A registered stud was purchased and turned out with the mares, and colts were captured in annual roundups. This practice ended when the Saylor Creek Herd was established in accordance with the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burros Act of 1971.
On our way back to the RV...
On the way back to the campground we stopped at several spots which only have a sign by the side of the road, which say they are of historical significance, however we have not been able to find any reference to them online. These are places such as Devil’s Dive, which reads only "Site of Stagecoach Robberies 1875-1889"; and Tollgate, which is explained on the sign; and Rattlesnake Station, which was a famous stagecoach relay station for 20 years.
"Devil's Dive... Site of Stagecoach Robberies, 1875 - 1889"
LOL :-)
There are pretty wild flowers all over.
Owls are unmistakable birds, and that goes double for a long-legged owl that hunts on the ground during the day. Burrowing Owls, such as this one we found on the side of the road are small, sandy colored owls with bright-yellow eyes. Yes, they live underground. Most other owls are nocturnal (hunt at night). The greatest threat to burrowing owls is habitat destruction and degradation caused primarily by land development. Despite their protected status, burrowing owls and their burrows are routinely destroyed during the development process. They use burrows dug by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, badgers, marmots, skunks, armadillos, kangaroo rats, and tortoises.
A hawk flying overhead...
However,
one location, where no sign exists was of particular interest to us because of
its own particular characteristic. It is a canal that flows off the spillway of
the Camas Dam which forms the Camas Reservoir within view of our campground.
The spillway empties into a main canal from which other canals take water to
the various farms/ranches in this area; however, one of these canals winds its
way around the topography of the hills in the area and in doing so flows
downhill and then uphill and then downhill again and so forth. It is really
strange to see, but clearly there are portions which are lower and higher than
others along its flow. We asked the owner of the campground and he too said
that it perplexes him as well, so obviously it does defy the rules of physics,
that water (liquids) only flow downhill (see photos and video) .
The water flow runs from the right side of photo to the left side, yet the right side is clearly LOWER than the middle which then goes downhill again to the left side, so the water flows UPHILL, then down again. Weird!
Roxy, enjoying the freedom of not needing a leash (as required in the campgrounds).
As you can see there is quite a strong flow of water
Next we may do the rest of the Oregon Trail... the part that goes from Mountain Home to Boise... or we may not. We'll see.
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