West End Of Hastings Cutoff
Elko County, Elko County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
West End Of Hastings Cutoff. Across the Humboldt Valley southward from this point a deeply incised canyon opens into a valley. Through that canyon along the South Fork of the Humboldt River ran the disaster-laden route called the Hastings Cutoff. It joined the regular Fort Hall route running on both sides of the Humboldt here. The canyon was first traversed in 1841 by the Bartleson-Bidwell Party, the earliest organized California emigrant group. In 1846, Lansford Hastings guided a party through this defile of the South Fork and out along the Humboldt. The ill-fated Reed Donner Party followed later the same year.By 1850, the dangers of the cutoff route were recognized and it was abandoned.
Erected by Nevada State Historic Preservation Office
The Story
Here the notorious Hastings Cutoff rejoined the main California Trail along the Humboldt. Promoted by Lansford Hastings as a shortcut, the route through the South Fork canyon proved a punishing detour. The Bartleson-Bidwell party first traversed it in 1841, and in 1846 the ill-fated Reed-Donner party followed Hastings's path — losing time that would trap them in the Sierra snows. By 1850 the dangerous cutoff was abandoned.
Why it matters
The cutoff's deadly reputation, sealed by the Donner tragedy, became a cautionary emblem of the perils faced by overland emigrants bound for California.
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Related people
- · Lansford Hastings
Related events
- · Bartleson-Bidwell Party, 1841
- · Reed-Donner Party, 1846
Themes & tags
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